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HR – Personality Test -Most complex and rapidly changing topic in the selection field -Data can provide valid information for selection decisions -> Use of personality tests is rapidly increasing -2005: 30% of American companies used personality tests 40% of the Fortune 100 used them -Recent study in 20 countries: Countries like New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Sweden uses personality tests more frequently than the US Definition and Use of Personality Tests
Personality refers to the unique set of characteristics that define an individual and determine that person’s pattern of interaction with the environment. Personality is more than social skills -; it presents a broad topic. Personality characteristics are essential for the job performance. Pros for use of Personality Tests -Personality characters can be grouped into five broad dimensions -; The big five: conscientiousness, emotional stability, agreeableness, extraversion, and openness to experience -Manager believe personality traits matter at work Traits can be relevant predictors of work performance -Personality traits contribute incremental validity to the prediction of success at work -Scores are quite comparable across racial or ethnic groups or between man and women Cons for use of Personality tests -Predictive validities of personality traits are still quite low -Theoretical understanding of why specific personality traits are useful in specific jobs are still inadequate Personality traits Traits classify and measure individuals according to some set of personality characteristics -Concept of traits is used to explain different reactions to the same situation -; Individuals have a different amount of traits -Traits are viewed as the dispositional or relatively stable and enduring ways people tend to think, feel and act The use of personality traits requires: 1. The specification of job tasks 2. The identification of traits that are linked to these tasks Problem with specifying employee personality traits in particular is determining which personality traits to use. JobPersonality traits
ExecutiveConscientiousness, emotional stability, extraversion, ambition (especially) SupervisorPersistence, endurance, emotional stability, nurturance SalespersonConscientiousness, achievement (especially), ambition, extraversion SecretaryConscientiousness, dependability (especially), emotional stability, agreeableness Computer ProgrammerConscientiousness, original thinking, openness to new experiences Insurance agentConscientiousness, extraversion, original thinking Newspaper writerConscientiousness, emotional stability, openness to new experiences CarpenterConscientiousness, dependability (especially), emotional stability
Interaction of Traits and Situation -Powerful and weak situation oPowerful situations: Individuals behavior is more attributable to the situation than to individual traits oWeak situations: Individual is uncertain about appropriate behavior -; he/she interprets the situation and acts in accordance with his/her personality traits oUse: Personality traits are more important for selection devices and job assignments in weak situations than in powerful ones -Relevance of the work content oPersonality traits are only relevant in specific situations -Conclusions Traits vary greatly in the extent to which they influence behavior oSituation also has an important influence on individual behavior oSpecific personality traits predict valued behaviors at work only in relevant situations oOffers a partial explanation for the lack of uniform positive findings in the use of Personality data for selection Measurement methods Inventories in personality measurement -Uses the written responses of an individual as the information for determining personality -Measures abnormal and normal traits, several personality dimensions and only one dimensions 1.
Self-report questionnaire oConsists of a series of brief items asking the respondents to use a multiple-choice answer format to indicate personal information about thoughts, emotions, past experiences oResponse categories frequently given as: agree, undecided, disagree 2. The big five oNEO – Personality inventory oPersonality characteristics inventory (PCI) exists of 150 multiple-choice items derived from empirical research using several big five inventories oResponse categories frequently given as: agree, disagree . Other self-report personality inventories o16 personality factor test oCalifornia Psychological inventory oMyers-Briggs type indicator oConditional reasoning test oNEO-Personality inventory oHogan personality inventory oGlobal personality inventory oGordon personal profile oJackson personality inventory oGuilford-Zimmerman temperament survey Validity of self-report inventories -Conscientiousness and emotional stability are valid predictors of overall work performance -; Universal predictors across all jobs Extraversion, agreeableness and openness are contingent predictors, predicting success in only a few jobs or specific criteria -; Personality tests should use those personality traits that are relevant for the specific demand of the job and that only the traits are used to make a hiring decision -Personality traits may not be the best way to determine the usefulness of the candidate’s entire personality -They provide any prediction of job performance over that provided by other selection instruments -Personality matters at work Faking in self-report inventories Applicants can intentionally distorted or fake the answers -Applicants might do it to increase their chance of getting hired -> BUT evidence (studies) are contradictory -> BUT there are probably still some applicants who do fake results -Studies found out that faking does not affect the predictive validity of personality inventories ? Experts should focus on selecting the test with the highest predictive validity and not worrying about faking Alternative self-report questionnaire These “inventories”, typically assessed through self-report methodologies, focus only on one measure (one personality traits). Core self-evaluation oImportant to perform at work oConsists of four frequently traits: self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, emotional stability -Emotional intelligence oIs a broad construct oMeasures the candidate’s self-awareness and self-regulation as well as social awareness and relationship management -Proactive personality oIts approach is toward taking initiative at work and effecting environmental changes Projective Techniques -Similar to self-report questionnaire, also require verbal responses Differences: -Structure of questions and answers Questions are intentionally ambiguous -Wide variety of reasonable answers -Candidate has to project his/her interpretation on the answers -;Extension of the personality of the individual Advantage: -Individual might provide certain information that he/she would not otherwise Validity of Projective Techniques -They provide more beneficial information than self-report questionnaires. Issues: -Reliability of an individual’s response -Impact on an individual’s score due to the total number of responses given -Quantity and complexity of the responses make scoring very different
The interview in personality measurement -Used to determine how an applicant would typically act on the job -Conscientiousness in the most frequently measured personality trait in the interview -Interviewers need to be aware that there is a natural tendency to attribute others’ behavior to personality rather than to situational causes Behavioral assessment in personality measurement This technique is about trained individuals using judgments about the actual behavior of others to estimate personality characteristics.
Methods of behavioral assessment -Focused on situational work-samples or simulation problems -HR specialist develops structured situation similar to important job situations Limitations of behavioral assessment -The situation in which the individuals are placed: They need to be representative of situations of the job being considered -Recorded or rated behavior should be defined as clearly as possible -Training for the judges Recommendations for the use of personality data The appropriateness of the selection instrument 1.
It is more effective in selection to use traits that affect a wide set of behaviors rather than a narrow set oOnly use those tests with enough developmental information available to show that the instrument measures broadly defined personality traits oData needs to be provided 2. The reported or rated behavior of the applicants should be defined as clearly as possible oA lot of words and phrases can be misinterpreted oThere are different levels of meaning, e. g. persuasiveness 3. Training of the judges oThey need to be aware of observation techniques They should practice making judgments about personality characteristics Legal issues in the use of personality tests 1. Americans with Disabilities Act oThe disability Act prohibits preemployment medical examinations oThe EEOC takes the position that … •If the tests include personality scales with clinical designations of psychiatric disorders such as depression or paranoia it is seen as a medical examination •If the test focuses on general traits (e. g. honesty, loyalty…) it is not a medical examination 2. Privacy rights of individual oThe test need to be restricted to job-related questions o