4 Kinds of Personality Tests Given By Employers & How Effective They Are - Guest Article by Jess Levine
Times have changed. In the past, sending your resume and referrals are all it takes to apply and get hired for a job. But nowadays, companies are more perceptive. Aside from educational background, expertise, skills, and character references, companies try to discern if a prospective employee’s personality is the right fit for the position and company culture. To screen and pick the right candidate, employers make use of personality tests.
Not all types of jobs require a pleasing personality, but many employers would still rely on a personality test to assess the risk appetite and stress tolerance of candidates. There are various kinds of personality tests as well. Below are five of the most common ones and how effective they are in actually assessing an employee:
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
This is probably the most popular personality test on the Internet. Many people have taken the MBTI test for personal purposes and it helps individuals understand their core traits, strengths, and weaknesses.
The MBTI uses four aspects: introversion or extroversion, sensing or intuition, thinking or feeling, and judging or perceiving. A person will be typed depending on the range of percentage they get from those four aspects.
For example, an introvert may be typed as an ISTP. “I” for being introverted, “S” for sensing, “T” for thinking, and “P” for perceiving. The initials stand for the core traits that an individual has. All in all, there are 16 personalities under the MBTI personality test.
Companies use this test to determine if a candidate’s personality fits well with the company culture. Aside from that, this helps employers determine which roles and departments would a candidate or employee be more compatible with.
- 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire
Although the MBTI also results in 16 personality traits, it is not related in any way with the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire. This test is developed by psychologist Raymond Cattell, and consists of 170 to 185 multiple choice questions that aim to determine the varying depths and degrees that each person has in terms of warmth, reasoning, self-reliance, social boldness, sensitivity, and perfectionism, among others.
Like the MBTI however, this test is also used to determine if a candidate is the right fit for a certain position, department, or company culture. However, it also gives employers insights as to how they can train and improve their people.
- The Caliper Profile
The Caliper Profile also works similarly with the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire since individuals are given a set of questions that must be agreed, disagreed, or be neutral. The Caliper Profile aims to measure the assertiveness and thoroughness of a person—making it very helpful for employers to determine the right candidate for positions that require high attention to detail and precision.
- Gallup StrengthsFinder
Among the personality tests in this list, Gallup StrengthsFinder is the newest one. It was published in 2007 and focuses on the top 5 traits over 34 possible ones that a person might have. And unlike the other tests in this list, individuals don’t have to rate themselves on a scale.
The Gallup StrengthsFinder only presents a person with two choices for every situation or question. The result will be based on the choices made by the taker. This test has been found to be an effective personality test for employers because it focuses on the strengths and potentials of a candidate rather than simply determining their weaknesses.
All these personality tests are helpful in one way or another, especially for companies that are looking for candidates with particular traits that would make them fit and compatible for a job. For example, sales agents and receptionists need to have socially bold and outgoing personalities to be effective on the job since these roles usually require being good with people and building social relationships.
Jess Levine is an experienced writer who loves creating articles that can benefit others. She has worked as a freelance writer in the past making informative articles and fascinating stories. She has extensive knowledge in a variety of fields such as healthcare, technology, business, finance, marketing, personal development, and more.
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