When considering using any personality assessment as a decision-making tool in hiring, managers need to step back and ask themselves one basic question before giving it to a potential employee: Is this test predictive of future job performance?
In the case of the most common assessment, 4-Qs, the answer is probably not. A 4-Q assessment is one where the results classify you as some combination of four different options labeled as letters, numbers, colors, animals, etc.
These tests tend to be highly transparent, enabling a test taker to manipulate the results in a way that they feel will be viewed favorably by the administrator. Also, since they are designed to measure “states” as opposed to “traits”, there is a significant chance that the results will change over time as the individual’s context changes.
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