Posted on 11/28/2006 6:56:38 AM PST by freepinglurker
What If Employers Want You to Take a Personality Test?
by Peter Vogt MonsterTRAK Career Coach
If you're asked to take a personality test as part of the hiring process, you have some choices to make -- theoretically, at least.
For example, you could respectfully decline to take the test. You could ask the many questions you have concerning how the test was developed, what it purportedly measures, who will be administering it and interpreting the results, who will see the them and how they will be used. You could even ask the employer why he's using a personality assessment for hiring purposes in the first place.
But what you could do in theory and what you should do in reality are two very different things.
"When you're applying for a job, you have to remember that someone else is probably applying for it too," says Josh Pierce, an account executive with financial-planning firm Leon Rousso and Associates.
"If you gripe about a test that gives an accurate blueprint of a candidate and the other person doesn't, I think we all know who will get the job," says Pierce, who took a personality test when he interviewed at the firm in late 2005. "You have to have the confidence that the employer is ethical and does not use the negative traits as a bias against you."
Pierce was fortunate in that regard. Leon Rousso, the company's founder, had a straightforward, laudable goal in using a personality test as part of the selection process: He was simply doing all he could to hire the best-fitting candidate for the job for everyone's benefit.
"In my mind, I'm hiring someone for life," Rousso says. "Josh has been with me now for over six months and is working out as I had hoped…. The bottom line, in my opinion, is that he will become a better employee and associate, and hopefully, I will become a better leader and mentor as a result of this additional aspect of the hiring process."
Find a Middle Ground
Fair enough, but that probably doesn't erase the concerns you have about taking a personality test as part of applying for a job, nor should it. It's only natural -- and wise -- to have questions. The trick is finding the middle ground between the path of least resistance (taking the test and keeping quiet) and the path of, well, greatest resistance (refusing to take the test), especially when the latter path might effectively end your candidacy.
"Remember another thing the company is assessing is your reaction to the idea of taking the test," says Ben Dattner, principal of Dattner Consulting, an organizational effectiveness firm. "If you seem overly defensive or paranoid or whatever, they'll wonder about that."
Be Wise with Your Questions
If you have a question or two, ask away, says Kathleen Shotkoski, vice president of human resources and training for Securities America, a financial-services company. Just be sure to "ask the question in a polite and professional manner," she advises. "Start with something like, ‘It seems like assessments are being used by a lot of employers these days. What prompted you to start using one for this job?' From this one question, you can get a wealth of information, and if you don't feel comfortable with the answer, ask more questions."
At worst, you'll discover that the job and the company just aren't a good match for you, especially if you sense that the employer is quickly becoming annoyed by just a few straightforward questions.
"Ultimately, questions may not only give you insight about the test, which is important, but also about the culture of the company, which is more important," says Joe Schmitt, chair of the Labor and Employment Practice Group at law firm Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson. "Do you really want to work somewhere that is going to be upset with you if you ask questions about their test?"
why do employers think they need all this to sell their product?
You're not only selling a product. You are going to be working with others. You are going to be representing the company and it's image. You are going to be paid by this company who has a right to protect it's interests. You are going to become an employee with rights to sue under an pile of laws and agencies. The employer has every right to hire the person who fits best in their culture.
If you object to tests, don't apply for jobs that require them. There are others out there who don't object.
Personality tests have been around for a while and are becoming more common. It's not about what type of person you are, but rather, if your personality is a good fit with the corporate culture. Different companies have different 'personalities.' Someone may be a great candidate based on qualifications and experience, but if they don't get along with co-workers and the work atmosphere, it is a net loss for the company.
When I worked for a Fortune 500 company, every single female in the HR department front office was an absolute knockout. It was frightening.
Then I, as an employer, would file you under "Not a Team Player" and hire someone else who didn't give me such a hard time. :-) One of the previous posters nailed it - this *crud* is mostly just to give the HR wonks something to do and an opportunity to feel important. Do you really think that if you interview with a manager, and the manager wants to hire you, that HR will step in and say "No can do! Freepinglurker scored an XXXX on his personality test"? And honestly, I wouldn't want to work in company where HR had that kind of clout.
