This is a bi-weekly series of some of Dr. Jordan Peterson’s top answers on Quora.
In many pre-employment tests, there are often ways in which applicants can lie and make them appear better suited for the position than they really are. After hiring them, you may quickly discover that they are not, by any means, the person that looked so polished and perfect according to their test results. After realizing you have not found your unicorn, you realize you have hired an unfit, unmotivated and desperate candidate. Now what? Well, now’s the time to reconsider how you are pre-screening these individuals.
Most tests do not force people to admit their flaws and therefore give you the impression that this person is perfect. Recently, Jordan answered this question on Quora “Similar to tests measuring IQ and EQ in individuals, is there a test or theory on how to measure DIQ- Deceptive Intelligence Quotient in an individual?”
Jordan’s answer:
“Psychologists have tried to measure such a thing for years, using Lie Scales, for example, to “correct” other scales for faking good, and self-promotion, and so on. Overall, the results have not been good: there is little evidence that such questionnaires do what they are supposed to do. Assessing the capacity to deceive, and self-deceive, appears to be very difficult. My lab has developed a fake-proof personality questionnaire, however, which does not allow people to present themselves positively across all traits, and which forces them to admit to flaws.
This kind of scale has advantages when used in situations where faking is likely, such as a job application, but may not be as accurate as a standard personality scale, where those filling out the scale are not motivated to look better than they are.”
The Unfakeable Big Five paper can be downloaded here
Dr. Jordan Peterson is a clinical psychologist and one of Cream.hr’s co-founder. His work is at the forefront of the development of modern personality tests. Jordan does experimental work on achievement, creativity, personality, narrative, and motivation. His assessments can predict intelligence, political beliefs, academic achievement, managerial ability, entrepreneurial capacity, creativity, ambition, assertiveness, propensity for depression and anxiety, sociability, aggression, empathy, and more. Holding a tenured position at the University of Toronto, he is also licensed in Massachusetts and Ontario, and offers therapy and career coaching to clients on a regular basis.