When you’re on the hunt for new employees, recruiting individuals with the right skills and experience is probably at the top of your list of hiring priorities. However, while these factors are definitely great at predicting whether a candidate will perform well, they don’t really determine if a candidate will fit in with the team or the workplace’s culture.
When it comes to hiring, focusing on the value of culture fit is important. A mismatch between an employee’s personality and the company’s culture can also result in poor productivity, disengagement, and miscommunication. From the standpoint of an HR manager, this oversight can result in high turnover, which is both costly and inconvenient. The results of poor culture fit due to turnover can cost companies between 50-60% of an employee’s annual salary.
With stakes that high, many employers look for ways to ensure that candidates complement and enhance the existing culture at work. One effective method that’s gained rising traction in many companies is the use of various types of personality tests for employment.
For more information and inquiries about personality and online recruitment tests, don’t hesitate to contact Aptitude today.
What is a personality test for employment?
A personality test is designed to find out more about job candidates as part of the hiring process. They’re typically used by employers to help find candidates whose character traits are best suited for a certain position and whose personality will fit in well with the team. A personality test is also designed to reveal specific aspects of a candidate’s attitude towards work and measure the likelihood that he or she will excel in a particular position.
There are many types of personality tests for employment and they come in many forms. They can either be questionnaires, interviews, or other types of formats. Some experts estimate that as many as 60% of candidates are now asked to take various types of personality tests for employment.
Now, that you know the definition, let’s take a look at the most popular types of personality tests for employment.
Common Types of Personality Tests for Employment
A company achieves maximum productivity when they match employees to their best-suited jobs. This is only possible if a company truly understands its employees.
The following types of personality tests for employment are used by all kinds of organizations to give an overview of a candidate’s personality.
The Caliper Profile
The Caliper Profile measures how a candidate’s personality traits correlate to his or her job performance. This type of personality test presents candidates with a series of questions, and their task is to decide which statement best aligns with their viewpoint. There are also questions that require them to identify the statements that least reflect their viewpoint.
Candidates may also encounter True or False questions and multiple-choice questions wherein the answers use a scale of “degree of agreement,” ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” As the Caliper Profile examines both negative and positive qualities, it’s different from other types of personality tests for employment as it gives employers a full picture of the candidate.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The MBTI is arguably the most popular tool for mapping the personalities of employees. According to the test’s publisher, it’s available in 29 languages and it’s used by over 88% of Fortune 500 companies around the world. With more than 70 years of science-based and researched-based insight, this type of personality test for employment has risen to be the standard assessment and resource for people development in 115 countries.
The assessment functions by sorting people into one of the two personality types across four groups:
- Introversion vs. Extraversion
- Sensing vs. Intuition
- Feeling vs. Thinking
- Perceiving vs. Judging
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is often used by employers to determine if a candidate could subsequently transition into working with the team nicely or if the candidate would be a good cultural fit for the company.
However, this type of personality test for employment is one of the most difficult pre-employment assessments to prepare for because it has not been proven valid for recruitment use. As a matter of fact, the test’s publisher put out a statement asserting that it’s not considered ethical to use the MBTI for hiring purposes or deciding on job assignments. The test is more appropriate for understanding how well a candidate will work in a group, not for determining if a candidate is suitable for a specific position.
16PF Personality Questionnaire
Raymond B. Cattell, Maurice Tatsuoka, and Herbert Eber developed an assessment based on 16 personality factors. Known as the 16PF Personality Questionnaire, it’s still frequently used today for employee testing, selection, and career counseling.
The 16 personality dimensions include:
- Abstractedness: Practical vs. imaginative
- Apprehension: Confident vs. worried
- Dominance: Submissive vs. forceful
- Emotional stability: High-strung vs. calm
- Liveliness: Restrained vs. spontaneous
- Openness to change: Attached to the familiar vs. flexible
- Perfectionism: Undisciplined vs. controlled
- Privateness: Open vs. discreet
- Reasoning: Concrete vs. abstract
- Rule-consciousness: Non-conforming vs. conforming
- Self-reliance: Dependent vs. self-sufficient
- Sensitivity: Tough-minded vs. tender-hearted
- Social boldness: Shy vs. uninhibited
- Tension: Relaxed vs. impatient
- Vigilance: Trusting vs. suspicious
- Warmth: Reserved vs. outgoing
The test is composed of forced-choice questions wherein the candidate must choose one out of three alternatives. By using this type of personality test for employment, hiring teams can obtain a comprehensive assessment of an applicant’s personality and connect the results to work behavior and performance. It provides them with a glimpse as to how the candidate will perform in normal working conditions and stressful situations.
For more information and inquiries about personality and online recruitment tests, don’t hesitate to contact Aptitude today.
The Aptitude Personality Test
Aptitude uses Adam Milo’s specialized questionnaire that allows hiring teams to implement a knowledge-based hiring process. This type of personality exam for employment is a multiple-choice assessment wherein the questions and metrics help you determine candidates whose personality will fit seamlessly into the job description and allow them to interact well with other employees.
Aptitude’s personality test reveals the following about job candidates:
- Emotional intelligence – assesses the capacity of a candidate to understand and manage their emotions
- Culture fit – determines if a candidate’s personal needs, values, and principles align with the organization’s
- Work ethic and motivation – measures a candidate’s passion, structure, and assertiveness
- Soft skills – determines a candidate’s level of empathy and listening style
As you can customize the test’s parameters, you have full control over which of the four main attributes you think will benefit the specific job position and your organization in general. Whether you value an applicant’s interpersonal attributes over their performance style over, this is a pre-employment personality test that will help you find the right person for the job.
Build a cohesive and efficient workforce with pre-employment personality tests
Personalities are set. They don’t change over time and reveal themselves at one point or another, no matter hard people try to hide them. Various types of personality tests for employment provide employers huge amounts of insights on the candidates they’re about to welcome to their organization.
Knowing the personalities of your candidates allows you to fully understand their unique range of skills and strengths. This helps you set them up in the right roles and teams from the get-go, setting them up for success within your company, while also building a productive and confident workforce.
Different types of personality tests for employment are also a great way to determine if a new hire will thrive in a certain position. Many candidates have a great interview style but end up not doing well with their actual responsibilities. A pre-employment exam will help you assess early on these types of oversights. Tests also pair the candidate’s personality with your company culture, helping you figure out if your organization is the right place for that person.
There are many different types of personality tests for employment out there, but settle for one that focuses on individuals in the workplace — like Aptitude’s! Many companies who use our personality tests see higher employee satisfaction and lower turnover rates.
Keep in mind the benefits of personality exams in your next hiring decision. Knowing how candidates will react to situational tasks, stressors, and the office environment will get you three steps ahead in the hiring game and set you up for continued success.