An SJT to predict expressions of subclinical personality disorders at work

Although cognitive ability is generally considered the best predictor of job performance (e.g., Schmidt & Hunter, 2004), some individuals who perform well on cognitive ability assessments may not ultimately have high job performance. For instance, there is evidence to suggest that expressions of certain personality disorders have a negative effect on job performance (e.g., Moscoso & Salagado, 2004). Yet, many psychologists now consider personality to exist on a continuum, such that individuals may have some symptoms associated with personality disorders (and decreased job performance), but not a clinically diagnosable disorder (e.g., De Fruyt & Salagado, 2003; Trull & Durrett, 2005). Therefore, as part of a selection process, it may be beneficial to identify individuals that are likely to exhibit behaviors associated with subclinical levels of personality disorders in the workplace. Situational judgement tests (SJTs) are particularly well suited to assessing subclinical levels of personality as part of an employment selection process. First, SJTs are low fidelity simulations (e.g., Motowidlo, Dunnette, & Carter, 1990) that use workplace-specific scenarios and response options. Second, SJTs with knowledge instructions (e.g., how effective is each behavior likely to be) are less susceptible to faking than typical personality inventories (Nguyen,