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Personality measurement, faking, and employment selection
Joyce Hogan1, Paul Barrett, Robert Hogan
1Hogan Assessment Systems, Tulsa, OK 74114, USA. jhogan@hoganassessments.com
The Journal of Applied Psychology
|September 12, 2007
Summary
Job applicants rarely change personality test scores upon reapplication. This study suggests faking is not a significant issue in real-world hiring, supporting the reliability of personality assessments in selection.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Background:
- Personality measures are frequently used in employee selection.
- Concerns exist regarding applicant faking and its impact on assessment validity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the stability of personality scores in real-world job applicant settings.
- To determine the extent of score changes and potential faking on personality measures over time.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study of 5,266 job applicants who reapplied for the same position after 6 months.
- Applicants completed the same 5-factor model personality measure on both occasions.
- Analysis of score changes, construct validity, and structural model fit.
Main Results:
- Less than 5.2% of applicants improved scores on any personality scale upon reapplication.
- Score changes were equally likely in positive or negative directions.
- For the few who changed scores significantly, changes were predictable by social skills, desirability, and integrity measures.
Conclusions:
- Personality test scores demonstrate considerable stability among job applicants over a 6-month period.
- Faking on personality measures does not appear to be a significant problem in practical hiring contexts.
- The construct validity and structural integrity of personality scales are maintained in real-world selection settings.
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