Personality tests prove…..what exactly? I’ve never understood how a personality test determines how an individual is going to fit in a particular environment. There are just too many variables that you’re asking someone to speak to that they are typically unaware of in the first place. Tests that measure actual skills that will be used on the job make sense, but “personality” is a vague term and even more difficult to truly test. In addition, it’s simply a fact that different personality types can thrive in the same job and may be able to do so in different settings. At the risk of trading on stereotypes, I’ve met highly successful Accountants with flashy personalities and “C Level” Executives of extremely successful companies who tend to be wallflowers.
The tests themselves leave a lot to be desired. Typically coming in the form of a multiple choice answer, these tests prove nothing. Here is an example “I have known someone who was a pathological liar,” followed by Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree. How can anyone “strongly agree” with such a statement? You either have known a liar or you haven’t. The question is either just plain confusing or, is meant to be misleading, which would mean that it’s misdirecting or manipulative. Either way, what is an employer supposed to learn about a candidate from the answer to this question? Chances are that most people know someone that is liar. If not, what does that say about their personality and is that good or bad? While I’m completely for vetting a candidate prior to hire (it is our industry), asking questions with no relevance around the answers tells you what exactly? The makers of such tests always talk about learning personality types from hundreds of such questions, but with many of them so odd, I’m skeptical about any conclusions drawn from them. How you are supposed to provide an answer to a question that doesn’t truly have a “right or wrong” answer?
It also seems to me that any skilled recruiter or employer should be able to get a sense of the candidate’s personality in an interview (or maybe two interviews). Yes, it’s true every employer has a story of someone who was great in their interview, but turned out to be a toxic colleague or didn’t work out in the long haul. But if such a person can fool an experienced interviewer, he or she shouldn’t have much trouble answering the questions on personality test in their favor. After all, anyone can go online, learn about how such tests are analyzed, and adjust their answers accordingly.
I’m all for going through multiple checks throughout the hiring process as it is absolutely necessary. I don’t feel as if a personality test should ever be a deciding factor in the hiring process. If you’re doing a personality test because of a bad hiring experience, then you made the wrong hire in the first place.