Types

• Industrial psychology supports the use of psychological testing for large organizations including federal agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. These organizations use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI personality test, according to Cengage Learning Solutions. Federal government offices and the U.S. military routinely use MBTI tests. Other types of personality and psychological tests include assessments, which help employers identify job-related skills, and biographical tests, which can be used to determine a candidate's teamwork and leadership qualities.
  
  

Benefits

• Using psychological and personality tests for job recruiting can have several advantages, according to the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Screening prospective employees can reduce the amount of time that hiring managers spend conducting interviews. Administering tests before a candidate is selected for a particular job opening helps to reduce business costs and employee turnover by allowing employers to hire candidates who are ideally suited for a job specification. Employment tests are easy to administer and can be delivered online or through telephone interviews.
  
  

Disadvantages

• Job applicants can easily manipulate employee personality and psychological responses to create positive outcomes, according to the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Assessment tests that are used to determine a candidate's skill set do not provide test takers the opportunity to make reasonable decisions, according to BNET. Because psychological and personality tests are standardized, candidates are limited in the amount of information that they can provide about themselves and their qualifications. In some cases, prospective employees have sued companies that administered psychological and personality tests, claiming, among other things, that they are an invasion of privacy.