SHRM Poll on Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees

1. December 16, 2011
SHRM Poll: Personality Tests for the Hiring and
Promotion of Employees

2. Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
Key Findings
2
 Do organizations use personality testing for hiring or promoting employees? A majority of organizations
(82%) do not use a personality test in the hiring or employee promotion process.
 What are the most common job groups targeted when using personality tests in the hiring or
promotion process? Of the few organizations that indicated using personality tests, the majority use
them for mid-level managers (56%), followed closely by executives (45%) and entry-level exempt jobs
(43%).
 How do HR professionals view the use of personality testing in the workplace? The majority of HR
professionals (71%) indicate that personality tests can be useful in predicting job-related behavior or
organizational fit; 14% of respondents disagree.

3. Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization currently use a personality test in hiring or promoting employees (this
would include a personality test used as part of an assessment center or individual assessment
process)?
3
No
Yes
Unsure
80%
18%
2%
Note: n = 495.

4. Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
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Note: n = 89. Respondents who answered “not sure” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations currently use a personality test
in the hiring or employee promotion process were asked this question.
For which of the following job groups is personality testing used in your organization as part of
the hiring or promotion process?
All job
applicants
Most job
applicants
Some job
applicants
Few/select
job applicants
Don’t use
for any job
applicants
Nonexempt (hourly) positions 30% 5% 8% 22% 35%
Entry-level exempt jobs (professional,
supervisor, individual contributor,
etc.)
43% 4% 15% 13% 25%
Mid-level managers (manager,
director, etc.)
56% 7% 9% 4% 24%
Executives (VP, SVP, EVP, chief) 45% 7% 1% 7% 40%

5. Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
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Note: n = 75. Respondents who answered “not sure” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations currently use a
personality test in the hiring or employee promotion process were asked this question.
What is the most common method your organization uses to administer the personality test(s)
in the hiring or promotion process?
Percentage
The test is administered in-person, and the administrator oversees the candidate testing process, including
checking identification of the test-taker, administering the test either by paper and pencil or by computer,
and monitoring the test-taker and the test-taking environment during the entire process.
20%
The test is administered in-person, but the administrator does not monitor the test-taker or the test
environment throughout the process.
16%
The test is administered online, and the test-taker can take it from anywhere he or she has Internet access. 56%
Other 8%

6. Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
Have you had any legal challenges (not simply by verbal complaints, but a formal legal filing or
notice from a lawyer) related to your organization’s use of personality testing in the hiring or
promotion process?
6
No
Yes
Unsure
88%
1%
10%
Note: n = 78. Only respondents whose organizations currently use a personality test in the hiring or employee promotion process were asked this
question. Total does not equal 100% due to rounding.

7. Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
Have job applicants made verbal or written complaints (not including formal legal complaints)
about your organization’s use of a personality test in the hiring and/or promotion process?
7
No
Yes
Unsure
83%
12%
5%
Note: n = 76. Only respondents whose organizations currently use a personality test in the hiring or employee promotion process were asked this
question.

8. Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
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Note: n = 466.
HR Professionals’ Perceptions About Personality Tests
Percentage
When properly vetted and validated, personality tests can be useful in predicting job-related behavior
or organizational fit.
62%
Personality tests are generally not useful in predicting job-related behavior or organizational fit. 14%
Personality test are useful in predicting job-related behavior or organizational fit. 9%
The use of personality testing may leave applicants with negative views of the organization, and
therefore, these tests should be used sparingly or not at all.
8%
Other 7%

9. Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
Demographics: Organization Industry
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Percentage
Manufacturing 18%
Health care and social assistance 14%
Finance and insurance 11%
Professional, scientific,and technical services 9%
Educational services 7%
Accommodation and food services 5%
Retail trade 5%
Public administration 4%
Transportation and warehousing 4%
Administrative and support, and waste management and remediation services 2%
Construction 2%
n = 423. Total does not equal 100% due to rounding.

10. Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
Demographics: Organization Industry (continued)
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n = 423. Total does not equal 100% due to rounding.
Percentage
Information 2%
Utilities 2%
Wholesale trade 2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 1%
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional and similar organizations 1%
Construction 0%
Information 0%
Utilities 0%
Private households 0%
Real estate and rental and leasing 0%
Repair and maintenance 0%
Other 9%

11. Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
Demographics: Organization Sector
Other
Government sector
Nonprofit organization
Publicly owned for-profit organization
Privately owned for-profit organization
4%
8%
18%
52%
18%
11
n = 419

12. Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
Demographics: Organization Staff Size
1 to 99 employees 100 to 499
employees
500 to 2499
employees
2500 to 24999
employees
25000 or more
employees
26%
35%
18%
16%
5%
12
n = 402

13. Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
Demographics: Other
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Does your organization have U.S.-based
operations (business units) only or does it
operate multinationally?
U.S.-based operations only 74%
Multinational operations 26%
n = 449
Is your organization a single-unit company or a multi-
unit company?
Single-unit company: A company in which the
location and the company are one and the
same
36%
Multi-unit company: A company that has
more than one location
64%
n = 448
Are HR policies and practices determined by the multi-unit
corporate headquarters, by each work location or both?
Multi-unit headquarters determines HR policies
and practices
51%
Each work location determines HR policies and
practices
3%
A combination of both the work location and
the multi-unit headquarters determine HR
policies and practices
46%
n = 302
HR department/function for which you
responded throughout this survey
Corporate (companywide) 73%
Business unit/division 18%
Facility/location 9%
n = 301

14. Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
 Response rate = 18%
 Sample composed of 495 randomly selected HR professionals from SHRM’s membership
 Margin of error +/- 4%
 Survey fielded May 16 -27, 2011
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Methodology
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SHRM Poll: Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees