One of the many challenges facing employers is placing the right people in the right jobs.
In an effort to get the right person for specific jobs, some employers may turn to personality,
ability and skill testing. However, ethical implications for using a personality test to screen
potential employees may definitely arise, for example, the tests may reduce everyone to a
predictable stereotype, and in many of the tests, there are negative qualities assigned to each
category not just positive ones.
The test may also be unfair to potential applicants by discriminating against certain
groups, because candidates will answer questions depending on how comfortable they feel in the
situation. Which can also create a flawed test, because there is always a chance that employees
will provide the answer that they think is expected in order to get the job, therefore the results
will not be a true representation of their personalities.
Although the law does not make it illegal for employers to administer personality tests
during the hiring process, companies should seriously consider the number of issues, from
validity and reliability of these tests to concerns about invasion of privacy and possible
discrimination against minorities. The best example I can present here, of how organizational
members in charge misuse these tests is a case that I found very interesting, against Target:
Soroka V. Dayton Hudson
