Should personality assessments be used in hiring? It’s one of the most debated questions in modern recruiting. In today’s fast-changing job market, employers are no longer relying only on resumes and technical skills. Instead, they’re increasingly evaluating candidates’ attitude, behavior, cultural fit, and growth potential as part of the hiring process.
One tool at the center of this shift is the personality assessment. These tests promise to reveal how candidates might collaborate, adapt, problem-solve, and thrive within a team — traits that often determine long-term success. But how effective are they really? And what risks should hiring managers watch out for?
To explore this, we spoke with Tim Meurer, an HR leader with over 18 years of experience in personality assessments, leadership development, and team coaching. Tim shared insights on whether personality assessments belong in today’s hiring strategies, how to use them responsibly, and how to avoid introducing bias.
👉 Prefer to listen instead? You can catch the full conversation on our LinkedIn Live podcast replay.
Why Personality Assessments Matter in Hiring
According to Tim, the future of hiring is not just about what candidates know, but also how they behave in the workplace and whether they align with company values.
- Cultural fit and behavior are increasingly prioritized over years of experience.
- This trend is particularly beneficial for students and early-career professionals, who may lack long work histories but demonstrate strong potential.
- Behavioral and personality assessments open doors for candidates who can learn on the job, while helping employers ensure alignment with team values and expectations.
Transitioning from skill-only hiring to behavior-based evaluation reflects a broader shift toward skills-based and values-driven hiring. As AI and automation continue to reshape the workforce, human qualities like collaboration, adaptability, and resilience are becoming competitive differentiators.
The History and Evolution of Personality Assessments in Hiring
Personality assessments have been part of recruiting for decades, evolving from basic psychological tools into sophisticated business applications. In the mid-20th century, companies began adopting tests like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and DISC profiles to understand communication styles and team compatibility (CIPD, 2022).
Over time, more research-backed models like the Big Five (OCEAN: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism) gained traction because of their stronger scientific validity (APA, 2017). Today, employers rely less on generic “personality quizzes” and more on assessments that tie directly to workplace behavior, team collaboration, and leadership potential.
👉 Citation sources: CIPD, APA.
Scientific Validity and Limitations of Personality Assessments
While personality assessments can provide valuable insights, not all are created equal. Some, like MBTI, remain popular in corporate settings but face criticism for their lack of predictive power in hiring (SHRM, 2018). On the other hand, the Big Five model consistently demonstrates stronger reliability and validity for workplace applications (Barrick & Mount, Journal of Applied Psychology, 1991).
Research shows that personality assessments correlate moderately with job performance, particularly in traits like conscientiousness, emotional stability, and agreeableness (Sackett & Walmsley, 2014). However, they should never be used in isolation. Overreliance risks reducing a candidate to a profile while overlooking skills, competencies, and growth potential.
Limitations include:
- Cultural bias: Some assessments may favor Western norms of behavior (HBR, 2019).
- Overgeneralization: No test captures the full nuance of a candidate’s personality.
- Static measurement: Many tools don’t account for development or change over time.
👉 Citation sources: SHRM, Journal of Applied Psychology, Harvard Business Review.
The Right Way to Use Personality Assessments
Tim was clear: personality assessments should never be the sole differentiator in hiring decisions. Instead, employers should treat them as one more data point, much like resumes, interviews, and reference checks.
“These assessments are tools to help you ask more relevant questions during interviews and to better understand how candidates may behave once they’re on your team.” – Tim Meurer
Best practices include:
Remembering that no test can capture the full complexity of a candidate’s potential.
Using assessments to enhance interviews, not replace them.
Treating results as a way to guide conversations about strengths, behaviors, and growth opportunities.
The Risk of Bias in Personality Assessments
While personality assessments can be powerful, they also carry risks. Unconscious bias can creep in if hiring managers dismiss candidates who don’t “think like they do.”
Tim explained that this can lead to:
- Homogeneous teams that lack diversity of thought.
- Limited innovation and slower problem-solving.
- Missed opportunities to bring in diverse perspectives that could strengthen the team.
To avoid this trap, Tim recommends creating a team profile using tools like the Predictive Index. This approach highlights behavioral gaps in your current team and helps you identify candidates who will complement rather than clone existing team members.
Avoiding Bias and Embracing Diverse Thinkers
Tim emphasized that diverse thinkers fuel high-functioning teams. Without diversity of thought, organizations risk stagnation.
- Employers must remain vigilant to ensure that assessments do not exclude valuable candidates.
- Personality tests should highlight potential fit and differences, not disqualify candidates outright.
- When used responsibly, assessments help companies balance skills and perspectives, leading to stronger outcomes.
Tim also shared success stories of candidates who, after understanding their behavioral styles through assessments, were able to thrive authentically in their careers. Of course, embracing diverse thinkers is only part of the equation. To truly evaluate whether personality assessments add value to your hiring strategy, it’s important to look at their return on investment.
Measuring the ROI of Personality Assessments in Hiring
One of the biggest questions HR leaders ask is: Do personality assessments actually pay off? While they aren’t free, the right implementation can deliver measurable returns:
- Reduced turnover: When employees align with team culture and values, they stay longer. Research shows poor cultural fit accounts for up to 89% of new hire failures.
- Faster ramp-up times: Managers can tailor onboarding and coaching based on personality insights, which accelerates productivity.
- Stronger team dynamics: Balanced teams built with complementary personalities collaborate better and innovate more effectively.
