Many hiring companies use employment personality tests to choose their best candidates. They believe that this pre-employment tool is a major factor in assessing the true attributes of the person to be hired for the job. The need to assure the companies of the right candidate for the job go hand in hand with its long term plans to achieve success in the years to come.
The employment personality tests have different types. There are specific tests to qualify the person’s attributes, attitudes and other personality character traits. These tests are usually hard to measure because there are certain guidelines that are followed. Only experts or well experienced psychologists can interpret the proper results of the tests. Then there are tests that measure skills, intelligence and aptitudes of applicants, such as the cognitive ability test, and these are also based on scores and guidelines that need expertise.
The employment personality test is also used to measure the applicant’s response to stress, disagreements at work, decision making and other similar responses to situations required in the work area. These tests would give employers some ideas on how the applicants would be able to handle future problems that may occur at the work place.
Those are the first drawbacks of employee personality tests. Employers have to hire consultants who are experts on these kinds of tests. Additional costs are required to get these people plus the written materials that are needed to do the tests.
Next, employers have to choose valid and reliable employment personality tests. This drawback has put some employers in bad light because there are some tests used in the hiring process that did not pass the standards of what employment personality tests should be.
The employment personality tests are very good tools to use in the hiring process. It is just a matter of choosing the right kinds of tests that are nationally recognized as valid, reliable and trusted by the majority of companies who use these tests. These tests should be backed up by research, studies and comparative data. These tests must focus on the character traits, skills and attitudes of the applicant and do not have biases on age, gender, religion and race.
The results of the employment personality tests are always kept confidential by companies and are kept in the personal files of the employees.