Employment and personality tests

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wacky_wonderful

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Have you had to take a personality test in order to be considered for a job? One company instantly sent me a personality test to take online. I failed it, so goodbye!! I had an in person interview with another company, then they did a background check. I heard nothing more, but then here comes another personality test, to be taken online. I did it, and failed it too.

I don’t understand the tests. What do I say when my choices are agree/disagree to:

Most people steal from their employers.
Most people lie.
Most people call in sick when they are not ill.
Most people take drugs on the job.

Of course I disagree, but there’s no place to explain answers.
Help!
 
I hate those tests! :mad:

Do they really think that people answer those questions honestly? They are a complete waste of time.
 
masondoggy said:
I hate those tests! :mad:

Do they really think that people answer those questions honestly? They are a complete waste of time.
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I agree, but do you pass them? If so, how? They were originally designed to detect pathology in mental patients. Now they’re being used to determine who is honest, hard working and dependable. I feel like I’m being backed into a corner, having to give a yes/no answer that really isn’t adequate. One test actually had a warning at the beginning: If you get help in answering these questions, you will be disqualified. So what does that mean? If you give all the “right” answers, you cheated?
 
wacky_wonderful said:
I agree, but do you pass them? If so, how? They were originally designed to detect pathology in mental patients. Now they’re being used to determine who is honest, hard working and dependable. I feel like I’m being backed into a corner, having to give a yes/no answer that really isn’t adequate. One test actually had a warning at the beginning: If you get help in answering these questions, you will be disqualified. So what does that mean? If you give all the “right” answers, you cheated?
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And a lot of the questions are really technically asking for your opinion. How can you pass, fail, or score on an opinion “test”. Some people have a naive outlook, some people see things for what they are. Two different extremes that will answer very differently on that test.
 
masondoggy said:
And a lot of the questions are really technically asking for your opinion. How can you pass, fail, or score on an opinion “test”. Some people have a naive outlook, some people see things for what they are. Two different extremes that will answer very differently on that test.
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Ok, I’ll admit to being naive, to a degree. Subconsciously I knew my ex was a louse, but consciously I chose to look at the good, so I could survive. I realize that I would make a lousy prison warden. But I am not applying for a job in the criminal justice system. Guess the solution is to walk away from any job that requires the test. I know I don’t do well on them.
 
wacky_wonderful said:
Most people steal from their employers.
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This is a factual question. Are they testing your knowledge base or what? Studies have been done to determine if more than 50% of employees steal from time to time. If I recall correctly, the statistical answer is yes.

How is it a personality test to know statistics about workplace behavior? What are you supposed to answer if you don’t know the answer? How utterly annoying! And to not get hired over it as well! :mad:

Hmmmm, a train of thought…“most people think most people steal from their employers, so since I want to get this job and they want to hire most people and not real people, I guess I’ll answer like most people do in order to get hired.” Brilliant test.

Oh, even better train of though…“most people lie on these tests to appear like desireable employees, so in order to appear desireable and not odd, I’ll lie as well.” Gee, like I want to hire a liar.:rolleyes:
 
You understand my dilemma. I’ll take my inability to pass as a sign that God doesn’t want me there. I really do want to please these people and give them what they want, if I just knew what it was! Since I can’t seem to do that in the way that they want, I’ll move on and wish them well.
 
I took one of those once. Got the job. Let go after 4 months.

I think managers use it so they do not have to make the hard decision. They can blame the test if it does not work out.

PF
 
wacky_wonderful said:
You understand my dilemma. I’ll take my inability to pass as a sign that God doesn’t want me there. I really do want to please these people and give them what they want, if I just knew what it was! Since I can’t seem to do that in the way that they want, I’ll move on and wish them well.
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See, that’s what I don’t understand, how someone can not pass the test (I don’t mean you, just in general). Unless it’s that they are looking for certain answers and it’s anybody’s best guess what they are.

I mean, what are they looking for? Honesty? Anybody can answer those questions to make it look like they’re honest but that doesn’t mean that they are.

I think it’s getting pretty bad when you have to play a mind games test to get employment.
 
WanderAimlessly said:
I took one of those once. Got the job. Let go after 4 months.

I think managers use it so they do not have to make the hard decision. They can blame the test if it does not work out.

PF
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These tests are supposed to match the person to the job, but here in my area, a new resort opened up 5 months ago. They are having trouble keeping people. First they couldn’t find enough people who could pass the background check, then their payroll system went kerflooey and no one got paid for a month, so there was a mass exodus. The employees they did have didn’t want to work the long hours for low pay, so now they are still holding interviews for 70 positions that they cannot fill. I can pass a background check and I am willing to work long hours. Since I am by myself, I can live on less than someone who has a family. But the test says…
 
I think it’s getting pretty bad when you have to play a mind games test to get employment.

That’s the trend. A friend told me to play the game, tell them what they want to hear. But as you said, it’s a guessing game. The tests I have taken aren’t even scored by a human. A computer program issues the test, scores it and sends the appropriate reply to you. Either congrats or we regret to inform you. I tried looking for “Personality Tests for Dummies”, but it hasn’t been written yet.
 
Look! There’s a book for this!! amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0071359125?v=glance

Check out this review: “A friend of mine had to take a personality test to get a promotion and scored a 24%. This score was not high enough to qualify for the promotion but they were very supportive of her and allowed her another chance to take the test. Well, I bought this book for her and after reading it, she understood how she hadn’t anwered the questions properly the first time. On her second chance, she scored a 90%. That’s a whopping 66% improvement in test score!!
Even though I have not yet personally read this book I must HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT based on actual before and after test results!”

