How to Use Assessments to Hire Effectively
by:
Dana Borowka
Not to alarm you, but don't take choosing a personality test lightly. According to research, today there are around 2,500 cognitive and personality tests on the market. So how do you decide which one to use?
Did you know your organization risks lawsuits if it fails to do proper due diligence in test selection? That's because there are a multitude of assessments available out there and the industry is totally unregulated.
To understand how to choose from the plethora of personality tests, it is helpful to understand the origins of these instruments.
Our story begins in a mental hospital in Minnesota during World War II. A test called the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is created to diagnose mental illness with yes-or-no responses to a series of questions. In an attempt to put some science into the hiring process, many companies start employing psychologists who in turn used this existing MMPI psychopathological test to screen job applicants. The test includes true-false questions like “I never indulge in unusual sex practices” and “I feel sure there is only one true religion.” Of course, this seemed strange and intrusive to most job applicants who took the test over the next six decades.
Meanwhile, a Harvard University instructor and psychologist named Raymond Cattell working in the Adjutant General's office devised psychological tests for the military. After the war he accepts a research professorship at the University of Illinois where they were developing the first electronic computer, the Illiac I, which would make it possible for the first time to do large-scale factor analyses of his personality testing theories.
Cattell used an IBM sorter and the brand-new Illiac computer to perform factor analysis on 4,500 personality-related words. The result was a test to measure intelligence and to assess personality traits known as the Sixteen Personality Factor questionnaire (16PF). First published in 1949, the 16PF profiles individuals using 16 different personality traits. Cattell's research proved that while most people have surface personality traits that can be easily observed, we also have source traits that can be discovered only by the statistical processes of factor analysis. His 16 measures of personality are:
• Warmth—from reserved to attentive
• Reasoning—from concrete thinker to conceptual thinker
• Emotional Stability—from changeable to stable
• Dominance—from cooperative to assertive
• Liveliness—from restrained to spontaneous
• Rule Consciousness —from non-conforming to dutiful
• Social Boldness—from timid to bold
• Sensitivity—from unsentimental to sentimental
• Vigilance—from trusting to suspicious
• Abstractedness—from practical to imaginative
• Privateness—from openness to discreet
• Apprehension—from self-assured to apprehensive
• Openness to Change— from traditional to open to change
• Self Reliance—from affiliative to individualistic
• Perfectionism—from tolerant to perfectionistic
• Tension—from relaxed to tense
In 1963 W.T. Norman verified Cattell's work but felt that only five factors really shape personality: extraversion, independence, self-control, anxiety and tough-mindedness. Dubbed the “Big Five” approach, this has become the basis of many of the modern personality tests on the market today. There have been hundreds and hundreds of studies validating the approach.
Using the “Big Five” terms, here is what a manager is looking for on a spectrum of personality:
• Extraversion—introvert or extravert?
• Independence—accommodation or independence?
• Self-Control—lack of restraint or self-control?
• Anxiety—low anxiety or high anxiety?
• Tough-Mindedness—receptivity or tough-mindedness?
The five decades of research findings, which are much more elaborate then the brief descriptions provided here, has served as the framework for constructing a number of derivative personality inventories. This is a topic that's been researched to death by the field of industrial and organizational psychology. The astounding thing is how many companies undertake such huge investments in hiring and do not pay attention to what we know about using personality assessments to pick out the people who are going to be the best.
About the Author:
Dana Borowka, president of Lighthouse Consulting Services (www.lighthouseconsulting.org) and the author of the book Cracking the Personality Code, has over 25 years of experience in business consulting. He has an undergraduate degree in Human Behavior and a master's degree in Clinical Psychology. He speaks nationally to Vistage and other CEO peer groups, associations, corporations and trade organizations.
