Passing The Personality Test

Personality testing is becoming a more and more popular tool for employers. Technical skills are always important. But many companies are looking deeper when making hiring decisions. Employers want to know about you and how you’ll fit in with the business. Sometimes this can be as simple as a few questions about why you want to work for the organisation or how you’ll be a cultural fit within the business. Or it could be an in-depth personality test.

Personality tests are not something you can ignore. In fact, according to Paul Wolfe, the senior vice-president of human resources at job site Indeed, resumes will soon be phased out entirely. He expects the traditional CV to be completely replaced. Instead, employees will present portfolio style documents describing their experience and abilities. And employers will use a suite of tests to asses candidates. Even now many companies are becoming less interested in your previous job titles. They want to know about your achievements and your personality. 

The kinds of questions on personality tests can sometimes feel frustrating. There is no obvious right or even a simple answer. They can seem like trick questions. Often people overthink and try to guess the answers they’re supposed to give. But most modern personality tests know when you’re lying. So what do you do when you’re asked to complete a personality test? How can you prepare to help you get the job?

Know Yourself

When you’re asked ‘what’s your greatest weakness?’ have you ever been told to say you’re a perfectionist? It’s a terrible piece of advice. The idea is that perfectionism isn’t a weakness at all (which isn’t even true) and so makes you seem flawless. Of course, no one is perfect, and this tired response won’t make you look good. It gives the employer the impression you don’t know yourself and aren’t interested in self-improvement. After all, understanding yourself is the first step towards growth.

A personality test isn’t just about finding someone with the ‘perfect’ personality for a role. Your employer wants to know you know what type of person you are. They want someone who knows their own strengths and weaknesses. Someone who is self-aware enough to behave professionally and actively improve themselves.

Take Your Own Personality Test

Personality tests are powerful tools. They can help you to better understand yourself. Taking a personality test is great practice and they can also help you learn more about yourself.  You’ll get to know the kinds of questions you might encounter so nothing surprises you. 

There are many different kinds of tests. They all have their own theoretical frameworks explaining how and why they work. Whichever personality test you end up taking they all ultimately have the same goal. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a common framework for personality testing. It is probably one of the most well known too. You can take a free MBTI personality test online at 16Personalities and get a basic breakdown of your personality. 

Understand What It All Means

So you’ve taken a personality and you have the results. Now is the time for self-reflection and these results can help guide you. You’ve got a great starting point to help you understand yourself. It also makes it easy to identify your strengths and areas for improvement. Personality testing can be helpful but it’s not perfect. So don’t worry if you feel like parts of your results are wrong or don’t fit you. Being able to identify that is actually a good sign for your self-awareness.

Remember the nature of forced-choice questions used in personality tests limits them. Online tests can be heavily influenced by this.  You’re answering these specific questions and they add together to form your results. How the test calculates your personality, how it weights answers and how the questions are written can all impact your results. If you take the test again your personality type might change. You could have been in a different mood or interpreted the questions differently. These tests aren’t psychic. You should use your personality test results as a tool for self-exploration and personal development rather than a box to pigeon-hole yourself in.

A Personality Test as Part of the Interview Process 

Remember when a potential employer asks you to take a personality test there is no right answer. These tests aren’t used by employers to screen candidates. They’re not looking for someone with the ideal personality for a role. The point is to help the employer understand how you work or how you will fit within a department. If you’re open and honest and show genuine self-awareness you can’t go wrong.

Some interview questions, especially ones about your weakness can be difficult to answer. Trying to hide your flaws never looks good in an interview. But how do you talk about them without seeming negative or unsuitable for a role? An interview skills coach can show you how to ace your next interview. At Selection Criteria Writers we also offer interview skills training. Our program will give you a framework to answer any question with clear and direct responses. With guidance from one of our coaches, you’ll be able to walk into any interview with confidence and leave a lasting positive impression.