Do Personality Tests Give Companies Too Much Power?
One 2016 human resources study found that 48% of American businesses -- and 57% of U.K. businesses -- used personality questionnaires for hiring decisions, a new article reports. They add that the personality test industry may now be bringing in up to $4 billion a year.But "By relying on these tests, employers can ask questions that would be inappropriate -- or at best bizarre -- in a traditional interview." For example, in 2017 the crafts store Michael's was asking job-seekers whether they strongly agreed with these statements:- "I am always happy. "- "When I look at the world around me, I have little hope for mankind. "- "Over the course of the day, I can experience many mood changes. "- "When I am in a bad mood, it affects my work. "An anonymous reader quotes an investigative report from The Walrus:Merve Emre, who recently published a history of the Myers-Briggs Indicator , argues that "All of these tests are registering the interests of power, and capitalist power specifically. Just because that power is being routed through and sanitized by a scientific proof doesn't mean it's not power. "The article also includes comments from an executive at the company that created the personality test for Michael's who argues that the tests eliminate human biases from hiring based solely on an in-person interview.Their test even check for people who answered too quickly or answered "strongly agree" too often, according to the article -- and if they did, flag their responses with an "authenticity alert."