On the History of Job Testing

Various psychological tests have been used as a part of job interview for more than half a century. What is the effectiveness of the previously used techniques? What is their difference from the modern methods?
Initial developments in this sphere concerned vocational guidance rather than actual estimation of candidate's degree of meeting the employer's criteria. Tests of this type are aimed to specify a field of activity in which the person will work with the highest positive result, such as, e.g., "technique worker", "natural resources worker", "social worker" or "sign-oriented worker". They were intended to help teenagers to choose their future occupation or assist adults in the issue of finding a new profession. However, these tests were absolutely useless for employers. The main disadvantage of the tests considered was the fact that they used only direct questions clearly comprehensible for the one taking the test. If a person intended to choose an institution of higher education, these tests were quite able to help him or her, but as soon as the person got the motive to obtain a particular position, the respondent, deliberately or not, began to adapt his or her answers to the employer's requirements. Nevertheless, vocational guidance tests were used in the issue of job testing for a long time.

One of the relatively successful developments in this sphere was a vocational guidance test based on MMPI. Being able to process a multilevel many-stage personality analysis this test revealed the features far from being evident, using projective questions and effective mathematical tool. It is quite hard to cheat such a test. However, this test yet was a vocational guidance one, as soon as it stated only some general field of activity and by no means indicated candidate's correspondence to the employer's requirements and expectations. One more disadvantage of this test was its unhandiness. The basic version contained 638 questions. The testing took two hours at least. MMPI provided a lot of spare information, which was absolutely incomprehensible for an amateur, as the test was initially intended for medical purposes. Moreover, the major part of information given in the report was quite personal, which caused some ethical problems and sometimes even problems with the law for its use.

For many years Eysenk's IQ test was quite popular. It was used in every spheres of human activity including job testing. Experience has shown that estimation of the intelligence quotient by the person’s ability to reconstruct the sequence of words, numbers and pictures was subjective and not so veracious. Moreover, this ability was not the main and only skill that helped to evaluate candidate’s degree of meeting the requirements of the majority of actual vacancies. Nevertheless, the intelligence quotient test made the process of job interview more ponderable and psychologist earned quite well introducing it to gullible employers and jobseekers. For the same purpose there were used several other tests intended only for specialists in psychology and mental healing, e.g. Cattel’s personality factor questionnaire and Kelly’s test.

Luscher’s color test also gained ground in the sphere of recruiting management. One taking the test was meant to dispose the cards of different color in decreasing order according to his or her color preferences. Despite its simplicity, the test functioned relatively well, as soon as color perception depends on physical and biochemical condition of an organism, which, in its turn, determines a lot of psychological features. Being a discrete and univocal, Luscher test was easily subjected to algorithmization and computer analysis, which also stipulated its popularity. In distinction from the tests based on particular questions the testee could not understand the respect of the process, therefore person’s hidden and explicit motives could not affect the result.

However, this situation would not last long. As soon Luscher’s color test became wide-known, it grew easy to remember the meaning ascribed to every color of the eight used. For this reason the one under the test who had already come across it could easily fit his or her answers with the expected result. Moreover, it emerged that individual color preferences are determined not only by the character and moods of the person, but also by his or her subjective mental associations. For example, in Europe black associates with crape, while in the East the color for mourning is white. For a resident of northern and temperate latitudes solar colors embody the symbols of awakening vital energy, while for hot arid countries Sun is the symbol of death. In the first place, southern symbols of life are water and rain and the colors connected with these concepts, such as grey, green and blue. Thus, nowadays Luscher’s test is used only in medical and psychotherapeutic practice when the testee is interested in accuracy of the diagnostics rather than in obtaining a particular position.

Projective tests also had their chance to be used in the industry of job testing. The one under the test was suggested to draw a tree or an imaginary creature, tell about his or her associations with an abstract figure or a blot or explain a picture with one or several characters. Projective methods revealed many hidden or unconscious features of a particular person; however, as they became popular, they shared the same fate with Luscher’s color test. People easily learned the language of projections and associations and picked up the skill of cheating suchlike tests. Moreover, screening study has shown that these tests have two more weak points. Firstly, projective methods cannot be formalized or subjected to algorithmization. It is impossible to develop a computer program that will work with them. Secondly, the treatment of such a test seriously depends on the subjective condition and mood of the person who deals with a testee. Nowadays projective methods are mostly used in child guidance and psychiatric practice.

A revolution in modern practical psychology was made by the development of Personality Interpreter test. Initially it was multipurpose rather than specialized. This test was able to produce a detailed and reliable personality analysis, calculating a huge amount of various basic parameters that could be used as a foundation for further interpretations. These interpretations could be oriented on many various matters – from couple’s compatibility to personal image-making. Modern mathematical apparatus and a series of unique approaches such as, e.g. time estimation of person answering the questions or comparison of person’s preferences in the way he or she chooses the answer, makes the validity of Personality Interpreter test nearly absolute. Even the developers of the test cannot cheat it! Therefore, as the test gains ground and becomes popular, its validity does not grow weak.

A version of Personality Interpreter test assigned to estimate candidate’s degree of meeting the employer’s criteria is introduced here. Resting upon a deep personality analysis, this test reflects only those features of an individual that bear relation to the work leaving particularly intimate source material aside. In such a way the problems of ethics and law concerned with personality testing have been successfully solved.

This test gives both the opportunity to evaluate person’s professional inclinations and potentials, the opportunity to foresee his or her interaction with the leaders and colleagues and to find the best way of motivating the person for effective work.

Modern computer and informational technologies have delivered us from the need to invite every client to the office to take the test and have an interview. Today a competitor can take it with a help of any PC that has internet access, it can be either in his home, in the office, at the postal office or in a computer club. Moreover, this program helps to make a search and selection according to the chosen criteria. Thus, an employer can quickly search through thousands of candidates and invite for a personal meeting only those of them whom he or she considers promising.

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