Applicant Reactions to Personality Tests: Effects of Item Invasiveness and Face Validity

In a simulated employee selection exercise, two hundred and ten participants responded to a personality test that varied in terms of item invasiveness and item face validity. A third factor of empirical job-relatedness was manipulated via test instructions. Reactions to the test, the organization, and behavioral intentions about accepting a job offer were measured. Results indicated that item invasiveness and face validity interacted in the prediction of all dependent variables. Specifically, item invasiveness affected the dependent variables only when face validity was low. Implications for the use of personality tests and integrity tests were discussed.