Everywhere we go everyone we meet, we are able to recognize different types of people. Some people have radiant personalities; they enjoy talking, meeting new people, and interacting. On the other hand, some people are more reserved. They won’t start the conversation, and when they feel comfortable, they will be more inclined to talk. There are so many personalities and people present in the world around us. Being able to “to systematically elicit information about a person’s motivations, preferences, interests, emotional make-up, and style of interacting with people and situations” helps not only employers understand what jobs their people would be best suited for, but it also helps individuals determine in which qualities they excel and which qualities need work in their personal lives (“Personality Tests”).
Types of Personality Tests
Personality tests assist employers in a variety of industries. One specific test that many industries use is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator which assesses extraversion vs. introversion, judging vs. perceiving, intuition vs. sensing, and more. After taking the test, a person is matched with one of the 16 personality types. Many consulting firms like Deloitte, McKinsey, and Accenture use this test because it provides several benefits that include helping assemble functional employee teams, facilitating clear communication, motivating employees, and reducing conflict (Bajic). Another common personality test that is used across industries is the Caliper Profile. This personality test measures how a potential employee’s personal traits would complement their performance in a specific job. The test looks at the negative and positive qualities of a candidate and can be customized to specific traits important for a job. The benefits of this test are that managers can see how well candidates fit into their roles and results can also be used later in employee onboarding and providing direct feedback on how to improve performance (“Caliper Profile – Employee Assessments for Hiring and Development”).
Benefits For Personal Growth
Even in our personal lives, personality tests are useful because they help us identify our weaknesses, improve habits, grow as communicators, and find more people that we get along with. As we try to navigate through the world and form relationships, it’s always beneficial to know ourselves and our preferences (Garrison). Personality tests are a quick way to do just that: figure out what we like. One personality test that is commonly used is the Big Five Test. This test determines where one stands on a scale for extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. These traits are known to stay stable throughout one’s life. These traits matter because they allow us to gain a better understanding of how we interact with others. They are also key to forming new relationships. As we discover our strengths and weaknesses in our social interactions, we can use the Big 5 test to form better relationships and push ourselves out of our own comfort zones (Lim).
Overall, personality tests serve many purposes in our daily lives. They not only help employers build an efficient team but they also help us pinpoint areas of ourselves that we need to work on. It’s important that we acknowledge and explore these accessible tests so that we can continue growing ourselves both professionally and personally.
Read more articles from Hetvi on our Zealousness blog Hetvi Trivedi – iN Education Inc. (ineducationonline.org)
References:
- Bajic, Elena. “How The MBTI Can Help You Build A Stronger Company.” Forbes. Last modified September 28, 2015. https://www.forbes.com/sites/elenabajic/2015/09/28/how-the-mbti-can-help-you-build-a-stronger-company/?sh=243e309dd93c.
- “Caliper Profile – Employee Assessments for Hiring and Development.” Caliper Corporation. Last modified January 27, 2020. https://calipercorp.com/caliper-profile/#:~:text=Managers%20can%20easily%20see%20how,with%20the%20Caliper%20Precision%20Series.
- Garrison, Cianna. “6 Benefits of Personality Testing to Help Your Personal Development.” Truity. Last modified September 30, 2021. https://www.truity.com/blog/6-benefits-personality-testing-help-your-personal-development.
- Lim, Annabelle G. “Big 5 Personality Traits.” Study Guides for Psychology Students – Simply Psychology. Last modified June 15, 2020. https://www.simplypsychology.org/big-five-personality.html#:~:text=The%20Big%20Five%20personality%20traits,throughout%20most%20of%20one%27s%20lifetime.
- “Personality Tests.” U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/other-assessment-methods/personality-tests/#:~:text=Personality%20tests%20are%20designed%20to,interacting%20with%20people%20and%20situations.