>>More than once I was in the position of not being able to employ highly qualified & very able people, because the "Human Resources" department said that their personality profile tests showed that they did not fit the company profile & I had to employ less able people.
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>I've never worked anywhere that HR conducted personality tests on applicants. Was this a normal practice in the company? Have you seen it elsewhere?
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Renoir;

Many approaches to hiring have been used in the San Francisco Bay Area. The HR types (regardless of what they are called) are always looking up new ways to retain power for the HR empire. The personality profile was introduced in our area about 40 years ago. Since then many approaches to finding the "ideal" employee have been in vogue. About 30 years ago they began the multiple interview. You would meet with a panel of many interviewers. 10 years ago it was meet each person in his/her office or in a “meeting room”. After 12 interviews with the same company in one day you were “dog meat”. Then there is the “come back 3-4 times technique, with multiple interviews. You have to compatible with the "culture" of the organization!

T.J. Rogers, a well-known CEO at Cypress Semiconductor here in Silicon Valley had this to say about interviews. First I look at your resume – if you have been anywhere for 10 years you are a vegetable – I throw your resume in the trash can. We begin the interview at 8 AM and have at least 12 people interview you – one at a time. You will be through by 8 PM. If you are accepted you have no ego and will do my bidding. I will keep you for six months, extract everything you know and fire you, so I will not have to give you benefits.

Welcome to Silicon Valley! Doesn’t T.J. Rogers sound horrible? He is very outspoken and he is honest. This is the reality at all too many places of employment in the Silicon Valley. I have great respect for T.J. Rogers because no one else out here will tell you the truth and he does. He is totally up front.

Remember all this HR stuff is theory and not reality. Many software developers are interviewed on television in our area and state they have 3-4 different full time jobs a year. Stable this ain't! I am in this for the long haul - like maybe lunch time?

Tom