The document discusses using personality tests for personnel selection. It provides an overview of what personality tests are, which aspects of personality they can measure, whether they are effective predictors of job performance, how to properly use them for screening applicants, and some common traps to avoid when using personality tests for hiring decisions. The key takeaway is that personality tests can be used as an early screening tool to rule out applicants if customized based on a careful job analysis and cut-off scores are established, but forced choice measures and narratives without reference to scores should be avoided.

1. Using Personality Test for
Personnel Selection
Cornelius J. König
Saarland University
with some slides from Neil Christiansen, Central Michigan University, USA
Cornelius König

2. What is “personality“?

3. What are personality tests?
 Self-report measures of preferences, general
dispositions, and behavioral patterns
 Sample items
• I tend to shy away from crowds of people.
• I try to be courteous to everyone I meet.
• My work is likely to be slow but steady.
• I often crave excitement.
• I work hard to accomplish my goals.
 Often: “Please answer on a scale from 1 =
completely disagree to 5 = completely agree”
Cornelius König 3

4. Which aspects of the personality
of applicants can be measured?
 One answer:
• The “Big Five”
• Conscientiousness
• Emotional stability
• Extraversion
• Openness for experience
• Agreeableness
• An answer given by many scientists
 Another answer:
• Whatever you like to measure
• “We customize the test to your needs”
• e.g., management of emotions, self-confidence, risk-averseness
etc.
Cornelius König 4

5. Which aspects of the personality
of applicants can be measured? (II)
 A third answer:
• Another model proposed by a consultancy
• e.g., 4 dimensions resulting in 16 combinations in the Myers-Brigg
Type Indicator (MBTI)
• e.g., 16 dimensions in the 16 Personality Factors Questionnaire
(16PF)
• e.g., 32 dimensions in the Occupational Personality Questionnaire
(OPQ32)
Cornelius König 5

6. Which aspects of the personality
of applicants can be measured? (III)
 A fourth answer:
• Some honesty or integrity related scales
• “Overt” version: direct questions about integrity-related
attitudes and past dishonest behaviors
• “Personality-based” version: items measuring a mixture of
constructs all thought to be precursors of dishonesty (e.g.,
impulse control)
• Integrity tests have received substantial research
attention
Cornelius König 6

7. Do personality tests work?
 Can we predict performance?
 The “Big Five” (Salgado, 1997)
• Conscientiousness ρ = .25
• Emotional stability ρ = .19
• Extraversion ρ = .12
• Openness for experience ρ = .09
• Agreeableness ρ = .02
 For comparison
• Mental ability tests (Salgado et al., 2003) ρ = .62
Cornelius König 7

8. Do personality tests work? (II)
 What about customized tests?
• The negative side
• You often don’t know whether they work unless you test it
• You need a good job analysis to figure out how to customize it
• The positive side
• You need a good job analysis anyway!
• If you don’t customize, you will likely assess many aspects that are
irrelevant!
 Actually a common error (Christiansen et al., 2011)
Cornelius König 8

9. Do personality tests work? (III)
 Tests sold by consultancy
• Again, assess only the aspects you need to assess!
• Go and ask whether they have data that their test works!
• And be critical…
Cornelius König 9

10. Do personality tests work? (IV)
 Honesty tests
• Very recent meta-analysis by van Iddekinge et al. (in
press, Journal of Applied Psychology)
• Test publishers
• As computed by van Iddekinge et al. ρ = .21
• As reported by the test publishers ρ = .27
• Non-publishers
• Developed integrity test ρ = .20
• Did not develop integrity test ρ = .10
• Compare this with the medical research literature: We are
all humans with vested interests
Cornelius König 10

11. For what decision may you use
personality tests?
 My advice:
Use personality test as a tool to screen out applicant in
the early stages of your hiring process
 Why this advice?
• Why early?  Because administering personality tests is
easy and fairly cheap
• Why screen out?  Because applicants who don’t get at
least mediocre scores in your personality tests …
a) don’t have the right personality AND
b) don’t know that they should have it
Cornelius König 11

12. Should you worry that applicants fake?
 Some research findings
1. People can easily fake if instructed to do so
2. A considerable number of applicant will fake
• But not all
• Maybe a bit less in Europe than in the US and in China
3. Empirically, faking doesn’t seem to be very problematic
• “Faking” = actually appropriate self-presentation? Or maybe
even a skill?
Cornelius König 12

13. Might you encounter problems if
you use personality tests?
 Applicant reactions
• Nikolaou & Judge (2007): personality tests are perceived
as “okay”
• Other selection tools are better, other tools are worse
 Legal problems
• Especially likely if the items are work-related
• Work-related items also work better
• Plus: participants like them better
Cornelius König 13

14. Common traps
 Beware of forced-choice measures!
Example Most Least
DISC question Prefer Prefer
Receiving attention from other people
Working together with others to
achieve an aim
Standing up for your rights
Showing affection in personal
relationships
Cornelius König 14

15. What’s the problem with
forced-choice tests?
 Because of dependency
in response options,
cannot be high on all
traits
 One exception: the
forced-choice version of
the OPQ32
Cornelius König 15

16. Common traps (II)
 Establish cut-off scores and don’t rely on narratives!
Nanos’ Basic Character
“Nanos is extremely stable, sympathetic and reliable, inspiring trust in
others easily. He is approachable and friendly, although he is unlikely
to give his trust easily and will tend to remain suspicious until satisfied
his security is not threatened.
Deliberate in thought and action, Nanos is careful and cautious in his
approach to problem. He has a deep dislike of change and the
unexpected.”
Cornelius König 16

17. What’s the problem test with using
narratives?
 Often with no reference to scores or norms
 Often based on putting people in a “high on aspect
A” vs. “low on aspect A” tray
• Sometimes, there are more 4 trays
 Judgments are subjective: “Do I like this person”?
Cornelius König 17

18. Common traps (III)
 Never assume that there could be something like
„too much of a good thing“!
• Although this makes intuitively sense…
• … researcher haven’t been able to find it for years
• Maybe the measurement of personality tests isn’t accurate
enough…
• … but this will also apply to the test you will use!
Cornelius König 18

19. Take home message
 Should you use it personality tests or shouldn’t you?
• My personal answer: Screening tool
 If you use them:
• Base the use on a careful job analysis
• Customize
• Beware of forced-choice measures
• Use cut-off scores
• Be critical before you buy
• And: keep track of recent research!
Cornelius König 19

20. Thank you
for your attention
Cornelius König
ckoenig@mx.uni-saarland.de
20