by Dr. Wendell Williams
Monster Contributing Writer
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Do personality tests really predict job performance? They could, but, for most organizations, probably not.
A few hurdles need to be overcome before a personality test can be used for selection. The first is determining whether or not certain personality traits affect job performance. Some jobs can be performed without a person having any dominant personality traits at all, while others require strong traits for successful performance.
The second hurdle is to conduct a study that strongly correlates specific personality traits with job performance. Too bad the majority of organizations seem to skip over this "minor" step and jump right to deciding that the latest training inventory offers some neat stuff that could be used for selection. Of course, this is nonsense. Any similarity between tests used to clarify interpersonal communication and tests used to select high-performance employees is purely coincidental.
Basic research has shown that only seven personality traits relate to job fit and three to job performance. These include traits like problem solving, idea generation/innovation, rule following, inflexibility, self-centeredness, teamwork, expressiveness, impulsiveness, perfectionism and attitude toward work.
Think they work equally for all jobs? Think again. Scores on these characteristics change with job requirements and tasks. Lastly, the relationship between job personality and job skill is small. Personality is a nice part of selection, presuming the traits are validated for each job, and other methods are used to assess hard skills.