(When you scroll down the page at Amazon you can find the reviews.)

I’d be interested in hearing what you learn if you get it!

What is the world coming to?

Crystal
 
Crystal, you are a doll!! Thank you! I bought the book on half.com for $2.40 plus shipping. Total is $5.65. It’s coming via media mail from Pa., so it will take a week to get here, but I’m sure it’s well worth the wait. The 8 reviews were very helpful, and when I’m done with the book, I’m going to donate it to the local workforce center here.

👍
 
wacky_wonderful said:
Have you had to take a personality test in order to be considered for a job? One company instantly sent me a personality test to take online. I failed it, so goodbye!! I had an in person interview with another company, then they did a background check. I heard nothing more, but then here comes another personality test, to be taken online. I did it, and failed it too.

I don’t understand the tests. What do I say when my choices are agree/disagree to:

Most people steal from their employers.
Most people lie.
Most people call in sick when they are not ill.
Most people take drugs on the job.

Of course I disagree, but there’s no place to explain answers.
Help!
Click to expand...
Those are displacement questions designed to indicate mental illness, or in the corporate world, “applicant qualification” or in real talk, it’s the old saying…a lair is always afraid of being lied to…

The general assumption of statements like the ones you displayed is that if an applicant agrees, then the applicant has some direct or indirect experience. Thus, if you agree that most employees steal, you have a guilty past or you were surrounded by thiefs, which is considered an influential no-no. (HRs are actually pretty progressive on that line of thought…look at how many people eventually give in to premarital sex and justify it on everybody else doing it).

Anyways, in my hiring experience and I thought I heard it around town anyways, it’s about 30% of people who fail that test. Yet employee theft is rated at 50%. So obviously you need to stop analyzing everything and select the correct choices to nab the interview.
 
typically in these tests, the same question is asked several times, but worded in different ways (positive or negative, different selection of answers) and it is computer scored because your various answers to the same question are compared for consistency, and confusion in wording and varying choices are taken into account. there are also a lot of “dud” questions, because only some of the questions are relevant. also the acceptable scores are not pass/fail generally, but rank you on several qualities that may or may not pertain to the job you are applying for.

for instance, DH is a contractor for a company that uses these tests, and he took one for kicks. the qualities they were looking for in computer programmers, for instance were somewhat different than those for customer service people, or salesmen. in fact such tests are the source for some of our notions of the stereotypical techie or computer geek, or salesman.
 
All of the information that you are sharing is helpful. I had no idea what these tests were about. I’m sure that if I have to take another one in the future, I will do much better. I’ll always hate them, though!!
 
Had to take one of these tests to get my current job. It was a 90-minute phone interview, which was nice, because I could sit in my favorite chair at home and have a brew or two while speaking to them. Not sure if it was the beer or what, but I got the job!

When I took the test, I tried very hard not to think too much about each question. I just answered it very spontaneously, which I suppose means that I was more consisten in my answers.

As noted previously, the same questions are asked several different ways to see if you are consistent in your answers. The tests are designed to give the prospective employer an idea of each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses and what kind of fit they would be for the specific job. If you’re hiring an accountant, you want someone who is extremely detail-oriented…not necessarily the qualities you would look for in a sales representative, for instance. Tests like these can give the employer an educated guess about the relative “fit” for each applicant.

While in college, I worked for the Gallup Organization and did a little bit of this type of interviewing. It might seem like hocus-pocus, and it’s not an exact science by any means, but it can be a very, very good method to objectively screen applicants for a position. Does it guarantee a good fit? No, but it does provide the employer with more info than they would have had otherwise.
 
Glennon_P said:
Had to take one of these tests to get my current job. It was a 90-minute phone interview, which was nice, because I could sit in my favorite chair at home and have a brew or two while speaking to them. Not sure if it was the beer or what, but I got the job!

When I took the test, I tried very hard not to think too much about each question. I just answered it very spontaneously, which I suppose means that I was more consisten in my answers.

As noted previously, the same questions are asked several different ways to see if you are consistent in your answers. The tests are designed to give the prospective employer an idea of each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses and what kind of fit they would be for the specific job. If you’re hiring an accountant, you want someone who is extremely detail-oriented…not necessarily the qualities you would look for in a sales representative, for instance. Tests like these can give the employer an educated guess about the relative “fit” for each applicant.

While in college, I worked for the Gallup Organization and did a little bit of this type of interviewing. It might seem like hocus-pocus, and it’s not an exact science by any means, but it can be a very, very good method to objectively screen applicants for a position. Does it guarantee a good fit? No, but it does provide the employer with more info than they would have had otherwise.
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Exactly right and very well stated.
 
Being out of work will make a drinker out of anyone! If not beer, then very rich, calorie laden chocolate milk!!

I realize that my answers on that test were as inconsistent as they could possibly be. So here’s what else I want to know. When the question is:

Agree/disagree

I get tired.
I get angry.
I like long weekends.

You just agree? Given my current situation, no matter what, I would do the job, give up weekends, not get angry and keep going even if I was exhausted. But that’s not what they want, is it? Like an earlier poster said, I’m thinking too hard. Analyzing too much. Essay questions would be easier!
 
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