Personality Tests for Job Applicants

If you are new to the job searching world or if you have not applied for jobs in a very long time then you might be surprised to learn that many companies are using personality tests to help them determine who to call back for interviews and who to avoid.

You might think this sounds odd and don’t quite understand, but continue reading and you will learn more about the reasons why companies’ human resources departments have implemented this strategy in their hiring practices.

Saves Time

Personality tests save a lot of time for companies, and this is not just in the interview process. First of all, each applicant is required to take a personality test so only those that are truly interested in the job will take the time to sit down and take a personality test. These might be administered at the company or more common online. Regardless, adding a personality test a part of the application process eliminates a large percentage of people who are not truly interested. This makes the job easier on a company’s human resources department because less people apply.

The next way time is saved is because the company knows what personality traits they are looking for in an individual. They can set up a score for the test and the answers they are looking for and only the respondents that fall into that preferred range will get a call back. The computer does all this work and eliminates the testers that did not meet the preferred personality traits and sends those that did on to the human resources department. This makes the job much easier for human resources when they finally start interviewing because the majority of the applicants at this stage have the traits they are looking for.

Another way personality tests saves time is that they reduce turnover. You might be wondering how this could possibly be the case, but it is true. When human resource departments use personality traits to hire individuals they generally hire someone who is personally able to handle the job and the different stresses or responsibilities that come their way. This means that the individual hired will more than likely stay in the position considerably longer than other individuals that might have been hired if simply resumes and interviews were used. What does this mean for the company? A lot of saved time in training individuals and preparing them for their responsibilities, not to mention saving money as well. Because of the short term and long term time savers many big companies are implementing personality tests in their hiring practices.

More Accurate than Just Interviews and Resumes

another reason is that using personality tests in addition to interviews and resumes is simply more accurate than not using them. You can ask people how they might react in certain situations or what they think of certain scenarios, but your “live” response might be considerably different than how applicants respond with a personality test. However, once an employer has an applicant’s personality test and the individual makes it to the interview stage the questions can be based on the personality test, the resume, and other role play questions that can help the potential employer get a really good idea what the applicant can really bring to the job and if he/she is really qualified. Without the personality tests it is difficult to really get a good idea how the individual will respond in stressful situations and decision making processes. But, employers have found that including personality tests in their hiring practices has considerably more accurate results than not using them. Because of this the majority of big companies are utilizing personality tests in their hiring practices because they want to find the best applicant for the job.

The Traits Shine Through

Sometimes it is difficult to find the personality traits a company is looking for by simply reviewing a resume or even interviewing an individual in person. However, when a personality test is administered many personality tests shine through and it is obvious to the potential employer what applicants are qualified and those who are not. Of course, personality traits are not 100% accurate and there are some individuals who might just answer the test questions randomly, however for the most part personality tests are accurate and considerably help potential employers find the right applicant.

Be Prepared When Applying for Jobs

As you can see it is very possible that you will be asked to take a personality test when you apply for certain jobs. Of course, this is not something you should expect from jobs with small employers or jobs that have few required skills. On the other hand, if you are applying for jobs with fortune 500 employers or for jobs that require many special skills, then you should be prepared to take a personality test. You may be required to do this online with a password and the test will automatically be delivered to the employer. Or, you might need to attend a session where the personality test will be administered to many job applicants at once. Regardless, be prepared when you take a personality test and always answer the questions honestly and you will know if you get called in for an interview you are what the company is looking for.

Applying for jobs can be difficult and a full time job in itself. However, if you focus on what you are skilled to do, apply frequently, and know what to expect then you can rest assured that you will find a job that suits you. Just be prepared for the job application process to be involved and frequently include personality tests.