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.  

Anyone who has been forced to search for a new job knows that it is no fun. When you’ve been laid off, the process can be even more excruciating. There are tons of blogs, books, and experts out there with valuable tips for making your job search more successful. We can each take those tips and incorporate them into our job search process, but occasionally the real issue is how our personality affects our approach.

In personality type theory, it is clear that we all have natural preferences that affect how we communicate with others, organize our lives, and make decisions. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment is the world’s most popular assessment for assessing personality type. According to the MBTI, we have natural preferences towards one direction in each of the following categories:

• How we interact with the outside world: Extraversion vs. Introversion

• How we take in information: Sensing vs. iNtuition

• How we make decisions: Thinking vs. Feeling

• How we structure our world: Judging vs. Perceiving

For more information on what each of these preferences mean, go to http://myersbriggs.org, and to take the assessment yourself go to http://mbticomplete.com.

In every step of the job search process, out natural preferences become evident.  Individuals who prefer Extraversion may enjoy attending networking events and take advantage of vast social networks to find job opportunities, whereas introverts may rely more on non-social connections like job boards or classifieds.  In addition, the Introversion/Extraversion preference significantly plays a role in the interview process. Someone with extraversion preferences tend communicate freely and openly which can be a very positive interviewing skills, however the tendency to think as they speak can result in a Why did I say that? moment while answering tricky interview questions. Conversely, an introvert will likely take a few seconds to gather his/her thoughts before beginning an answer which can lead to a more concise and strategic response. However, that pause and tendency to use few words can also make an interviewer incorrectly question communication skills, unfortunately.
The Sensing and iNtuition preferences play a major role in both how you read a job description as well as what information you attend to in the interview. For instance, someone with a sensing preference will key in on specifics like the hourly schedule, benefits, pay, job title, commute time, etc, whereas someone with an iNtuitive preference will focus more on the intangibles like career growth, job satisfaction, learning opportunities, etc.
The Thinking vs. Feeling preference will play out in both the kind of role one pursues as well as the final decision to take a job. Someone with a Feeling preference will be more likely to pursue a job that is fulfilling on a personal level and/or provides service to others. In addition, someone with a Feeling preference will also be more likely to take the feelings and opinions of their family/friends into strong consideration than people with a Thinking preference.
Finally, the Judging/Perceiving preference influences how quickly we work to find job opportunties, respond to interview requests, and accept the offer itself. It also plays a major role in how organized we are in the job search process. Someone with a Judging preference probably keeps detailed notes on which jobs they have applied for, who they’ve spoken with at each company, and what to expect next. Someone with a Perceiving preference will be more œgo with the flow in terms of the process.
Knowing your MBTI preferences is helpful for understanding WHY we do what we do. However, that is only a tiny part of the value of the MBTI. The real value comes with understanding how and when it is more constructive to flex outside of our preferences.

If you are an introvert and have not yet had success with relying on non-social networks, it may be time to flex to behaviors that suit an extravert. You will need to exert extra energy and effort, but the payoff may be exponential. I highly suggest finding someone with opposite preferences as you and modeling their job search techniques just to illuminate your blindspots.
We must all work outside of our natural preferences/comfort zone at times. When it comes to searching for a new job, we often have to do things that we wouldn’t naturally do. The key is determining when we should flex to achieve better results.

Breanne Potter has her Master’s degree in Psychology and is an Organizational Development Consultant that regularly utilizes the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Strong Interest Inventory, FIRO-B, TKI, and CPI. She also writes The MBTI Blog.  She can be found at http://twitter.com/phdbre and http://www.linkedin.com/in/breannepotter. If you have follow-up questions, please email breannepotter@gmail.com.