Personality questionnaires are useful selection tools because they provide information about a candidate's potential but tend not to involve group differences. Candidates, however, seem to rather dislike completing personality questionnaires, especially those that take on a forced-choice format. In this research, we use an "A-B" (randomised experimental) testing approach to determine whether subtle changes to a forced choice questionnaire can improve the candidate experience without damaging the psychometric properties of the test. We grounded the changes to the design of the personality questionnaire on the principles of Self-Determination Theory. We found evidence that a fairly straightforward adjustment to a forced choice personality assessment can improve candidates' reactions to it. This research may be of interest to researchers and practitioners working in the areas of: recruitment, assessment, selection, assessment design, psychometrics, and motivation.

The session will discuss the application of motivation theory to a new context, personnel selection. Audience members will learn both about how job applicants react to certain test formats and how motivation theories can be used to design interventions that can improve the experiences of completing a psychometric assessment.

Dunlop, Patrick D
Borman, Tristan
Neale, Matthew
Gagné, Marylène