Personality tests can help us learn more about our strengths and weaknesses. They are an excellent tool for self-reflection and can often lead to “ah-ha” moments.
Using personality assessment tools can improve team dynamics, reduce turnover, and allow for better hiring practices. Personality assessments are scientifically valid and provide valuable information that can save time and money.
Recruiting
Personality tests are a tool that helps in the recruitment process. They allow companies to screen out applicants who may be a liability to the company. These assessments are used alongside CVs and interviews to hire the right candidate.
While some personality tests can be misleading, most are designed to identify red flags in the selection process. This allows the hiring team to make a more informed decision about who to hire.
However, many personality test providers admit that their tests should not be the sole factor in recruitment decisions. They are more helpful in identifying talent gaps and building strong teams.
For example, a person with a highly empathetic personality would be able to cultivate curiosity about strangers and discover commonalities. They also have ambitious imaginations and a good understanding of other people’s situations. This is a trait that is highly desirable in a salesperson.
Personality tests can be influenced by how they are administered and how candidates answer them. This is because it is easy for candidates to overestimate certain tendencies that are viewed as socially desirable and underestimate others.
Training
Personality assessment tests can help companies save money on training and performance by assisting them to find the right people for their role the first time. This can reduce the costs of bringing in new staff members, as well as the cost of replacing employees who fail to perform.
Personality tests are used in various settings, including psychotherapy and psychology research. They are usually self-reporting and may be scored based on either a dimensional or typological approach to personality description and measurement. Factors such as test-taking attitudes and question responses can also influence them. For example, if someone feels stressed or upset while taking an exam, they will tend to respond more positively to the test than others who aren’t.
Personality tests are often used to assess leadership qualities in professionals, and they can identify individuals who may be natural leaders. However, other factors, such as response sets and social desirability bias, can distort these results. For instance, if an individual wants to be perceived as a leader, they may say yes to being extroverted even though they are naturally introverted.
Performance
A personality test can reveal how an individual prefers to work on projects, how they communicate with colleagues, and what intrinsic motivators make them tick. This information can help them perform better on the job, work more efficiently, and build vital team chemistry.
Personality assessment tests need to be more foolproof, however. Respondents can skew results by being dishonest or simply unable to describe their tendencies accurately. In addition, they may understand what the company is looking for in its employees and tailor their answers accordingly.
That’s why choosing the best personality test for your needs is important. Using data-backed, reliable tools such as Mercer | Mettl can reduce the chances of respondents skewing results and ensure their valid responses. These tools can also be used in the interview process to identify critical personality traits that are difficult to assess through reading CVs or conducting an in-person interview.
Team Building
Personality tests are often used in the recruitment process as a method of shortlisting candidates. They focus more on values and traits than skills and experience. However, if the personality questionnaire questions could be better written, then this can backfire. For example, if the test asks whether you are prone to violence or vandalism at work and you answer yes, this will likely be the end of your job application, even if the job does not require such aggression.
Personality assessments can also be used in team building. This is because they help employees understand each other’s working preferences and tendencies, thus helping to limit conflicts within teams and workplaces. For instance, if a teammate has an i personality profile, they are empathetic and compassionate and tend to prioritize relationships over work. This can make them more approachable for work-related matters.
Personality assessments are a valuable tool for understanding how different people work, but they should not be used to replace face-to-face interactions. This is because a personality assessment test alone cannot capture the nuances of someone’s personality.
Development
Personality assessment tests allow companies to better understand their employees or prospective hires and help them be more productive and successful in their careers. This includes identifying their strengths and weaknesses, communication style, and how they work best in teams.
According to Shcherbinin, personality inventories can also improve a company’s overall diversity by allowing individuals to tailor their answers to fit what recruiters want to hear. However, he warns that candidates should be careful not to change their responses to match the desired results of a test, as this could affect their accuracy and validity.
Conclusion
Personality tests must be designed with specific industries in mind and use scaling methodologies to reduce the likelihood of respondents faking a good response, which can distort the results.
Personality tests must also be able to measure the traits that are critical to work-related success, such as openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. They should be valid, reliable, and easy to administer and score. In addition, they must be unbiased. Personality assessment tools use scientifically proven and validated methodologies to ensure fairness.
