Should your future be determined by a personality test?
Several years ago, I engaged in an online survey/test called StrengthFinders. My employer, at the time, thought that if we got to know each other’s strengths, we might focus less on each other’s weaknesses. We might actually play up to the revealed strengths of each team member and figure out how to best play nice in the sandbox. We were then asked to post everyone’s strengths on our desks so that when we became entrenched in a conversation or embattled in a discussion we would already be familiar with how each of us would think or potentially react.
Later on, with another company, I was subjected to a Meyers Briggs revelation, the test to beat all other personality tests. Am I an introvert? Ummm, no… ENTP
Didn’t need a test for that.
Intuitive – always follow my gut. I think way too much and value feelings too little, tell me something I don’t know. And I generally perceive too much. It’s in my nature, I suppose…, And how dare Jung call me irrational.
DISC also scales people down and determines whether or not they are good for one thing or another… Like a letter determines who we are. I have a friend who just interviewed for a new position. His interview lasted for an hour and a half. Always a good sign. He left with a very good feeling. There was even talk of a potential promotion not too far down the road. I asked him how the Hiring Manager left it with him. “Well, I have to take this personality test, to see if I am suitable…” The DISC test, really? Interview went well, experience matches necessary requirements, no need to relocate, knows the business, gets along well with the supervisor…, but the company requires a test that will magically plot his personality out in lines on a graph so determination can be made whether he is dominant or maybe he is an influencer, which would be good, since he is a salesman.
I guess I am not really sure how I feel about these tests and their use. I have taken the three mentioned here and interestingly enough, much like astrology, I found just enough truth in them. As a matter of fact – a couple years ago, I took the StrengthFinders test again – seven years later after I took the first one, to see if anything had changed… Surprise! My core strengths had changed. The two years that separated my first Myers & Briggs from the second, also showed differences in who I appear to be. I answered very honestly each time.
What does it prove?
Just that we are an evolving people and nailing someone into a pigeon hole shortchanges opportunities on both sides. Every time we learn something new and apply it, every time we experience something new, every time we expand our minds or stretch our capabilities our core strengths change, who we are changes. This is a good thing. Prohibiting growth by clinging to test results is not.
Differences occur each day -
don’t need a test for that, either.
Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology. She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Article by Rayanne Thorn
Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the VP of Communications and Branding for Evenbase. She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting post…. You’ve addressed so much in your questioning of the process and the value of using assessments. First, all of the assessments listed should never be used for screening and selection of candidates by any organization as they’re not reliable, predictive or legally defensible in court as a “screening tool”. (so good luck if your company goes to court) Second, motivators, skills, abilities, knowledge/experience does all change over time or day-by-day but core behavioral traits do not change once you get on the front-end of adulthood unless you experience a significant emotional trauma. Now is all of what I shared above true for 100% of the people NO, it is not and YES you will have outliers to this. Bottom-line is that there are exceptions but the exceptions are not what you build the rules around. Next, the top assessments in the industry (about 50 of them) are providing objective science-based predictive information for many of the screening, selection, on-boarding, succession, leadership identification and failure questions that should be asked by an organization. Finally, balance all the information you need for your people decisions and make damn sure the information and the source how the information was generated is highly reliable, predictive and accurate this does apply to resume, linkedin, facebook, twitter (we all know your looking at this) ref checks, interview, skills testing and behavioral assessments. Again, good post..! Bryan -
Thanks Bryan –
I know there are dozens of tests. And there are others that are much better at defining knowledge and possibly fit than the three mentioned… These are the three I personally have experience with. I even had a pastor give the DISC test to me and my ex-husband during our engagement – it said we were VERY well-suited for each other. The fact that he is my ex-husband should tell you something. Hmmm.
I wrote about the human genome project two weeks ago and just thought this would be a great follow-up.
My current company, Broadbean, DOES NOT use anything like these tests or assessments as indicators of potential fit. These experiences were with PAST places of employment – one of which illegally required candidates to do the Meyers-Brigg before they even came in for an interview… We even had our 4-letter type listed on our name tags… Wow.
I have a hard time believing that core behavioral traits do not change, ever… I was raised extremely religiously and when I left that religion, MANY traits changed for me. So, I must be an exception, as I am still changing. I do not believe I am so unusual… But, perhaps I am.
Thanks again, for stopping by…
-Rayanne
Please keep in mind that the top assessments that I’m referencing apply the measurements of the behavioral traits in context of job relevance and predicting job fit. 30 years of research does support that several traits won’t change “much” over time. Your motivators and attitudes should and will very well change, agreed. Good discussion….
Curious Bryan. How are assessments different than personality testing? It’s my experience that they’re different that Myers Briggs isn’t really a work assessment used for hiring or am I wrong?
JMM
My view it’s mostly semantics, “mostly” but when I describe a test I usually describe something that has an absolutely right answer. When I describe an assessment there is no “right” answer, it’s just a measurement that provides information that you use to action on.
You’re correct in the statement that Myers Briggs shouldn’t be used in hiring. It’s a great tool to measure at a point in time what styles someone has and how a team might interact.
Since I first took a personality indicator many years ago I have taken many since. My results are absolutely consistent across the tests and time. So for me, it would make sense but I know many people whose results vary depending on mood, stressors, and probably a multitude of other factors. People do not necessarily provide ‘natural’ responses or even honest ones – especially when taken as part of the candidate process, even when they mean to .. face it , under the microscope many if not most people act differently, regardless of what the Jungians say about them being foolproof. All that said.. I like them to prepare for an interview. It can help develop initial and follow-up questions. Whether or not these tools are used correctly in the selection process for their intended purpose in another matter. A cake is only as good as the ingredients, the baker, the storage conditions, the freshness, its aesthetic appeal, aroma, your mood and level of hunger and many other contributing factors.
On a side note: I have found that extroverts more frequently comment than introverts that their results change and vary. My guess is that it’s because environmental factors impact their emotional state more than introverts. Just my observation.
Karla-
I suppose I must be the exception to the rule, as I have changed multiple times, given life and lifestyle changes.
While I am an extrovert, I am very introspective, comes from years of blogging, I suppose.
I liken it to reality. No one acts as they truly would, in reality, if they have a camera on them all the time. There is no such thing as reality tv, there is just unscripted television.
There are those whoa re smart enough to know what a person should look like/test like for the industry and job to which they are applying. “Smarts” cover a lot of ground.
Thanks so much for commenting – I love learning what others think… I really appreciate it.
-Rayanne
Appreciate you writing about this, I think these personality tests are fascinating (though perhaps that involves a touch of narcisism). I have taken all three of those assessments (SF II and DiSC within the last two months), and felt the results were spot on. I feel they are vastly different than astrology, however, since these test do not attempt to predict personality and events based on something as random as birth date. Rather, these are just psychological measurements of our preferences in certain dimensions of how we relate to ourselves and the external world. I find it extremely helpful in helping me to understand who I am, why I am the way, what I am best at, and areas of weakness to be aware of.
PS – I am an ENTP, and the intuitive aspect has more to abstract thinking than relying on gut feelings (which would indicate an F instead of T). Also, the perceiving is not about perception so much as a being more comfortable before a decision is made (as opposed to preferring to make decisions right away). Sorry for being pedantic
I really enjoyed your post, and the misuse of all these personality assessment tools. Like everything else in life, you can use well or poorly (just like a pan in the hands of a bad cook). Good for you for uncovering how many obsess with tools or use tools to prevent communication rather than enhance it!
By the way, I know that Myers-Briggs is spelled incorrectly (twice) within the body of this post, and you can see each is linked to 2 different sites.
It’s just a little SEO trick…
Rayanne