For an increasing number of job applicants, the answers to questions such as, "How would you behave at a party?" and, "Do you like fuzzy pets?" could make the difference between a rejection letter and a corner office with windows.

Since 1999, the number of Fortune 500 companies requiring job applicants to take personality assessment tests has jumped to about 40% from 25%, according to Career-Intelligence, an online career resource.

"This is the next major trend in hiring practice," says Sara Wells, director of Sara Wells Associates, an executive search firm specializing in marketing and communications professionals in Asia. "There is so much competition for good people and staff retention, companies have to be careful to get the best possible fit, and these tests are one way to ensure that they do."

There are around 2,000 personality assessment exams available and, according to Ms. Wells, the techniques and tools that companies use to do their recruiting are becoming more sophisticated each year.

Ms. Wells doesn't recommend that people study for the tests. Instead, she counsels applicants to mark the answers that come most naturally to them, even if that means answering "sometimes" for "how often do you physically attack your coworkers?"

"There really is nothing you can do to prepare, she says. "The tests are looking for balance and consistency, so my best advice is to answer quickly and truthfully because there is no right or wrong answer. If you try to figure out what the questions are really asking, you're going to look inconsistent and therefore confused about who you are and what you're going to be like on the job."

Getting Ahead asked recently hired professionals about the personality tests they had taken.

Mary Jestice, U.S.-based research analyst who has taken personality tests at three companies:

"They made me take a 'morality' test, and answer questions like 'if your co-worker stole money, would you tell a superior?' and 'would you lie to protect your boss? To be honest, it seemed to me like any answer was morally questionable.

"After I took the test the first time, I went to the bookstore and bought a book on profiling for interviewers. I was going to find out what quirks they were looking for, and I thought that I'd suppress mine temporarily during the test.

Joe Plata, an engineer at a multinational firm who took an exam last August:

"I went through four cans of soda as I answered questions like 'are you troubled by constipation?' and 'do you like fuzzy pets? I tried taking practice personality tests online so I was familiar with the kinds of questions before I went. But it was still nerve-wracking because I had to make up some answers so that they'd hire me."

Sample Questions

1. Is clutter in the workplace something you
a. tolerate pretty well;
b. take time to straighten up 

2. Does interacting with strangers
a. energize you;
b. tax your reserves 

3. Children often do not
a. exercise their fantasy enough;
b. make themselves useful enough 

4. When finishing a job, do you like to
a. tie up all loose ends;
b. move on to something else 

5. Is it worse to
a. have your head in the clouds;
b. be in a rut

-- Send questions about your career to kevin.voigt@awsj.com