Students are asked to assume that after working for several years, they returned
ID: 465437 • Letter: S
Question
Students are asked to assume that after working for several years, they returned to graduate school to take some advanced courses and earn a master’s degree as a way of improving both their specific job skills and their overall prospects for career management. They also took a course in industrial psychology and one of the topics covered was personality testing and measurement. They thoroughly studied and reviewed the most popular personality tests used by companies as selection techniques.
Students are then asked to assume that they are now applying for a job within a company they particularly want to work for. The company’s selection process includes a personality test. The student as a job applicant knows that he or she can answer the questions well enough to seem a near-perfect candidate for the job. However, these answers would not reflect the job applicant’s true personality.
1. What are the ethical issues in this situation?
2. What are the basic arguments for and against “cheating” on the personality tests?
3. What do you think most job seekers would do? What would you do?
Explanation / Answer
1. It is completely unethical to answer the personality test questions if they are known earlier because the employer will not be able measure the true capabilities of the candidates. This is a case of cheating with the employer.
2. For: It is always ethical to express the correct information to the potential employer during application and interview process. By providing false information the candidate can be terminated in future if he or she is caught during verification process. The probability of selecting the right person at right place decreases due to the false information.
Against: Interview is a process of selecting the right people for right position at right time. But during the execution of the job the candidate has to perform and prove his or her ability. The right candidate selected for a specific position may not always meet the desired goals set by the organization.
3. Now a day’s many job seekers hide the real information to the potential employers. That is why the organizations are using various screening processes to know the fact about the employees. Some Organizations also ensure third party verifications of the candidates regarding their personal lives, previous employment history etc.
I would support for ethical approach for getting a job. I would clearly mentions the facts & provide the correct information. This would help me to execute the job bestowed on me in future.