No. of Times this article has been viewed :
510
Date Published :
Jul 10 2008
Most Recently Published HRM Articles as of
|
|
Jul 27 2010
From Boomer to Bloomer - A New Life Phase for Baby Boomers
by
Peter Nicholls
Baby boomers are starting to reach what we used to call the age of retirement. Now they are looking to create a new life-cycle with its own stages of birth, growth and maturity and rename their generation baby bloomers.
|
Jul 18 2010
Employer's Quick Guide to Avoiding Sexual Harassment Liability
by
Myron Curry
Employers can be held liable for any sexual harassment that occurs in the workplace. However, if they take reasonable care to prevent and correct harassment, they will not be liable.
|
Jul 15 2010
Recruiting America's Military Elite to Lead Your Organization
by
James Murphy
The value that transitioning military leaders bring to civilian organizations is quickly becoming a highly sought after asset. Unlike their business contemporaries, America's military elite have already headed up a team comprised of their fellow soldiers, for whom they are directly responsible.
|
Jul 14 2010
Executive Search for IT Positions
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
Executive search for IT positions usually include finding top-level personnel such as Managing Director, Director, Manager, Sales Director, and Marketing VP, for industrial sectors such as Information Technology (IT) and software firms engaged in developing software...
|
Jul 14 2010
Job Selecton - Your Best Career Options
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
What is the most frustrating time of our lives? Changing jobs undoubtedly. You must find a way to know exactly what you are suited to. Knowing exactly what you are suited to will stop you applying for a wrong position in the first place.
|
Jul 11 2010
Drug and Alcohol Tests at Work
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
The term "mandatory drug and alcohol test," when used in the workplace, has become a debatable issue among employees. People instantly conclude that these procedures are conducted for no reason at all, and have issues that some employees are being suspected...
|
Jul 10 2010
When in Doubt, Side with Skill
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
We humans are creatures of habit. That is why 90% of all businesses are not growing or improving. The obvious conclusion is that if we get out of our habits we also get out of the 90% and get into the 10%. Skill is one of the ways we can accomplish this.
|
Jul 10 2010
The Most Effective Methods for Motivating Employees are Low Cost
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
Employees are an important stakeholder of any organization whether it is large or small. However, managers are often too busy with running the day to day operations of the company that little, if any, time is spent on a motivation strategy.
|
Jul 10 2010
Employment Success Tips: Tips to Make Yourself More Valuable at Your Job
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
However, at the end of the day, it is vital that you don't take these disputes personally; and work hard to avoid making enemies. Here are 14 of my favorite tips to make yourself an invaluable employee.
|
Jul 7 2010
Anatomy of a Thank You Letter
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
When you are going through the process of seeking new employment, it is essential to write a thank you letter after each interview. This not only is the gracious thing to do, but also lets the company know that you are really interested in the position.
|
Jul 6 2010
How to Select the Right Person for the Right Position
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
Critical to business success is selecting the right people, especially executives, managers and supervisors, for leading and managing the work that needs to be done. Selecting someone ill-suited can cost tens of thousands of dollars and much wasted time.
|
Jul 1 2010
Creating an Industry Award to Recognise Hard Work
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
An industry award made with the right material and accorded the perfect finish is sure to please anyone that receives it. It will justify the hard work that he or she has put in and acknowledge innovation and creativity...
|
Jul 1 2010
Talent Management Best Practices
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
Some people say Talent is god's gift for a person. A person is said to be talented if he possess awesome ability in a particular activity or field. Every one is talented in one or another way. Nourishing the talent and utilizing it to the best is a challenge.
|
Jun 21 2010
When Should You Not Rehire a Skilled Employee?
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
You probably know that employees make or break a business. In most businesses, recruiting and keeping good employees determines the business' success. In the process of building a solid staff inevitably skilled employees threaten to quit or actually do quit.
|
Jun 15 2010
Are Team Building Events Effective for Large Groups?
by
BMA Editorial Team 3
Team building events for large groups can be spectacular, they can have such a positive impact but as with team events for smaller numbers, you need to have careful planning and realistic objectives of what you can achieve within your event.
|
|
Search for ebooks on Management & Business