Integrating Personality Tests In Recruitment: The Why’s And How’s

The hiring process is one of the most crucial processes that happen inside the company. It helps you decide which candidates enters the workplace and stays in it. Manpower is considered one of the most important resources a company can have. As such, you need to only hire the right applicants to become your partners if you are to establish yourself as a key player in the industry and to achieve your goals.

Normally, hiring managers would give a set of exams and conduct several interviews to know if aspirants can actually contribute something to the company. These are not enough. Aside from their abilities and skills, personality also matters when it comes to an applicant’s qualifications. Most companies value not only the intellectual capacity of an individual but also their outlook in the professional world.  This is why many companies are using personality tests to know if the personality of an applicant is fit for their standards.

Personality Tests Used in the Hiring Process

Here are some examples of personality tests used during the hiring process:

 1. Myers-Briggs

The Myers-Briggs personality test was invented by Carl Jung who theorized that there are 16 distinct personality types. These types are determined by answering questions that reveal whether you are an Introvert (I) or an Extrovert (E); whether you acquire information based on Sensing (S) or Intuition (N); whether you make decisions by Thinking (T) or Feeling (F); and whether you follow by Judging (J) or Perceiving (P). When one from each aspect is combined, a classification is made under the 16 personality types.

2. The Big 5 Personality Test

 The Big 5 reveals five dimensions of the human personality: openness (curious vs. cautious), conscientiousness (organized vs. careless), extraversion (energetic vs. reserved), agreeableness (compassionate vs. detached), and neuroticism (nervous vs. confident). The purpose of this test is to come up with a summary of an individual’s personality based on these five premises without making the traits overlap with one another. It can also help people have a clear understanding of who they are but while they can take it in person or online, those who seek an accurate interpretation should still consult a psychologist.

3. Enneagram

The Enneagram test reveals nine types of personalities useful for knowing one’s emotional outlook in life. These are the Reformer, Helper, Motivator, Romantic, Thinker, Skeptic, Enthusiast, Leader, and Peacemaker. It helps people understand their biases and fixations.

The Need for Personality Tests

The reality is, not all companies use personality tests before saying yes to a candidate, but those who do will tell you it’s worth it. Here’s why:

• Personality tests do not lie
  Applicants can rehearse their answers the night before an interview or review their notes from college for an exam, but results from personality tests need no preparation. A candidate may talk big in an interview about how willing they are to try something new but cannot cheat exams that say they are complacent and afraid to take risks.
•  Can tell if applicants will love the job
  Personality tests also reveal interests. If a person is not sincerely interested in your line of work, it will be hard to force him to like it. He may be able to develop liking for the tasks assigned to him, but if his heart is not in it, that person can only deliver good results as opposed to someone who can bring excellent results. A person who does a project half-heartedly will eventually get tired of it, affecting not only himself but also his colleagues and the company.
• Prevents bad behavior to be brought into the company
  You should not tolerate any bad behavior manifested by your staff. While most tests only gauge people’s personality, there are tests that let you see if a person has a tendency to be a bully or arrogant. If you see glaring results, you can prevent these kinds of people from becoming a part of your company.
• Can make sure applicants are able to handle pressure
  Deadlines, demanding clients, and strict bosses can be an everyday nemesis for any employee. The workplace is one big pressure cooker and if a person cannot deal with stress gracefully, they will suffer. Personality tests can measure how much pressure and emotions they can take. Those with stronger personalities may be able to handle extreme situations better than others.
•   Provides foresight as to the compatibility of the employee with the job
  Again, you cannot force a person to be happy with what he’s doing if it’s not something he loves to accomplish. If his test reveals that he likes to be alone most of the time, he cannot be accepted in a job that thrives on talking to people from 9 to 5.
• Reveals applicant’s compatibility with existing employees
  A person may have impressive credentials but if they fail in the character department, other employees and their performance may be compromised. A company consists of teams who have a harmonious professional relationship with each other. If hiring a candidate whose personality may clash with others will cause a commotion and misunderstanding in the future, it’s best to avoid these situations as early as now.
•  Can keep owners from investing in an unfit candidate
  Hiring unfit candidates for the job can be costly. If employees are not motivated and lack determination to do their best at work, their output and performance may be affected. When client demands are not met, it is hard to repair trust that the company will still be able to deliver quality results. It can be detrimental to the reputation of the company and can incur huge economic losses. Also, terminating an employee who exhibits inappropriate behavior is costlier than investing on proper training of a person who has the potential to make it big someday.

Are you using personality tests in your recruitment process? How did it help your company? Share your thoughts to us!

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