PERSONALITY - 3 personality tests commonly used in corporate interviews.
Updated: Feb 18
According to research, 76% of organizations with more than 100 employees use assessment tools such as aptitude and personality tests for external hiring, a figure that is expected to rise in the coming years.
Personality tests may be used by employers for a variety of reasons. For some, it's an effective way to gain a better understanding of your employees. You can take advantage of people's natural strengths and gain a better understanding of their individual styles and team dynamics.
Personality tests can also help leaders determine how well a candidate will fit into a specific position or job setting. This is especially important for employers who examine personality traits closely in order to identify founders with high EQ who can inspire growth in their teams and themselves.
Here is a brief summary of the most popular workplace personality tests, in case you're a CEO seeking to pick the best test for your business or an employee want to get acquainted.
1. MYERS-BRIGGS
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is the most widely used psychological instrument in the world, despite some experts disputing the science behind it. Isabel Myers and Katherine Briggs, a mother-daughter team who were fascinated by Carl Jung's theories on personality types, created it. MBTI assigns people to one of 16 personality types based on how they rank on four different scales.
These scales include:
Extraversion (E) – Introversion (I): Determines if someone gains energy from the outer world of people and experiences (extraverted) or from the inner world of reflection and thoughts (introverted).
Sensing (S) – Intuition (N): This refers to how people gather information. Sensors are drawn to their immediate surroundings - what they see, feel, and hear. Intuitive people are more likely to think about possibilities and what might be.
Thinking (T) – Feeling (F): Focuses on how people choose to act. Facts and objective logic are more likely to be listened to by thinking people. Feeling people place more significance on their emotions and values.
Judging (J) – Perceiving (P): How individuals approach the outside world. Judging individuals prefer to live in a planned and organized manner while Perceiving individuals enjoy spontaneity.
The test includes a series of questions that are answered on a scale of agree to disagree. The results can offer insights into a person’s likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, career preferences, and compatibility.
2. ENNEAGRAM
The Enneagram describes nine different personality types (referred to as Type 1, Type 2, etc.). All nine types are present in some degree in everyone, but only one type acts as the basis. Each of these categories has a unique set of advantageous and disadvantageous traits that manifest itself under pressure and in safe environments. There are two Wings, or the Types sitting next to you, for every fundamental Type. The majority of people have a dominant wing that contributes significant, occasionally opposing parts to their total personality.
In addition to Wings, there is also a series of Arrows connecting different numbers. These are meant to represent what personality types and traits a person picks up on when they are in a state of integration (security) or disintegration (stress).
Based on the fundamental fears and aspirations that motivate each type, the Enneagram is designed to assist people in understanding why they behave in the way that they do. Josh Lavine, the founder coach and Enneagram authority, refers to it as "night vision goggles for your inner world." Your type does not alter, but your traits and behaviors frequently fluctuate depending on how secure or anxious you are feeling at the time. The Enneagram is a tremendous tool for swiftly comprehending the motivations of people, which makes it, as Josh puts it, a "empathy accelerator." This is one of its greatest strengths.
3. THE BIG 5 (OCEAN)
The Big 5 is one of the most widely accepted personality tests in the scientific community and is built off of the premise that human personality can be measured along five major dimensions, each distinct and independent from the other.
Openness refers to one’s openness to experience. People who score highly in openness tend to be more creative, abstract thinkers.
Conscientiousness has to do with a person's tenacity and goal orientation. High ranking individuals are more well-organized and focused on long-term goals.
Extraversion ranks a person’s reaction to the outside world and social stimulation.
Agreeableness looks at how a person prioritizes their own needs compared to the needs of others.
Neuroticism measures a person’s likeliness to react to stressful situations negatively.
Conclusion
The Big 5 differs from the previous tests in that it uses a trait model rather than a type model. Fans of the Enneagram can counter that traits merely reveal how people see you from the outside, rather than what motivates you internally, despite the fact that scientists view the trait model as providing a better empirically supported conclusion.
The bottom line is: relationships are the foundation for collaboration and success at work, and the key to understanding them starts with understanding yourself.
Companies can only expand as quickly as the management teams overseeing them. Better engagement, performance, and collaboration are the rewards for leaders that encourage personal development within their workforce.
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