You always tell the truth and put your employer's interests before your own.
True or false?
If you answered True, you'll probably be shocked to learn that a new study by a group of Colorado researchers says most applicants distort or fake answers on pre-employment personality tests.
"Job applicants usually have substantial motive to make themselves look as attractive as possible," said Joe Rosse, a management professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and coauthor of the study, which will appear in the Journal of Applied Psychology. "And applicants generally have ample opportunity to get away with faking because there is no objective way to verify a person's answers", he said.
The researchers compared responses from job applicants with responses from current employees on tests designed to measure both personality dimensions and the potential for distorted answers.
The current employees were less likely to fudge answers; they were more likely to admit to undesirable personality traits.
"Personality testing is increasingly used to assess job candidates because fast-changing companies need workers flexible and adaptable enough to work at a variety of jobs", Rosse said.
"Despite the potential for job seekers to lie or fudge their answers, employers shouldn't give up", he said.
"It is critical that personality tests be chosen carefully on the basis of their relevance to specific job-related requirements," he said. - by David Algeo
Lars.
