Personality Tests in the Workplace
It’s not just a “work to get the bills paid” culture anymore. We want a career where we feel fulfilled, where we feel valued, and as if we are contributing to the overall mission of the company. We also want to work in a culture where we work well with our teammates. As a recruiter, we have to take into consideration, not only is a candidate qualified for the position, but also will this candidate suit the culture of the company. So where does that leave personality tests in the workplace?
As with most things, there are pros and cons to using personality tests in the workplace, but the consensus seems to be that they can be very helpful if used properly. It can allow teammates to better understand one another, help teammates to understand themselves, and help determine if a candidate will be a good fit for the team before officially bringing them on.
There are so many different options for personality tests, and all can highlight different aspects of your personality. From Meyers-Briggs and Enneagram to DiSC and Predictive Index plus many more. Once you determine which personality test you want to use for your company there are a few things to keep in mind.
Do not put anyone in a box. No test will be 100 percent correct for every person. No test will even be 100 percent correct for one person. We are humans with emotions and complexities. We have good days and bad days, we change, and we grow. Of the billions of humans on earth, you will not be able to 100 percent capture all aspects of a person with a test. So just because someone receives a certain result don’t assume they will fall in line 100 percent with what the test says their type is. Also, people should not use the excuse of “it’s just the way I am.” They should not use their results as a crutch to avoid growing and improving.
Tests do not determine good and bad. With any personality test, there are no good outcomes or bad outcomes. The tests simply show us how different people function, they show us what their strengths and weaknesses are, but there are no right and wrong results. There are some tests that can be used to determine if a candidate is the right fit for a particular position. It should be no surprise that a sales professional will test differently than a construction management professional would, but there could be cross-over traits, strengths and weaknesses, in both of these types of roles.
You don’t want clones. If every person in the company has the same personality type, then you will have an extremely lopsided company. You will be extremely strong in certain aspects but severely lacking in others. It is a great practice to hire people who have varying traits and strengths and weaknesses to produce a strong well-rounded team. You need people who are strong in areas that others are not.
Focus on work situations when testing. if you are the one taking the test, keep one situation in mind while taking the whole test. What do I mean by that? If you answer half the questions thinking about how you are and how you respond to certain scenarios at home, but you take the other half of the test considering how you act and respond at work, your results may be off. Throughout the entirety of taking the test keep in mind how you feel, how you react, and how you think at work, to get the most accurate results of your personality and strengths in the workplace.
Now that we have cautioned against some of the most common mistakes of using personality tests in the workplace, let’s explore why they can be extremely beneficial.
Testing highlights your own strengths and weaknesses. Some people are very self-aware and in tune with their feelings and know exactly who they are, what drives them, what motivates them and where they have room for improvement. Others can benefit greatly from taking a personality test and seeing some of their traits explained with the freedom to say,” yeah… that actually does sound like me” or “no, that’s a bit off, I don’t struggle with that, or I am not strong in that area.” But it can be eye-opening for a lot of the people who take them. It can help them better understand how they work and what changes they can make in their work to perform better. It can also show them their strength so they can lean into those areas more.
Understanding results strengthens teamwork. Not only does it help people understand themselves, but it also helps teammates understand how each person works, where their strengths are, and where they could use support. There are tests that can tell you how someone likes to receive praise, there are tests that can tell you how many distractions a person is able to encounter while still staying on track and on task. There is so much valuable information that can be learned from a personality test that can help cultivate better teamwork. When you understand everyone’s strengths you are then able to help people harness those skills and implement them in a way that they are being fully used which in return strengthens the whole team.
Follow up after taking the tests. The tests are a waste of time if, after taking them, no real lessons are learned, and nothing is changed because of them. If you learn that a person needs a distraction-free environment, assess the office. Are they currently set up to accommodate a workspace that reduces as much distraction as possible? Make a note to set up meetings with that person to avoid spontaneous pop-ins that can mess them up. Each situation is different and will need to be assessed to make sure each person is set up for success while also achieving overall success in the company.
Now get out there and do your research, find out what test assesses the aspects of your team’s traits that you are most interested in learning about that will support growth and improvement within your company.