- Better quality-of-hire: By combining structured interviews, AI-powered rubrics, and personality assessments, companies significantly increase predictive accuracy for job performance.
Pro Tip: Track retention, engagement scores, and performance metrics of hires made with personality assessments vs. without them. Over time, this data will show you the ROI of integrating assessments into your hiring process.
While the ROI makes a strong business case for personality assessments, numbers only tell part of the story. Equally important is how these tools shape the candidate experience — influencing not just who you hire, but how talent perceives your organization.
The Candidate Experience Matters
Another crucial insight Tim shared is that hiring should never feel like a transaction. Instead, the recruitment process should create value for every candidate — not just the one who receives the offer.
When employers treat candidates with respect and provide constructive feedback, they strengthen employer branding, build goodwill in the talent market, and stand out in a competitive hiring landscape.
Even if candidates don’t get the job, they should leave the process with something meaningful. For example, personality assessments can enhance the candidate experience by offering personalized insights: why they may not have been selected, how they can leverage their strengths in future opportunities, and where they might focus on growth.
This feedback-driven approach benefits both sides — candidates gain clarity and confidence for their career journey, while employers earn a reputation as thoughtful, people-first organizations.
Legal and Ethical Considerations in Personality Testing
Personality assessments must also be handled with care to remain fair, ethical, and legally compliant. In the United States, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provides guidance to ensure tests do not discriminate based on race, gender, disability, or age (EEOC, 2023).
Employers should follow best practices such as:
- Using validated assessments tied directly to job requirements.
- Ensuring accessibility for all candidates, including those with disabilities.
- Regularly auditing results for evidence of disparate impact on protected groups.
- Training hiring managers to interpret results responsibly, not as rigid “pass/fail” filters.
Failing to follow these guidelines could expose organizations to legal risks and reputational damage. By combining personality assessments with structured interviews and AI-powered hiring rubrics, employers build a process that is both predictive and equitable.
👉 Citation sources: EEOC, SHRM Legal Guidelines.
AI and the Future of Personality Assessments in Hiring
The future of hiring lies at the intersection of personality science and artificial intelligence. AI-powered tools are already transforming how companies design, interpret, and apply assessments in recruiting.
Key innovations include:
- AI-Driven Rubric Creation: Tools automatically generate evaluation criteria that align personality results with job descriptions.
- Predictive Analytics: AI links assessment scores to performance KPIs like retention, productivity, and promotion potential (McKinsey, 2021).
- Bias Reduction: Machine learning can detect patterns of bias in assessment outcomes, helping employers refine tools for fairness (Harvard Business Review, 2022).
- Real-Time Insights: Instead of waiting until the end of the process, recruiters receive data-driven recommendations during early candidate screenings (Deloitte, 2020).
Forward-thinking companies are using these innovations to reduce time-to-fill, improve long-term retention, and personalize onboarding for new hires.
👉 For a deeper dive into this trend, check out our blog: Why AI-Driven Rubrics Are the Future of Hiring.
👉 Citation sources: McKinsey, HBR, Deloitte.
Key Takeaways
- Use personality assessments as a supplement, not the sole decision factor.
- Guard against bias by using tools to build balanced, diverse teams.
- Improve the candidate experience by offering valuable feedback, even to those not hired.
- Leverage AI thoughtfully to enhance accuracy and fairness without losing the human touch.
Conclusion: Balancing Personality Assessments with Structured Hiring
When used thoughtfully, personality assessments in hiring can be powerful tools for understanding how candidates will collaborate, problem-solve, and align with company culture. They help employers look beyond resumes and uncover the human qualities that drive long-term success.
However, the key is balance. Personality tests should complement structured interviews, AI-driven rubrics, and skills-based evaluations — not replace them. By combining behavioral insights with data-driven hiring tools, companies can reduce bias, improve quality-of-hire, and create a more engaging candidate experience.
Forward-thinking employers already know the future of hiring is smarter, fairer, and more human. The organizations that succeed won’t be those relying on gut instinct alone — but those who integrate personality assessments with AI-powered hiring solutions that bring clarity and consistency.
👉 Ready to reduce bias, save time, and improve quality-of-hire? Try Boulo’s free AI Interview Scorecard Assistant and build a custom, bias-aware rubric in under 10 minutes.
Resources & Further Reading
Want to explore more about personality assessments, structured hiring, and AI in recruiting? Here are some recommended reads:
From Boulo
- Add the Human Element to AI Recruiting
Learn why blending AI efficiency with human judgment is vital to preventing bias and maintaining compassion in hiring. - Navigating HR Leaders’ Top AI Concerns
Discover what challenges HR professionals face when adopting AI tools—and how to mitigate risks while embracing innovation. - AI in Staffing: Keeping the Human Touch
Explore how staffing agencies successfully combine AI automation with personal connection to foster trust and candidate satisfaction. - Why AI-Driven Rubrics Are the Future of Hiring
Get inspired with a deep dive into AI-powered hiring rubrics—how they simplify, standardize, and strengthen your recruiting process.
External Sources
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): The Pros and Cons of Personality Testing
- Positive Psychology: Big Five Personality Theory
- Harvard Business Review: A Simple Exercise to Help You Check Your Biases
- EEOC Guidelines on Employment Testing
- Deloitte Insights: AI in Talent Acquisition
Together, these pieces offer a well-rounded view: AI isn’t the hope or the harm—it’s the thoughtful application of tools, paired with human sensibility, that leads to smarter, fairer hiring.