Q: Lately, I’ve noticed many companies using personality assessments (i.e. DISC, Myers Briggs, etc.) on candidates during the hiring process. Could these tests be considered discriminatory? Do they tend to favor one gender, race or age group over another? What factors should employers consider when using them?
A: There are three main factors employers should take into account when choosing any type of pre-employment screening method. They are:
- Validity – that it measures what it says it’s measuring
- Reliability -that results are consistent and repeatable over time
- Freedom from Bias – for gender, age, ethnic group and other protected categories.
For instance, CPP, Inc. publisher of the Myers Briggs assessment says it should never be used to make hiring decisions, and I agree. Not because it’s a bad tool; it’s actually quite good at what it’s meant to do, which is to measure personality preferences. However, this instrument was never meant to measure aptitude, or to predict future behavior and job success. There are other tools that do that. The DISC assessment has similar issues.
Again, the DISC is valid; it assesses how energetically someone may respond to problems, people and procedures. However, it was not meant to predict proficiency in those areas. Other personality tests (i.e. The Caliper Profile, Kolbe A® Index among many) are more predictive than those you mentioned, and therefore better suited for the selection process.
So in the event an applicant get’s turned down for a job due to a personality test and challenges the action, the employer would be on more solid footing to defend their decision if the proper tests (valid, reliable and free of bias) had been used.
Personality tests can help companies not only make better hiring decisions, but also hire longer-tenured workers. I know the owner of a cleaning service who reduced his turnover dramatically by using a pre-employment questionnaire to determine job compatibility. Having said that, I advise employers to use personality tests not as a pass/fail weeding out during the hiring process, but as one of many pieces of information affecting the final selection; including behavioral questions, group interviews, references and a good old-fashioned gut check.
© Copyright Eva Del Rio
