Personality Career Tests
“Being different gives the world color.”
-Nelsan Ellis
Let’s celebrate our differences!
Klein HR Solutions uses a variety of these tests to help our clients understand themselves better. We use personality tests with individual career coaching, and large groups for training & development. We’ve found that personality tests aid companies bottom lines through better personnel selection & talent retention.
Personality Test Q&A
Why take a personality test? Insight! Personality tests help you reveal things about you that you may not have known.
“Know thyself” – Ancient Greek maxim
Why should work teams take personality tests?
When employees know their 1) strengths, 2) weaknesses, and 3) archetypes, teams can work better together. Personality tests split up individuals in a variety of different ways, or archetypes. By knowing your archetype, and the way you interact with other archetypes you can be proactive in resolving communication challenges before they become issues.
What makes a good personality test?
- It measures what it says it will measure [validity]
- It measures stable traits that won’t change over time [objectivity]
- It can produce the same results if the same person takes it again [reliability]
- Applicants scores can be compared against others [normative]
- What it measures is related to job performance [relevance & ROI]
3 Personality Tests We Recommend
“Company knowledge and job-specific skills can be learned, but you can’t train a personality.” -Richard Branson
Myers-Briggs
The Myers-Briggs, (or MBTI), is based on 16 personality types. The test measures you on how you expend energy, receive information, make decisions, and see the world. Each type is characterized by a four-letter classification. A fun introductory test you can take alone or with your team is available at https://www.16personalities.com/
Each of the different Myers-Briggs styles have their strengths and weaknesses.
Examples:
- An Adventurer, filled with unbridled creativity may need a Logistician as a partner to logistically put her artistic vision into action
- An Architect may lose himself in planning and over-organization without the aid of a Campaigner who can spur him on
- An extroverted Commander lacking a team may not have the delegates or the motivation needed to continue alone unaided
Images courtesy of 16 Personalities
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
-African proverb
Clifton Strengths Finder (by Gallup)
Have you ever heard the phrase “double-down on your strengths?” The logic behind that quote is to actually concentrate your efforts based around your strengths and make them work for you. This assessment, which has been taken by over two million people worldwide, will help you do just that!
The Clifton Strengths test focuses on the 34 strengths an individual may possess. Of these 34 strengths, some include Achiever, Arranger, Developer, Learner, Strategic, and Woo.
(People with “Woo” love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person). They’re also quite fun to work with!
The CliftonStrengths project began with the work of Don Clifton. It was acquired and built upon by the work of Gallup, an American analytics company known for its polls.
Big Five
Of all the tests listed, the The Big Five personality test is one of the most well-known and scientifically valid. Individuals take about 50 questions that rates them on a scale of “OCEAN.”
OCEAN stands for 1) Openness, 2) Conscientiousness, 3) Extraversion, 4) Agreeableness, and 5) Neuroticism.
What is the best trait to have? That is, if you were an HR executive, which “Big Five” traits would you look when hiring a new candidate?
That depends – all traits have their pros and cons.
- When it comes to job performance, individuals high in Conscientiousness perform well consistently. They can be counted on to show up on time, check off their tasks, and update management when their plate is empty.
- When it comes to leadership positions it may help to place an individual high in Extraversion. This goes double for leaders that have to travel internationally.
- Alternatively, when hiring an operations manager, you’d want someone low in Openness and low in Agreeableness. The manager tasked with building a repeatable system of work is trying to reduce the variability caused by new ideas and compromise.
Research to support the use of personality tests at work
- Personality Tests Can Help Balance a Team – Harvard Business Review, 2013
- Emotional Intelligence on Productivity – Walden University, 2018
- Personality Assessment for Employee Development – Taylor and Francis, 2018
- The Use of Personality Testing in Personnel Selection – Claremont University, 2019
Whether you see them as a scientific tool, or just a self-help assessment, personality tests continue to prove useful. As a rule of thumb, we recommend HR leaders take greater care in the selection of their personnel.
If you want to build better workers, build better people. -Tammy Klein
We find that personality tests, vocational assessments, strengths finders, and other such career guidance tests assist us in getting to know you better. Whatever stage you are at in life, or no matter your rank on the corporate ladder, personality tests offer time for reflection.
Work Stress & Personality
Your personality can determine how you digest work stress. Spoiler: Some people have a “tougher stomach” than others.
Let’s explore 👇
Influence of Personality on Work Stress
- Perception and appraisal. People differ in how they view the world, with some more likely than others to view the situation as stressful (e.g. Trait anger), (Trait anxiety) (Type A personality)
- Stressor creation & negative affect. People are not randomly assigned to job stressors, but through their own direct and indirect actions, they create the environments in which they find themselves. (a “Debbie Downer,” and “Negative Nancy” are personality types that tend to score high on negative affect)
- Emotions threshold. Some individuals are more emotionally reactive to the environment than others and will tend to experience negative emotions more frequently. Individuals vary in their tendency to experience or exhibit strains either in response to stressors.
Are you a Worrier or a Warrior?
Worrier: More exploratory, lower pain threshold, more efficient with cognitive tasks. 25% of the population falls under this category
Warrior: Less exploratory, higher pain threshold, less efficient with cognitive tasks. 25% of the population falls under this category
Both: 50% of the population falls under this category
“Stress taxes the individual” – Scott Monroe, American Psychological Association
When work stress goes on too far, you may experience burnout. Burnout can be defined as “an emotional and physical exhaustion as a result of job related stress.” Read more about burnout on our blog.
How Personality Tests Help Your Career
- Personality tests help individuals better understand themselves
- Leading with your strengths can help you avoid jobs where you’re operating with your weaknesses
- Knowing what type of vocation you’re best suited for can help you whittle down the seemingly endless array of jobs into a manageable handful of opportunities that reflect your personality
Read more about How Career Coaching Can Help You on our blog
At the end of the day, your reputation is defined by the work you do and the legacy you leave.
What’s your legacy?
☝ If you don’t know the answer to that question a personality test is a great place to start. ☝ Knowing the answer to that question can help you evaluate the type of life you want to build.
The Myers-Brigg, Strengths Finder, and Big Five are assessments that aid you in self-discovery. They are just some of the tools in Tammy Klein’s toolkit. Call Tammy today to see how she can help you stand out!