Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

 Module 
42 
Assessing Personality: Determining What Makes Us Distinctive 
467
BECOMING AN 
INFORMED CONSUMER 
of Psychology
Assessing Personality Assessments
PsychWork
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER
Name: 
John P. Murray
Profession: 
Human Resources Manager
Education: 
BS in Business Administration; Indiana 
University–Purdue University, Indianapolis, 
Indiana
At some point, everyone goes looking for a job, and in many 
cases the fi rst stop in the process will be with a human 
resources offi cer. John Murray, Human Resources Administra-
tion Manager of Employment and Compensation Services at 
Indiana University–Purdue University, is one of those people 
job applicants meet with initially. 
“We try to infl uence hiring departments to consider diverse 
applicants during the recruitment process,” Murray explained. 
“We train on and stress the value of behavioral-based inter-
views, and we try to help hiring managers see patterns of 
behavior that may not be seen if they only focus on apparent 
unrelated facts.” 
The interviewing process depends on the position being advertised, according to 
Murray. “Interviewing does vary depending on the position but also varies based on 
organizational needs that may be situational, such as make-up of current staff, antic-
ipated changes in organization, move toward automation, and so forth. 
“When I interview for openings that I have or committees that I serve on, I try to 
quickly get to whether the applicant has the skills to do the job so I can spend more 
time gaining information to assess motivation, communication styles, and fi t,” he added. 
“For example, when hiring for an employment consultant, technical knowledge 
of hiring processes is less important to me than consulting skills,” Murray explained. 
“A technical expert in employment law might not be as effective as an individual 
who can demonstrate communication, analytical, conceptualization, confl ict resolu-
tion, and other soft skills that are more diffi cult to develop.”
Many companies ranging from General Motors to Microsoft 
employ personality tests to help determine who gets hired. For 
example, potential Microsoft employees have been asked 
brainteasers like, “If you had to remove one of the 50 U.S. states, 
which would it be?” (Hint: First defi ne “remove.” If you mean 
the death of everyone in the state, suggest a low-population 
state. If you mean quitting the country, then go for an outlying 
state like Alaska or Hawaii.) Other employers ask questions 
that are even more vague (“Describe November”). With such questions, it’s not always 
clear that the tests are reliable or valid (McGinn, 2003). 
Before relying too heavily on the results of such personality testing in the role of 
potential employee, employer, or consumer of testing services, you should keep several 
points in mind:
• Understand what the test claims to measure . Standard personality measures are 
accompanied by information that discusses how the test was developed, to 
whom it is most applicable, and how the results should be interpreted. Read any 
explanations of the test; they will help you understand the results.
• Do not base a decision only on the results of any one test . Test results should be 
interpreted in the context of other information, such as academic records, social 
interests, and home and community activities.
• Remember that test results are not always accurate . The results may be in error; the 
test may be unreliable or invalid. For example, you may have had a “bad day” 
when you took the test, or the person scoring and interpreting the test may have 
made a mistake. You should not place too much signifi cance on the results of a 
single administration of any test.
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