Personality assessments: Do They have a place in the hiring process?
Soft skills and cultural fit are critical for good hiring decisions. They can also be elusive and hard to interview for. Sometimes, personality or behavioral assessments can be used as an additional data point in assessing a cultural fit. Assessments such as DiSC, Myers-Briggs, Strength Finder, and many more, are also some with limitations and should never be used as a decision-making factor. Are there useful ways to incorporate them into the recruitment process?
Personality and aptitude tests play a crucial role in the recruitment process by helping employers assess candidates’ job fit, predict performance, identify potential, and make more informed hiring decisions. They contribute to a more efficient, objective, and effective recruitment process that ultimately benefits both employers and candidates.
Here are some options for personality tests:
DiSC stands for: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Consciousness. Everyone is a blend of all four DiSC styles—usually, one, two, or even three styles stand out. Each person has a unique behavioral profile with different styles and priorities—no one style is better or worse than the next.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
This often-used personality test is rooted in Carl Jung’s classic theories of psychology. Producing a four-letter acronym that is designed to express one’s personality types across four different dimensions. The combinations produced by this assessment can offer intriguing insight around someone’s styles and preferences.
- Where you focus your attention – Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I)
- The way you take in information – Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)
- How you make decisions – Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
- How you deal with the world – Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)
The popular Enneagram framework is built around nine distinct personality types (its Greek name literally translates to “figure of nine”), each with its own defining traits. Enneagram tests can offer unique personality insights and perspectives that help one to map out a path toward growth and transformation. In particular, understanding how certain dominant personality types interact can lead to better communication and conflict resolution.
- Heart types (Types Two, Three and Four) depend on their emotional intelligence to understand their own reactions and connect with others.
- Head types (Types Five, Six and Seven) depend on their intellectual intelligence to make sense of things and navigate the world around them.
- Body types (Types Eight, Nine and One) depend on their instinctual intelligence to follow their “gut” and respond to threats and opportunities.
Recommendation
The purpose and intent of these tests need to be taken into consideration when determining what specifically you are looking to test as workplace personality tests are an inexact science. They offer incomplete representations due to limited inputs and dimensions. Truly understanding someone’s unique personality in depth and detail is a highly involved undertaking and not necessarily possible through a single questionnaire.
It is important to be mindful that workplace personality tests have limited predictive validity and should never be treated as definitive. That caveat is especially important when using these tests for hiring decisions, because they are susceptible to bias or stereotyping, and can sometimes screen out qualified candidates.
These tests should be treated as supplemental information in addition to screening, interviewing, and reference checks and are often most effective in team settings when onboarding and team building to understand the team’s overall composition of personalities and strengths to grow diverse teams while fostering an environment of collaboration.
Pro Tip: Alternative ways to assess cultural fit and personality? The best way is to ask really in depth scenario questions with less focus on technical knowledge and more focus on attitude.
We are passionate about hiring and always strive to improve recruitment and retention. Connect with us to learn more about our approach and how we assess best cultural fit.
