How can organizations mitigate faking or social desirability bias in pre-employment personality tests?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Faking, or social desirability bias, is a significant concern for organizations using pre-employment personality tests, as candidates may attempt to present themselves in the most favorable light. However, advanced personality assessments employ several sophisticated strategies to mitigate this. One common approach involves incorporating 'validity scales' or 'lie scales' within the test itself. These scales include questions designed to detect inconsistent responses, highly improbable claims of virtue, or an overall pattern of responding that suggests an attempt to manipulate the results. For example, if a candidate claims to 'never have had an unkind thought,' this might trigger a red flag on a social desirability scale.

Another strategy is the use of 'forced-choice' formats, where candidates must choose between two or more equally desirable (or undesirable) statements, making it harder to consistently select socially desirable answers without revealing underlying preferences. Some modern assessments also utilize adaptive testing, where questions adjust based on previous responses, or include implicit association tests that measure unconscious biases and preferences, which are much harder to fake. Furthermore, communicating clear instructions, emphasizing honesty, and reinforcing that there are no 'right' or 'wrong' answers can help reduce the pressure to fake. Pairing personality tests with other assessment methods, such as interviews or work sample tests, provides a more comprehensive view of a candidate, making it difficult for faking on one assessment to completely obscure their true profile. Buyers frequently ask about the robustness of these tests against faking, and reputable vendors continuously refine these mechanisms to ensure the integrity of the results.