Assessing privacy invasiveness of psychological test items: Job relevant versus clinical measures of integrity

This pilot study was conducted to determine if clinically-oriented test items are judged to be more offensive than job-related test items. Clinical tests typically ask more personal questions while employment tests usually ask job-relevant questions. A random selection of items from three employment tests was analyzed. Two of the tests evolved from clinical-personality tests, while the third test was designed specifically for employment settings. The results suggest that if companies are interested in using employment tests that are perceived as being job-relevant, inoffensive, and non-invasive, then they should consider selecting tests that include job-relevant items as opposed to tests that are derivatives of clinical assessment instruments.