Are Personality Tests Valid in the Hiring Process?

I was laid off from my job a couple months ago and in the course of seeking new employment, I’ve taken a few personality tests. The most recent test I took was the Caliper Profile test and I have to say that I was left very unimpressed.

(http://calipercorp.com/)

I was applying for an insurance sales position and on the Caliper test I found myself answering the questions how I thought the employer would want a salesman to answer them. After I took the test, I was informed by the prospective employer that I did indeed fit the profile of what they look for in a salesman. This left me a bit dumbfounded.

I think if I took the same test once a week for a month, I would have different results each time. The employer even told me that they always follow the test results in their hiring process. They said that when they’ve had people test unfavorably and hired them anyway, the Caliper assessment always ended up being correct. How can this be?

The questions are typical of most personality tests. They usually present ethical situations and personal scenarios and have you answer which way you feel.

Here’s an example of question directly from the test:

Select the one statement that reflects the viewpoint like yours in each group, fill in the “most” circle. Then, from the remaining choices, select the one statement that least reflects your viewpoint and fill in the “least” circle.

• A. Sometimes it’s better to lose than to risk hurting someone
  
• B. I’m generally good at making small talk
  
• C. Established practices and/or standards should always be followed
  
• D. I sometimes lose control of my workday

Now, how does that accurately describe one’s personality? I understand that there are probably years of studies dedicated to the creation of tests like these and I also understand that the test takes all the questions/answers into consideration before rating the tester. But, seriously, who would ever select option “D”? No one who actually wanted to get hired.

I think most people answer questions on personality tests by thinking about the position they are applying for when developing their answers. Similar to the ways that most people interview for jobs. In almost every interview I’ve been in, I have a tendency to try and portray myself as how I think the employer would want me to be. I know that’s not exactly being true and honest with myself, but in the business world, I’ve yet to find a company who actually hires people based on honesty.

I can imagine myself walking into a job interview and the first question from the employer is: “So, tell me about yourself Mr. Cooldad.”

“Well, I’m 35 years old. I had a miserable divorce and custody battle a few years ago that has left me broke and financially destitute. I’m an atheist. I think all politicians are liars. I’m pro-choice and think gay people should be able to marry. I love to smoke pot, but haven’t lately in case I have to take a drug test for a new job. I think Bill Hicks was a god and would like to resurrect him from the dead. Oh and by the way, I love people and I’m a great communicator who works hard and is extremely dedicated. Oh, don’t forget I can ace any personality test you let me take.”

Guess what? No job for me, without a doubt. I’m sure I’m not the only person who wishes they could be totally honest on personality tests and job interviews, but unfortunately I think that’s impossible in this day and age.

I may be spitting in the face of Psychologists and Sociologists everywhere, but I think personality tests are ultimately flawed and just make employers feel better about themselves. Whatever happened to intuition?

When I’ve interviewed and hired people in the past, it took me about 15 minutes interacting with that person before I knew if I wanted to hire them or not. Maybe now, employers need something to fall back on instead of actually using their own faculties to make decisions. That’s pretty sad, but not surprising in our age of lost accountability.