The amount of energy, time, and money an organization puts into its hiring process is insane. But what if, after all the hard work, you hire an employee that doesn't fit your organization well? Now that's a nightmare. To prevent this from happening, smart companies use personality tests to shortlist candidates. It is not only scientifically sound but also an efficient way to find employees that can make your company better and vice versa.

What Are Personality Tests?

Personality tests reveal what thoughts, feelings, and behaviors people repeat. These tests identify a person's distinctive and generally unchanging thinking. This will help you predict their worldview and interactions. Personality tests let us organize and understand human complexity using psychological concepts. One popular trait-based personality test is the Big Five. This approach emphasizes openness to new experiences, responsibility, extraversion, agreeability, and emotional stability (neuroticism). Together, these attributes represent a person's thinking, with each trait displaying a range rather than a definite option.

Type-based models like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classify people by their preferences in outgoing or shy, sensing or intuitive, thinking or feeling, and determining or perceiving. Most of these tests offer a binary answer, assigning a personality type from a predetermined list. People can be tested for personality via self-report questionnaires, interviews, or behavior assessments. To ensure these exams assess what they're intended to and accurately forecast significant findings, reliability, and validity are crucial.

Are Personality Tests Actually Relevant?

Personality tests important information about people's differences, which may be utilized to diagnose, improve, and learn about oneself. If well-designed and established, personality tests can help us comprehend and organize a person's normal thoughts, feelings, and actions, according to research.

Professional psychologists utilize personality tests to diagnose and treat mental health issues. Many individuals use the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) to diagnose mental illness. These tests let doctors check and treat patients regularly. This scientific approach to psychology improves diagnosis and evidence- based therapy.

Businesses utilize personality testing for hiring and team building. In some cases, these tests' predictive validity can assist employers in locating employment candidates. This improves hiring decisions. Personality assessments like the Big Five have been related to workplace satisfaction and performance, helping firms enhance cooperation and individual production.

Top 7 Advantages of Using Personality Tests in the Hiring Process

There are tons of advantages for using a personality test in hiring, but here are the crème de la crème of them:

1. You can predict the behavior of the employee

Personality tests can predict employee behavior by examining speaking, leadership, and social abilities. This information can help companies estimate how a candidate will interact, handle challenges, and contribute to the workplace. These tests help firms hire culturally compatible workers. This boosts workplace harmony and productivity.

2. An easy way to choose the right candidates

Job prospects are evaluated objectively using personality tests. They simplify selection by showing a person's behaviors and routines. This systematic exam helps employers locate candidates with the necessary abilities, qualifications, and mental qualities for the position. This strategy ensures that candidates are picked smartly and personally, increasing the likelihood of selecting talented, culture-fit professionals.

3. Helps managers gather essential information about the employee

Employment personality tests are unique since they thoroughly assess a candidate's mental state. These tests evaluate problem- solving, emotional intelligence, and adaptability. This thorough information helps hiring managers assess candidates' strengths and flaws. They also learn how that person may assist the company and team.

4. Gauges the decision-making style of the employee

Personality tests show how people solve problems, take risks, and think critically, influencing their conclusions. Employers can match decisions to goals by understanding decision-making. This understanding encourages balanced teams and corporate objectives and goals regardless of a candidate's decision-making style—data-driven, collaborative, or creative.

5. Quicker hiring process

Enhancing recruitment efficiency: Personality tests provide candidates objective ratings, making hiring more effective and successful. This simple method lets recruiters find top candidates without long interviews. Personality testing can help firms locate new personnel with suitable skills and traits.

Common Personality Tests Used In Hiring

Although different companies use different personality tests during the hiring process, there are some that are more popular and reliable than the others.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classifies people into sixteen four-letter personalities. The exam determines basic thinking, deciding, and environmental preferences using Carl Jung's psychological types. Every mind has four opposites: extraversion vs. introversion, sense vs. intuition, reasoning vs. emotion, and judging vs. perceiving. Although popular, the MBTI has been criticized for lacking evidence and dependability. Some argue the test's two-way categories make psychological features too easy to understand, and study shows repeating it may provide different results. MBTI can help you understand yourself and work with others, but its psychological validity is contested.

The Big Five Personality Test

The Five-Factor Model, which is also called the Big Five Personality Test, is a popular and scientifically credible assessment tool. Openness to new and interesting experiences, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and mental stability are assessed. Each measure reveals more about a person. Research- backed The Big Five is considered more accurate than other personality assessments. The most important parts of a person's personality shape their conduct throughout time. Some like how comprehensive the Big Five is, while others think it may not cover everything about a person. Researchers are enhancing the model. Its broad use in academic and practical settings shows its value for understanding human diversity.

The DISC Personality Test

DISC is Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. William Moulton Marston's DISC theory divides people into four personality categories, which the DISC Personality Test uses. Different kinds like different methods of accomplishing things, connecting with others, and solving issues. Dominant people are aggressive and goal-oriented. Influential people are nice and persuasive. Stable people assist. Conscientious persons analyze and pay attention to details. Many companies utilize the DISC model to form teams, enhance leadership, and increase communication. This theory has been critiqued for being overly basic and lacking as much evidence as the Big Five. Despite this, many firms employ the DISC test to increase communication and collaboration.

The More You Know About Your Employees, The Better

Hiring is a time-consuming process, and managers have to make sure that the candidates they have chosen are the right fit for the company. Personality tests are an almost foolproof way to get this surety. Zivanza and its team of professional psychologists are here to help you create the right set of personality tests that you can use during your hiring process. It takes away the burden of curating the test from you and ensures that the questions are placed correctly so that you can find your perfect employee.