In the past several years, there’s been an increased focus on hiring for culture fit as companies catch on to the fact that it positively correlates with employee engagement, performance, and retention.
But a candidate’s personality, how well they’d fit with your company culture, and how well they’d do in a particular position can be very difficult to glean from a resume, cover letter, or even an interview. That’s why HR teams looking to gain an edge in hiring and streamline their processes have begun to rely more on predictive personality tests.
As more of these tests are created and deployed, more data is collected, and more conclusive findings are uncovered. Here are some of the most common personality tests for hiring, and how you can use them to find the right candidate:
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Many commonly used findings about personality types and career paths are based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test, also known as the 16 Personality Types.
MBTI tests have produced an especially large amount of data surrounding career preferences, and can be a great tool for determining if someone is a good fit for a particular position based on their personality type. As early as 2014, 80% of Fortune 500 companies and 89% of Fortune 100 companies used the test with their employees in order to place them in roles where they’d succeed.
Additionally, many companies find it useful to know a candidate’s MBTI type because some combinations of MBTI types get along better than others. This is especially important when filling out a team where interaction, communication, and collaboration are vital to success. In that sense, MBTI tests can assess how a candidate might fit into not just the macrocosm of the company but also the microcosm of a small team or unit.
Other popular assessments
While Myers-Briggs dominates the data, other personality tests can also offer insight into a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses.
The DiSC Assessment, for example, is more focused on workplace relationships, and aims to measure Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness.
At this point, job fits for each outcome of the DiSC test are mostly anecdotal, though they do make common sense.
For example, “D” types are direct, success-driven, and enjoy taking charge, so they often do well as CEOs, police officers, and lawyers; “Si” types are people who value peace and harmony and often become counselors, teachers, and therapists.
The Enneagram is another test that’s commonly used to assess career paths. There’s much discussion about whether or not Enneagram tests are pseudoscientific pop psychology, but many people still believe the test’s findings can be used to influence career decisions.
Conclusion
Whatever you’re looking for in a job candidate, there are a wealth of personality tests that can help you find the right one for the position. It’s just important to remember that some personality tests are more accurate and more scientific than others.
High-quality assessments like GoodJob’s PATH Assessment are based on data science and behavioral studies, and go far beyond surface-level attributes (for example, whether a candidate is introverted or extroverted).
The PATH Assessment delves deep into what makes candidates tick — their motivations, how they approach problems, how they process information, and more — to help you find the best possible candidates.
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Take the free PATH Assessment!