Personality Tests for Hiring and Promotions

SHRM Poll: Personality Tests for the Hiring and
Promotion of Employees

December 16, 2011

Key Findings

 Do organizations use personality testing for hiring or promoting employees? A majority of organizations
(82%) do not use a personality test in the hiring or employee promotion process.

 What are the most common job groups targeted when using personality tests in the hiring or
promotion process? Of the few organizations that indicated using personality tests, the majority use
them for mid-level managers (56%), followed closely by executives (45%) and entry-level exempt jobs
(43%).

 How do HR professionals view the use of personality testing in the workplace? The majority of HR
professionals (71%) indicate that personality tests can be useful in predicting job-related behavior or
organizational fit; 14% of respondents disagree.

Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees ©SHRM 2011
2

Does your organization currently use a personality test in hiring or promoting employees (this
would include a personality test used as part of an assessment center or individual assessment
process)?

2%
Unsure

18%
Yes

80%
No

Note: n = 495.

3

For which of the following job groups is personality testing used in your organization as part of
the hiring or promotion process?

Don’t use
All job Most job Some job Few/select
for any job
applicants applicants applicants job applicants
applicants

Nonexempt (hourly) positions 30% 5% 8% 22% 35%

Entry-level exempt jobs (professional,
supervisor, individual contributor, 43% 4% 15% 13% 25%
etc.)

Mid-level managers (manager,
56% 7% 9% 4% 24%
director, etc.)

Executives (VP, SVP, EVP, chief) 45% 7% 1% 7% 40%

Note: n = 89. Respondents who answered “not sure” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations currently use a personality test
in the hiring or employee promotion process were asked this question.

4

What is the most common method your organization uses to administer the personality test(s)
in the hiring or promotion process?

Percentage

The test is administered in-person, and the administrator oversees the candidate testing process, including
checking identification of the test-taker, administering the test either by paper and pencil or by computer, 20%
and monitoring the test-taker and the test-taking environment during the entire process.

The test is administered in-person, but the administrator does not monitor the test-taker or the test
16%
environment throughout the process.

The test is administered online, and the test-taker can take it from anywhere he or she has Internet access. 56%

Other 8%

Note: n = 75. Respondents who answered “not sure” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations currently use a
personality test in the hiring or employee promotion process were asked this question.

5

Have you had any legal challenges (not simply by verbal complaints, but a formal legal filing or
notice from a lawyer) related to your organization’s use of personality testing in the hiring or
promotion process?

Unsur 10%
e

1%
Yes

88%
No

Note: n = 78. Only respondents whose organizations currently use a personality test in the hiring or employee promotion process were asked this
question. Total does not equal 100% due to rounding.

6

Have job applicants made verbal or written complaints (not including formal legal complaints)
about your organization’s use of a personality test in the hiring and/or promotion process?

Unsur 5%
e

12%
Yes

83%
No

Note: n = 76. Only respondents whose organizations currently use a personality test in the hiring or employee promotion process were asked this
question.

7

HR Professionals’ Perceptions About Personality Tests

Percentage

When properly vetted and validated, personality tests can be useful in predicting job-related behavior
62%
or organizational fit.

Personality tests are generally not useful in predicting job-related behavior or organizational fit. 14%

Personality test are useful in predicting job-related behavior or organizational fit. 9%

The use of personality testing may leave applicants with negative views of the organization, and
8%
therefore, these tests should be used sparingly or not at all.

Other 7%

Note: n = 466.

8

Demographics: Organization Industry

Percentage

Manufacturing 18%
Health care and social assistance 14%
Finance and insurance 11%
Professional, scientific,and technical services 9%
Educational services 7%
Accommodation and food services 5%
Retail trade 5%
Public administration 4%
Transportation and warehousing 4%
Administrative and support, and waste management and remediation services 2%
Construction 2%

n = 423. Total does not equal 100% due to rounding.

9

Demographics: Organization Industry (continued)

Percentage
Information 2%
Utilities 2%
Wholesale trade 2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 1%
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional and similar organizations 1%
Construction 0%
Information 0%
Utilities 0%
Private households 0%
Real estate and rental and leasing 0%
Repair and maintenance 0%
Other 9%

n = 423. Total does not equal 100% due to rounding.

10

Demographics: Organization Sector

Privately owned for-profit organization 18%

Publicly owned for-profit organization 52%

Nonprofit organization 18%

Government sector 8%

Other 4%

n = 419

11

Demographics: Organization Staff Size

35%

26%

18%
16%

5%

1 to 99 employees 100 to 499 employees 00 to 2499 employees to 24999 employees or more employees
5 2500 25000

n = 402

12

Demographics: Other

Is your organization a single-unit company or a multi-
unit company?
Does your organization have U.S.-based
operations (business units) only or does it Single-unit company: A company in which the
operate multinationally? location and the company are one and the 36%
same
U.S.-based operations only 74%
Multi-unit company: A company that has
Multinational operations 26% 64%
more than one location
n = 449 n = 448

Are HR policies and practices determined by the multi-unit
HR department/function for which you corporate headquarters, by each work location or both?
responded throughout this survey
Corporate (companywide) 73% Multi-unit headquarters determines HR policies
51%
and practices
Business unit/division 18%
Facility/location 9% Each work location determines HR policies and
3%
practices
n = 301
A combination of both the work location and
the multi-unit headquarters determine HR 46%
policies and practices
n = 302

13

SHRM Poll: Personality Tests for Potential Job Candidates

Methodology

 Response rate = 18%

 Sample composed of 495 randomly selected HR professionals from SHRM’s membership

 Margin of error +/- 4%

 Survey fielded May 16 -27, 2011

For more poll findings, visit www.shrm.org/surveys
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SHRM_Research

14

Personality Tests for Hiring and Promotions

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