Strategic HR Technology Investment: A Comprehensive Checklist for Global HR Teams
All of us have passed a personality test at least once. We want to know which career path to choose, why we behave in one way or another, or what skills will help us in the future.
For example, is it reasonable to stay in a stressful environment when you better work with numbers and databases, not with people? That’s why personality tests exist. They illustrate where you’re the most productive and what makes you, you.
Knowing your predispositions isn’t just useful for you to know when applying for a job. It’s also helpful for recruiters and companies (when they hire Magento developers, designers, copywriters, office managers, etc.). Will the candidate perform well in a leadership role? Are they team players or individualists?
Figure out everything right from the start. It will help you predict whether the person fits the company. If not, there is a high chance they’ll quit at the first opportunity, even if they don’t plan it now.
So, if you want to not just “close” the position but find the most appropriate person, this article is for you. It outlines some of the most popular personality tests to gather your dream team.
When hiring someone, you analyze various criteria such as education, experience, and skills. You might ask questions about candidates’ habits and personal traits during the interview.
But a 40-minute job interview doesn’t give a complete understanding of a person. Some may be nervous to respond adequately; others may be overwhelmed and act too fidgety.
That’s when personality tests come in handy. They provide more unbiased information on the candidates’ characteristics and can reduce employee turnover. For instance, revealing that a person is focused and calm may make them more likely to succeed in bookkeeping than in sales.
However, tests differ in terms of effectiveness and preciseness. Therefore, you need to carefully choose the test to diagnose the needed qualities to build a productive team.
Personality tests are more widespread among Fortune 100 companies. To be exact, about 80% of them utilize MBTI tests (Myers-Briggs type indicator) to ensure efficient teamwork. Unfortunately, only 13% of all American employers rely on personality tests. But those numbers will rise as smaller companies follow the lead of the largest corporations.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test evaluates people’s preferences based on Jung’s ideas of psychological types.
Isabel Myers and her mother, Katherine Briggs, took Carl Jung’s theory and developed this test for women. By creating this assessment, they hoped to make people’s lives happier and healthier.
People are classified into one of 16 personality types after taking the test. Note that they’re equal and don’t imply any weaknesses or abnormalities.
This testing allows you to understand the personality better and fulfill the potential. As a result, you can bring maximum value with your work rather than taking an unsuitable role and ignoring your true capabilities.
The questionnaire considers four scales:
The Myers & Briggs Foundation states that this test is reliable and legitimate. However, the respondents’ results differ when passing the test a second time in about 40% and 75% of cases, so you can’t fully rely on them.
16Personalities provides a free test and analysis of each personality type (including workplace habits).
Another personality profile test is DiSC. This technique appeared in the 20th century, thanks to psychologist William Moulton Marston. DiSC is an abbreviation standing for four main traits:
People with a high “D” score are decisive and result-oriented rather than process-oriented. Such people prefer fast movement, risk-taking, and getting what they want immediately. Their strengths are the ability to take responsibility, control the situation, and keep power in their hands. On the other hand, they can be impolite, inflexible, and act without reaching an agreement.
The Influence personality is the most unpredictable, energetic, and extroverted team member. They are people-oriented and build connections with others. However, they can become unorganized, depending on people and ignoring details and duties. They can’t live without the approval of others. So they often react to pressure with verbal attacks.
The Steady personality profile is quieter and more introverted. Such people are calm, patient, modest, and balanced. They are people-oriented and enjoy assisting others, collaborating, and establishing balance and harmony within a team.
At the same time, the desire to avoid disagreement may lead to unwanted results. They want to keep their relationships intact. That’s why they hesitate to speak up or draw attention, preferring to remain unnoticed. They may be afraid of change and look for stability and security. Indecisiveness may limit them.
When the conscientious personality dominates, people pay attention to details, concentrate on the task and perform the work at the highest level. They are analytical, accurate, and cautious.
Such concentration on details may slow down the work. First, people with a high “C” score are usually perfectionists, which is unaffordable with strict deadlines. They expect everyone to adhere to their standards and everything to be flawless before finishing a task.
This test enables you to determine how team members will interact. Is it worth hiring a person where speed plays a role in decision-making? Will this person be decisive and communicative enough? Remember that there are no one-size-fits-all representatives. We are now talking about dominant character traits, but they can come with others.
You can take the free DISC personality test. It’s a short assessment based on 12 questions, so you can finish it in about 10 minutes.
The third item on the list isn’t a personality test. The CliftonStrengths assessment is a performance-based tool. It aims to define your innate skills and the ability to apply them.
The Clifton StrengthsFinder serves to determine your talents. What natural predispositions influence your thinking, feeling, and behavior? The test relies on the idea that all people have 34 basic skills. Everyone is unique according to the degree of these talents.
In which sequence do they affect your personality? Some talents are especially strong, they come naturally, and you don’t have to put effort into doing something, i.e., communicating with large crowds. You constantly use such skills and are successful in them. Other talents are used extremely rarely and require significant effort. For example, you aren’t used to demonstrating emotions.
The Clifton StrengthsFinder is a set of 177 questions. You have a pair of descriptions on the left and right, such as “I am a sensitive person” and “I am a logical person”. You can click on the dots to choose the best-suited variant and the extent. A neutral response is also available.
You have to pick the right option within 20 seconds. Why? The reason is that the accuracy of the test results depends on whether you answer without thinking much. The next question will appear automatically after 20 seconds. The whole process takes 25-30 minutes to complete.
The test will define your top five strengths, explain their uniqueness, and suggest how to use them to your advantage. So it’s not just about looking for talents. It’s about harnessing the full potential. The assessment cost is $49.99.
Professional skills are still necessary when it comes to making the final decision. But how will the candidate complete tasks? Will the team be productive when it consists of leaders alone?
Strike a balance between various personality types. For example, a team of extroverted and creative people may generate innovative insights. But their energy may not often lead to actions to implement numerous ideas but remain on paper. So a successful business should maximize its effectiveness and employ people eager to follow instructions rather than create something new. That’s why you need to conduct personality tests.
They help you understand how a person will cooperate with others from the get-go. You can choose one of the tests I’ve provided above, such as Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), DiSC, and StrengthsFinders or discover other ways to check a candidate during interviews, problem-solving tests, and teamwork activities.
This article is written by Art Malkovich.
Art Malkovich is Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Onilab, a full-service eCommerce agency focused on Magento. Being a Certified Magento Specialist and Master Project Manager, he keeps up to date with the latest trends in SEO, SaaS, B2B, and technology in general. Art is a business development professional with hands-on experience in eCommerce, Magento development, and migration.
