The Benefits of Using Personality Tests in Making Selection Decisions

Funder (2006) defines personality as a person’s pattern of thought, emotion, and behavior, with psychological mechanisms and underpinnings. Studying personality within the field of social psychology makes logical senses. While the study of personality psychology seeks to determine the various ways that people differ from one another, and figure out individuals from the inside out, personality within social psychology seeks to figure out individuals from the inside out in varying contexts. Personality psychologists deal with one main challenge – there are so many facets to one’s personality that it is hard to view one’s personality within one single lens. Therefore, before exploring personality within the context of social realms, it is important to view the many facets and approaches to examining personality and its variations.

Personality is a complex area of Psychology, which has been studied for many years, by many experts in the field. Each having their own ideas about how to understand, study and evaluate it. Here I will introduce personality briefly, looking at the theories behind it. Then explain the need for testing. As there are many test that are available to use, for the purpose of this essay I will look at The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and discuss the reliability and validity of some studies around these tests.

Personality theories, or models, are metaphors for describing something which is intrinsically indescribable, the human personality. Currently, one of the most popular approaches among psychologists for studying personality theory is the Five-Factor Model (FFM) or Big Five dimensions of personality. This essay will explore the 'Big Five ' personality constructs and seek to explain how useful they are to understanding how people are likely to perform in a work situation. In conclusion, this essay will also discuss some of the arguments against the relevance and accuracy of personality testing within the employment context.

Personality and how we behave have been of much interest to psychologists for a long time now and because of this there have been many theories and theorists that have been developed. Personality is defined as consistent behavior patterns and intrapersonal processes originating within and individual (Fritzley, 2012, p. 10). There are six main approaches to personality psychology they include: biological approach, humanistic approach, behaviorist approach, trait approach, psychoanalytic approach and cognitive approach. Each approach shines a little light onto why we behave the way we do and how our personalities are formed, the approaches contain many different theories from

This paper introduces the overview of personality assessment approaches in use currently in society. It proceeds to review the big five personality measures, its validity in prediction of personality types (Archer, 2011). The topic on MIPS questionnaires use in personality measurements and scoring methods used by the system is reviewed. Aspects on the social desirability trait and the distortion produced in responses to evaluation questionnaires, being a significant part of the problems in personality assessment is examined. Social desirability does not have an influence on the predictive validity of personality assessments. It is not related to performance in the job. Various strategies used for reduction of social desirability have been studied. The various tools used in assessments are recapitulated including some methodological aspects (Weiner, 2009). Cultural aspects in evaluation of personality discussed are touched upon. Two case studies are used to show the real life situation of personality assessment.

Everybody has his or her own type of personality. We all act in a certain way that makes us who we are. It is believed that our parents, peers and, the environment we grow up in, shape us. Personality is describes as a combination of emotions, attitude, and behavioral patterns of an individual. There is a reason that we are the way we are and there are many theories that go along with that. Different theorist present their own definitions of the word personality based on their own theoretical positions. Which brings us to discussing Carl Jung’s theory of analytical psychology and Harry

Additionally, personality tests aid in identifying potential risky behavioral or emotional patterns that will prevent a potential job candidate from working efficiently and effectively. Traits such as stress tolerance, initiative, and emotional stability are often measured with personality assessments in order to determine how successful an individual will be in the organization (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2015). This personality assessment will measure and identify performance risks centered on personality, and emotional habits related to the healthcare field in the pre-hire stage for a Registered Nurse position. Furthermore, it will help to identify potential risky behaviors associated with tolerance, openness, stress, excitability, cautiousness, diligence, and boldness. This assessment will aid in identifying, if any, potential risky patterns that can possibly have a negative impact on their job effectiveness and relationships, and can bring potential harm to the patients, co-workers, organization, etc. This will be done by analyzing the item responses to each statement and determining if the response could potentially be a risky behavior in the organization’s climate and culture. While, this assessment can be used to identify potential risky behaviors, it can also display results that are conducive to constructive emotional and behavioral

Allport defines personality as ‘the dynamic organisation within the individual of those psychological systems that determine his unique adjustment to his environment’ (Allport, 1937). An individual’s unique personality traits and attributes are a powerful indicator of how he/she will interact with the work environment. The difference between average and outstanding employees can often be solely personality related. As the employee is the most valuable asset to the company, ‘selecting the right employee during the process is critical’ (Carbery and Cross, 2013, pp. 41-53)

Companies have started to use personality tests in the past five years so that they can find a potential employee’s strengths and weaknesses. If questions and answers are quite accurate and test is done properly it can help an employer to find more about person’s advantages and disadvantages. It is very important to know because one of the most important points is that most of personality tests help to recognize unqualified candidates. “Although experts warn that many personality assessments don't deliver what they promise, legitimate scientifically validated tests are helping employers evaluate job candidates to select those best suited for particular positions. Other tests are designed to measure intelligence, honesty, management aptitude and other qualities.”

"Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his characteristics behavior and though" (Allport, 1961, p. 28). Alongside every hypothesis of identity advancement comes an alternate hypothesis on the best way to gauge it. There are a few objectives towards measuring these, for example, to clear up finding, decide the seriousness of an issue, screen for dangers for future issues, make forecasts of future practices, and help in treatment suggestions. Therefore it is important to look upon the major types of personality tests such as; objects test and projective tests along with the strengths and weaknesses of these tests.

Personality has been inherently defined as possession of a particular set of characteristics possessed by people which influences their behaviour and reactions in different situation along with their motivation level to react to difficulties at the workplace. However, understanding personality traits and their development has been a contentious matter. Nonetheless, various theories have been forwarded to rather contribute to this contentious debate. For example employers set goals and encourage involvement with the company to have a better employee performance, which would result in higher motivation level subsequently leading to increased efficiency. Studies regarding the relationship between personality traits of a particular employee

Previous studies on personality-job performance relationship can be divided into two core phases. The first phase covers the period of 1990s to 1980s. The main inference from the studies of this era, is that personality does not have any effect on job performance. The second phase is defined by the research done since the 1980s. Scholarly work from this period indicates that the previous studies have been flawed for a number of reasons, and that the more agreed upon conclusion is that there is in fact correlation between the five personality characteristics and job performance. Job performance is typically evaluated based on how well the designated tasks are performed, the initiative taken by employees and resourcefulness shown by personnel in tackling problems. It’s agreed most universally across studies and across cultures that two of the five factors, conscientiousness and emotional stability, are reliable predictors in practically all occupations. The other three dimensions, including extraversion, have shown low correlation to job performance and produced mixed results (Barrick et al., 2001).

Personality theory is a complex process that can be influenced by many factors. There are a few factors by which psychologist seem to measure how people adjust and adapt their personality. These factors are nature versus nurture, the unconscious, view of self, development, motivation, and maturation. Each one of these factors has their own distinguishable elements that when factored with personality can have different effects on personality development. These factors will be discussed in different context as how they relate to and affect personality.

The study of personality traits is beneficial in identifying the many variables that exist from human to human; the combinations of these variables provide us with a true level of individuality and uniqueness. In the field of psychology, trait theory is considered to be a key approach to the study of human personality (Crowne, 2007; Burton, Westen & Kowalski, 2009). This paper aims to identify a number of significant contributors who have played crucial roles in both the development and application of trait theory. This paper then moves focus to these theorists, outlining their theory and analysing both the strengths and weaknesses of those theories. An illustration of the methods used in trait measurement is given and includes the

as the only way to access whether a person is suitable for the job is