Understanding your employees, especially their personalities, is essential if you want to create a productive and positive work environment. After all, not everyone is the same, and what works for one person might not work for another.
Learning about an employee’s character traits also allows you to determine what motivates them. By doing so, you can create a workplace where they can flourish and feel satisfied.
To achieve this, you should start understanding an individual’s personality right from the recruitment process. This will allow you to find candidates who have the ideal personality for the opening in your organization. This is where personality test for applicants come in.
What is a Personality Test?
A personality test is a series of questions that are designed to measure an individual’s character traits. These tests usually focus on how a person reacts in different situations, how they make decisions, and what motivates them.
Having your applicants take a personality exam for employment also helps you find individuals who will fit your company culture. This helps you ensure a harmonious workplace where everyone can work together towards a common goal.
Aside from that, personality tests can also help you identify an employee’s strengths and weaknesses. By knowing these things, you can assign them to tasks or projects where they can excel. Additionally, this information can be used for training and development programs.
Now that you know the basics, let’s take a look at the top five personality tests for applicants used by employers.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is one of the most popular personality tests in the world. It consists of 93 forced-choice questions that can be completed in about 15 minutes.
The results of the test will indicate which of the 16 personality types the individual belongs to. Each personality type is a combination of 4 preferences:
- Introversion (I) vs Extroversion (E)
- Sensing (S) vs Intuition (N)
- Thinking (T) vs Feeling (F)
- Judging (J) vs Perceiving (P)
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can be used for a variety of purposes, such as team building, career development, and leadership training.
Caliper Profile
The Caliper Profile is another popular personality test for applicants that’s often used by employers. It is used by recruitment professionals to determine how a candidate’s personality correlates to their work performance.
It consists of questions in different formats, including a true or false, multiple choice, and degree of agreement scale. This test assesses a candidate’s negative and positive traits to provide you with an insight into how they will perform in a role. The Caliper Profile also looks at 23 attributes of your applicant’s personality, including the following:
- Egotistical drive
- Risk-assessment
- Leadership
- Aggressiveness
- Time management
Predictive Index (PI) Behavioral Assessment
Another personality test that’s frequently used by employers during the recruitment process is the Predictive Index (PI) Behavioral Assessment. It’s a relatively short test consisting of questions that can be answered in over 12 minutes.
The test measures an individual’s personality on 4 dimensions:
- Dominance
- Extraversion
- Patience
- Formality
These results are then used to generate a report that includes a description of the individual’s work style, behavior patterns, and motivations. This report can help you better understand your applicants and make more informed hiring decisions.
DISC Assessment
The DISC Assessment is a personality test for applicants that has been around for over 50 years. It’s used by businesses of all sizes to help them find the right employees and build more effective teams.
The test requires the taker to rate 28 statements based on how they identify with each one. It then measures an individual’s personality on 4 dimensions:
- Dominance
- Influence
- Steadiness
- Conscientiousness
By understanding an individual’s DISC profile, you can identify their strengths and weaknesses, as well as how they are likely to behave in different situations. This information can be used for a variety of purposes, such as team building, career development, and leadership training.
SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire
The SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire is another popular personality test for applicants used by employers. It’s a relatively long test consisting of 104 MCQ-based questions that measure 32 key traits across three main categories: emotions, thinking style and feelings, and relationships with people.
The results of the test are presented as a report customized for each individual. It thoroughly describes the taker’s strengths and weaknesses and includes a visual summary of their traits to help you compare applicants easier.
Choose the Right Personality Test for Your Organization
By understanding these personality tests and how they work, you can better prepare yourself for the recruitment process. Selecting the right personality test will help you find the best candidates for your organization.
If you want to find a personality test for your organization, turn to us at Aptitude. We are dedicated to helping your make better hiring decisions every time. Contact us to learn more.
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