Personality Tests for Hiring: A Complete HR Guide

Why Companies Use Personality Tests in Hiring

Every year, millions of job applicants sit through personality assessments as part of the hiring process. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), approximately 22% of organizations use personality tests for hiring, and that number is growing. But why?

The answer is simple: resumes and interviews only tell part of the story. A candidate might have the perfect technical skills but clash with the team culture. Another might lack experience on paper but possess the exact personality traits that predict success in the role. Personality tests help bridge this gap.

The Business Case

Research consistently shows that personality traits predict job performance beyond what cognitive ability tests and interviews capture alone. Specifically:

• Conscientiousness is the single best personality predictor of job performance across virtually all occupations
• Emotional stability (low Neuroticism) predicts performance in high-stress roles
• Agreeableness matters most in team-oriented and customer-facing positions
• Extraversion predicts success in sales, management, and leadership roles
• Openness correlates with performance in creative and innovative positions

Companies that use well-validated personality assessments report 20-40% reductions in turnover and measurable improvements in team productivity.

Which Personality Tests Work for Hiring?

Not all personality tests are created equal. Here's what HR professionals need to know about the most common options.

Big Five / OCEAN Assessments (Recommended)

The Big Five model is the gold standard in personality science. It measures five broad dimensions — Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism — and has decades of validation research supporting its use in workplace settings.

Pros: Strong scientific validity, predicts job performance, legally defensible, measures continuous traits rather than rigid types

Cons: Requires proper interpretation, candidates may not find it as "fun" as type-based tests

DISC Assessment

DISC measures behavioral styles (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientiousness) and is popular in corporate settings. It's better for team development than hiring decisions.

Pros: Easy to understand, good for team building, widely recognized

Cons: Less scientific validation than Big Five, measures behavior rather than deep traits, shouldn't be sole hiring criterion

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Despite its popularity, most industrial-organizational psychologists advise against using MBTI for hiring. It categorizes people into 16 types, but research shows these types aren't stable over time.

Pros: Well-known, candidates often enjoy it

Cons: Poor test-retest reliability, not validated for hiring, may create discrimination risks

Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs)

SJTs present realistic work scenarios and ask candidates how they would respond. They combine personality assessment with practical reasoning.

Pros: High face validity, job-relevant, harder to fake

Cons: Must be custom-designed for each role, expensive to develop

Legal Considerations

Using personality tests in hiring comes with legal responsibilities that HR professionals must understand.

Anti-Discrimination Laws

In the United States, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) considers personality tests to be employment tests subject to anti-discrimination laws. This means:

• Tests must not disproportionately screen out protected groups (adverse impact)
• Tests must be job-related and consistent with business necessity
• You must be able to demonstrate the test's validity for your specific use case

The ADA and Mental Health

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits pre-employment medical examinations, which includes some psychological tests. Personality assessments that measure normal personality traits (like the Big Five) are generally not considered medical exams. However, tests that diagnose mental health conditions (like the MMPI) may violate ADA if used before a conditional job offer.

Best Practices for Legal Compliance

1. Use only well-validated, commercially available assessments
2. Conduct a job analysis to identify which traits are relevant for each role
3. Never use personality tests as the sole basis for hiring decisions
4. Apply tests consistently to all candidates for the same position
5. Keep test results confidential
6. Regularly review for adverse impact across demographic groups

Common Mistakes HR Teams Make

Mistake 1: Using the Wrong Test

Choosing a personality test because it's popular or inexpensive rather than because it's scientifically validated for hiring purposes. Always ask: "Is there peer-reviewed research supporting this test's validity for predicting job performance?"

Mistake 2: Over-Relying on Results

Personality tests should be one component of a comprehensive hiring process that includes structured interviews, skills assessments, reference checks, and work samples. No single tool should make or break a hiring decision.

Mistake 3: Looking for a "Perfect Profile"

There is no universally ideal personality profile. The best profile depends on the specific role, team dynamics, and organizational culture. A highly introverted person might struggle in an outside sales role but excel in data analysis.

Mistake 4: Ignoring Candidate Experience

How you administer personality tests matters. Candidates who feel the test is invasive, irrelevant, or unfair may withdraw from the process or form negative impressions of your organization. Always explain why you're using the test and how results will be used.

Mistake 5: Not Training Hiring Managers

Raw personality test scores are meaningless without proper interpretation. Ensure that anyone reviewing results understands what the scores mean, their limitations, and how to integrate them with other hiring data.

Implementing Personality Tests: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Conduct a Job Analysis

Identify the key personality traits associated with success in the role. Interview top performers, review job requirements, and consult with managers.

Step 2: Select a Validated Assessment

Choose a test with established reliability and validity for employment settings. The Big Five model has the strongest research foundation.

Step 3: Establish Benchmarks

Define score ranges that align with success in the role, based on data from current high performers rather than arbitrary cutoffs.

Step 4: Integrate Into Your Process

Decide when in the hiring process to administer the test. Most experts recommend using it after initial screening but before final interviews.

Step 5: Train Your Team

Ensure all stakeholders understand how to interpret results and integrate them with other hiring information.

Step 6: Monitor and Adjust

Track hiring outcomes to verify that your personality assessment is actually predicting job success. Adjust benchmarks and processes based on data.

The Future of Personality Assessment in Hiring

AI-powered personality assessments are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Modern tools can provide nuanced, individualized reports that go beyond simple scores. At AIMind360, our free Big Five assessment combined with AI-generated reports gives both candidates and employers deeper insights into personality profiles.

The key is using these tools ethically and effectively — as one piece of a holistic hiring puzzle, not as a shortcut to complex human decisions.

Try It Yourself

Want to understand how personality assessment works? Take our free Big Five personality test on AIMind360 and receive a comprehensive AI-generated report analyzing your personality across all five dimensions.