These days many head hunters are using an integrity test for their hiring process. This test mainly assesses attitudes and experiences which is related to a candidate’s tendency to be honest, dependable and trustworthy. You may also call it a kind of personality test or honesty test or reliability test. This type of test is very good for identifying an individual who is likely to engage themselves in dishonesty, inappropriateness and anti-social behavior at the workplace.
What do recruiters check?
Recruitment team members will use this test at some point in time during the hiring process. You may also have to appear for personality tests, background checks, cognitive ability tests, credit records, handwriting analysis, personal interviews, and reference checks. If the recruiters cannot identify unsuitable candidates, they can face severe repercussions in the future. Although such tests and checks don’t expose thieves or liars, they can give an indication of which applicant is less productive and unsuitable for the work being advertised.
What’s the test all about?
The questions the recruiter or interviewer will ask a candidate are focused on their previous work experience such as the candidate’s preferences or interests at and outside of work. The answers deriving from this questioning helps the recruiters to judge their future behavior in these areas. The set of questions will also assess an individual’s attitude towards theft or any other illegal acts happening at their workplace.
This test actually involves 2 sets of questions: – veiled purpose questions and overt integrity questions. Overt integrity focuses on candidates’ attitudes towards the specific manifestation of dishonesty and theft. Examples of questions they might ask in this interview are:
- Will you be too honest to take some items which are not yours?
- How strong is your dislike of someone asking you to do something?
- Will you take small items home from the office/workplace?
- Do you believe that taking stationery items from the office/workplace to your home without permission is stealing?
- Do you think many colleagues take advantage of other employees who work under them?
A few examples of veiled purpose questions are:
- True or false – do you like to take chances?
- On an average how often do you party during the week?
- True or false – are you confident about yourself?
- When do you feel lonely if you are with a new set of people? (options: all the time, sometimes, most of the time, never, almost never)
- How often do you clean your room? (never, every day, weekends)
Is an integrity test different from a personality test?
A personality test measures a candidate’s traits and characteristics. It typically measures traits which go hand-in-hand with the work culture, satisfaction working with other team members and interpersonal interactions. This test also assesses whether an employee has the potential to be successful within the team and work environment or not. In an office for example, a great deal of potential to interact with the team members is required.
Your handwriting can give away key elements of your personality too. Letter sizing, spacing, and dots in your handwriting can be indicators of character traits and each individuals handwriting is completely unique.
The study of handwriting is known as ‘graphology’, and is now a popular assessment technique in business for determining certain psychological traits which can be picked up on simply by examining the way you write.
The infographic below from Essay Writing Service UK explains what your writing reveals about your personality and some other interesting facts. Have a look to see what your handwriting says about you and how it can impact your application!
In comparison, the integrity test focuses on completely different aspects like integrity and honesty. Recruiters tend to ask questions which include different types of counterproductive behavior as well as property damage, theft of money and other nuisance to keep the data clean. Though personality tests also include questions which are related to these subjects this is not the only purpose of the recruiters in this round and often they want to know more about your personality, which is why apart from tests, they analyse your handwriting.
What to do when being tested?
When answering the questions in the integrity round try to maintain consistency. The questions will be dicey and you need to think outside the box. It is very important to listen to the questions carefully and then take some time to think about your responses. Your recruiter will give you a few seconds so you can frame the answer in your mind.
There were times when recruiters during the integrity test would ask the candidates about their religious beliefs and a few more personal questions. Candidates would challenge those kinds of tests in the court as they might lead to assumptions about the applicant’s past. In most countries the employment law generally restricts to questions which can only be asked in an integrity test.
Is the integrity test always desirable? Well, it all depends on how you define it. For example, some questions ask the applicant whether they like taking risks or not. This can either indicate that they are more likely to deviate from acceptable behavior OR that they aren’t afraid to be creative and try new methods. Therefore, risk takers can be a positive asset for every organization.
Does the integrity test work?
Research done on the subject does showcase some interesting results. Such tests can predict human behavior in a concise manner in comparison to other types of tests and they are less biased and more cost-effective.
There are many online sites which provide information and sample question papers on integrity tests to help you prepare for an interview. Download them and start practicing from today – you will surely make a great first impression on the recruiters. If you are lucky enough you might get the same questions during the interview session. So, do not waste any more time and complete the interview practice to your best ability.
Author Profile
- Muhammad Nasir Aziz is a journalist with more than 4 years of experience. He is a writer in the day and reader in the night. He has written many articles on education, finance, technology etc. When he is not writing then he likes to play football or badminton. Writing is his passion and he is enjoying it.
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- careerNovember 22, 2018You’re hired if you pass the Integrity Test