A selection procedure measure the personality characteristics of applicants that are related to future job performance. Personality tests typically measure one or more of five personality dimensions: extroversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience.
Advantages :
can result in lower turnover due if applicants are selected for traits that are highly correlated with employees who have high longevity within the organization
can reveal more information about applicant's abilities and interests
can identify interpersonal traits that may be needed for certain jobs
Disadvantages :
difficult to measure personality traits that may not be well defined
applicant's training and experience may have greater impact on job performance than applicant's personality
responses by applicant may may be altered by applicant's desire to respond in a way they feel would result in their selection
lack of diversity if all selected applicants have same personality traits
cost may be prohibitive for both the test and interpretation of results
lack of evidence to support validity of use of personality tests