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Unicru is a United States computer software company which produces a human resources software line claimed to aid companies in evaluating job applicants and their suitability for particular positions by giving them personality tests. Many of their customers are large retailers such as Big Y, Lowe's, Hollywood Video, Hastings Entertainment, Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Toys R Us, PetSmart, Best Buy,, and Blockbuster Video. According to its vendor, Unicru was used in 16% of major retail hiring in the United States as of early 2009.
Unicru was founded in 1987 as Decision Point Data and is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon. It acquired two other software companies: Guru.com in 2003 and Xperius (formerly Personic) in 2004. The Guru.com URL and logo were subsequently sold to eMoonlighter.com which now operates under the Guru.com brand. In August 2006, Kronos announced it had acquired Unicru.
According to the Wall Street Journal, cheating on the tests, using answer keys available online, became more common during the late-2000s recession, though Kronos denies that cheating is common or significantly affects the test's validity. The Unicru format has test-takers answer multiple choice questions with the options: 'Strongly Agree', 'Agree', 'Not Sure/Somewhat Agree', 'Disagree', or 'Strongly Disagree'. In late 2008, criticism of the Unicru test emerged. Some individuals have posted "answer keys" online, indicating the "correct" answers to the standard questions list, such that would yield a perfect score. The answer key revealed, among other things, that only "strong" answers (agree or disagree) are considered "correct", while the nominal agree and disagree answers were always considered incorrect.
See also
References
- "Customer Success Accelerates Unicru Growth". Internet Retailer. 2004-08-18. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- Earnshaw, Eliza (2006-01-13). "Unicru grows in face of fierce foes". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- Francis, Mike (2004-02-18). "With growth, Unicru dares to dream of IPO". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- ^ O'Connell, Vanessa (January 7, 2009). "Test for Dwindling Retail Jobs Spawns a Culture of Cheating". The Wall Street Journal. p. A1.
- "Kronos to Reach Beyond Workforce Management With Unicru Buy". Gartner. 2006-07-18. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- http://www.timothyhorrigan.com/documents/unicru-personality-test.answer-key.html