Having just changed jobs recently, I've played the interview game with a number of companies. No personality tests, though.
I've got to say that I take a fairly aggressive tact - I'm really interviewing them, and not the other way around, which to me honestly is the way it works. In a job market as good as this, the question that needs to be asked is not "Will you please hire me?", its "Do I want to work here?".
My lack of deference worked, I guess. I had my pick of 3 offers, including the place that I really wanted to work.
Part of the interview was with a psychologist.
I went through several of those. I went to the library and crammed for the test prior to taking it. There are lots of books covering tests and what they're looking for.
Many tests are looking for reactions and your mental processes more than answers. Example: you are given two pictures that appear to be exactly alike but are asked to find at least two differences. You'd be surprised that so many will refuse to give up even when the test giver says test over. They're determined to find the differences and will even find differences where none exist and insist they have found the differences. I'd be hesitant to hire these persons as managers.
The place immediately got crossed off my list.
The place immediately got crossed off my list.
Maybe they want her "experience" to reflect how the customers get treated!
A company I worked for in the late 80's started doing those tests. We all took the test and found out we would never have hired the staff we had. It was dropped shortly after.
Good strategy, I think I will ignore them and continue on my search.
By the way, isn't it interesting that in sales jobs they talk about "team players" when in reality they need an independent, quick on their feet type of person. My job doesn't pay "team commission" I'm responsible for my own territory.
The various gov't agencies use the credit check as an indicator like any other. If you have a really bad credit history (late payments, judgements etc.) then you are more of a risk than someone who pays their bills on time, doesn't overextend themselves and so on.
Higher clearances will be turned down if you have an unpaid cell phone bill in the past. Has nothing to do with weather you work with money, it's how you comport yourself with credit and responsibility.
They're not going to use the negatives from the test to decide they don't want me? Then why give me the test at all?
This is completely outrageous - it's too bad they don't do this much screening to find out whether someone is in the country ILLEGALLY....
What the heck?
How did she get an SUV in the office?
Good Luck.
And, if it's any consolation, I work in IT. Every single company that I've worked in puts sales at the top of the list for anything (good equipment, fast service, etc) - even ahead of the CEO. The philosophy is that if you're not selling, then the company isn't making money and no one gets paid. :-)
Sure, if that is what you and your fellow job searchers are willing to tolerate. If a company wants to do genetic testing you are free to decline any of their job opportunities. Personally, I would not favor my company doing that because it would severely limit the talent pool, which over time would lead to a less talented sales team and less dollars in my pocket.
If you are that offended by the testing, don't take it! You are under no obligation to take a personality test or any other kind of test that offends you. Your potential employers own their businesses and should be left to using whatever criteria they deem appropriate. Like Milton Friedman would say, you are free to choose! And so are the potential employers.
Great question! I'll need to file that one away for my next search.
I'm in a smaller (but growing) company now. Higher stress, but waaaaaaay less bureaucracy. Which, is the big draw from my perspective. I can't stand people that sit and fiddle if there's an issue to be solved. I used to fill out paperwork in 'quintuplicate' (is that a word? Five separate forms to fix a problem, at any rate, plus meetings and emails...). Now, if there's an issue to be fixed, the question is *not* "IS the paperwork filled out properly?" but is "Why haven't you fixed it yet?".
I love it.
Mervyns gives this kind of test, has for a very long time.
Each answer you give is not exactly right or wrong, it reads as the type of person you are...
That is correct. IBM, a lifetime career opportunity, declined to make me a job offer after the personality test. The one who recommended me to check out IBM found out I had scored too high on the general smarts part of the test, and reassembled the typewriter much too quickly. It's funny, GE did make an offer, but it turned out the job was over and everybody laid off after three years, which they probably knew would happen, so getting bored and quitting wasn't a consideration.
I had to take a personality test before hire too.
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