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alid and well-developed personality tests, when applied optimally and combined with an accurate diagnosis of the job requirements, can greatly improve the odds new hires will be stars. However, there are still many organizations that fail to utilize this powerful tool to enhance the quality of the workforce. Others that use personality testing may not see the full benefit of these assessments falling victim to false claims and flavour of the month tests and practices that fail to deliver. The following are things to keep in mind, regardless of business context or type of test, to help organizations get the most from personality testing.
job analysis or job-profiling technique to conduct a thorough examination of the requirements of a target position. Once the attributes necessary for success are established (such as personal drive, collaboration or boldness), a suitable test can then be selected through a careful mapping exercise.
Job analysis
The first step, which is often overlooked, is to determine what defines success in a particular job. There is a troubling propensity for HR managers to simply choose an off-the-shelf solution instead of first giving serious consideration to the types of characteristics a particular job calls for. The selection industry has seen the mass commoditization of personality tests and there appears to be a legion of easy-to-administer tests that claim to assess the core drivers of performance. However, the most valid and most defensible approach is to use an appropriate
on a test tend to receive higher performance ratings. Optimally, HR professionals should seek out criterion-related validity evidence that shows correlations between test scores and job performance within a similar role or job family. However, some personality traits, such as conscientiousness, have been shown to relate to performance in a range of positions. For these traits, a validity generalization argument can be used as a legally defensible substitute for evidence of a tests validity for a particular job. Generally speaking, evidence of validity is more important than evidence of reliability, but harder to obtain. Consequently, more than a few tests have been marketed on the basis of strong reliability while forgoing evidence of validity. Indeed, the fact a test consistently measures the same thing does not mean it will be helpful in identifying high-performing employees. Resistance to faking: Some personality tests are susceptible to applicants deliberately distorting (or faking) their responses in a manner that may make their scores less valid. For example, if the test includes a question such as I am a hard worker (true or false), even the laziest of applicants might choose true in an effort to increase his chance of being hired. There has been a vast amount of research aimed at managing the effects of faking on personality tests. An assessment experts input can help HR professionals choose a test that
Copyright Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd., August 10, 2009, Toronto, Ontario, (800) 387-5164. Web site: www.hrreporter.com