Several papers showed that a general factor occupies the top of the hierarchical structure of personality, the so-called General Factor of Personality (GFP). The first question is whether the GFP behaves similar to the general factor of mental ability (g), in that GFP scores from different personality questionnaires correlate highly. The second question is whether the GFP is related to real-life outcomes. In six large datasets (total N ¼ 21,754) collected in the Netherlands armed forces, the GFPs extracted from six personality questionnaires generally showed high degrees of correlation suggesting they measure the same construct. Moreover, GFP was related to drop-out from military training. This evidence strengthens the view that the GFP is a substantive construct with practical relevance.

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In a Dutch military trainee sample, we investigated the validity of overt and personality‐based integrity tests, HEXACO personality dimensions, and general mental ability, for predicting self (N = 336) and supervisor (N = 175) ratings of behavioral integrity. Both self and supervisor ratings were predicted by integrity and personality tests, but not by general mental ability. Incremental validity was partially observed for specific tests of integrity and personality. Findings contribute to various underresearched areas in the domain of integrity testing, as they show evidence of validity (1) for predicting a rarely observed criterion (ratings of behavioral integrity), (2) beyond two alternative types of predictors in personnel selection, (3) in a military setting, and (4) outside North America.

In two studies, we tested whether scores on the general factor of personality (GFP) are associated with other ratings of character and integrity. In Study 1, a total of 3,670 applicants for a military job filled out personality surveys and went through a selection interview. GFPs extracted from two different personality surveys showed meaningful relationships with the job suitability judgments based on the interviews. In Study 2, supervisors rated the integrity of participants (N = 167) who followed a 4-month military training at the Royal Dutch Military Police. GFPs extracted from three different surveys were correlated with integrity. The findings imply that the GFP is associated with behavioral outcomes, and that the GFP is potentially relevant for personnel selection and appraisal.

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