Did you know it’s estimated that up to 75% of all hiring decisions result in a mis-hire? Hiring for – and indeed accepting – a new role needs to be thought of like a relationship. You wouldn’t head straight into a new one without getting to know them first, you take time to understand what they want, whether they match with your own desires… you get the idea.
There’s a school of thought that a well thought out CV and follow up interviews just aren’t enough to get to know a candidate, and this is where the personality test comes in.
What are personality tests?
A tool used by around 22% of employers according to the Society for Human Resource Management.
These are typically delivered online and consist of a multiple choice format to understand behavioural tendencies. Results can be used to compare candidates not only against each other, but against the values and ways of working already in place at the company in question.
What personality tests should I use?
According to TopResume.com these are five of the most popular personality assessments used for employment.
Why use a personality test?
The ‘anonymous’ nature means candidates are likely to open up far easier, as you will ultimately see the end result and not the specifics answered. They’re increasingly more difficult to ‘cheat’, so you can be sure the results are quite realistic.
As previously highlighted, the results allow companies to understand not only how a candidate may fit into their culture but also how they prefer to work. Are they reluctant to give feedback? Then they may not be suited to a role where significant improvement needs to be delivered across a lacking team. Do they enjoy conflict? This would suggest they might not have the nurture skills necessary to run a team of apprentices.
Importantly, they’re a fairly light-hearted mechanism to dig deeper into a candidate – and if nothing else it’s a fun conversation starter at interviews.
What are the cons of using a personality test?
There are a lot of free versions out there but finding the tool that works best for you can take time – and you may potentially need a top spec version anyway. On the other hand, completing a personality test early on can be a barrier for candidates as some may see it as a negative request .
Accuracy is another flaw, as although you’ll gain some useful insight, the results can’t be taken as absolute truth. For anyone familiar with the mechanics, the ability to guide an answer is certainly an issue. Is the candidate telling the truth or just working hard to say what you want to hear?
Also consider how you’re going to use the data, as it’s a fruitless task if you don’t take insights to shape their workplace.
So there you have it, a run through of the basics of personality tests. But remember, while they are an integral part of the hiring process for some companies, for others they may simply not fit in with the way of doing things, so before you commit to using them, it’s worth thinking over what it is you want to get out of them, and how you’ll actually use the results to ensure you make an informed hiring decision.
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