How much does your personal nature matter in your work?
These days personality tests are all the rage. A number of companies, including many in the Fortune 100, have begun using personality tests on employees and occasionally as a means of choosing whom to hire.
Is this wise?
Instinct says yes. If a job, such as sales, requires energy and gregariousness, it’s comforting to be sure the person being hired is naturally outgoing.
But these tests can backfire.
First of all, many of the “questions” on the tests are so vague that they’re difficult to answer accurately. One example, on the popular Myers-Briggs Indicator, asks “Do you usually get along with (A) imaginative people or (B) realistic people?” The answer can differ in a variety of circumstances, so a lot of it depends on the test-taker’s mood at the time.
In fact, during a scientific study of the Myers-Briggs test, up to 76% of people were assigned a different personality rating the second time they took the test. This makes a lot of sense. If you’ve recently had a bad experience with your overly histrionic sister, you may automatically choose (B), you prefer realistic people. But a month later, after getting into a tiff with your analytical spouse, you long to be with people who can think out of the box, and choose (A), imaginative. Your personality hasn’t changed, nor have your circumstances. You’re not being dishonest or misrepresenting yourself; they’re all different facets of you.
Additionally, in an employment setting, questions such as the one above can be nerve-wracking. If you answer (A), will they take that to mean that you then DON’T get along with realistic people? Will they assume that you personally are never realistic? Is the company looking for someone more creative, or analytical?
This, in and of itself, is a third reason the tests don’t work: if a potential hire knows the company well enough, they can deliberately throw the results. If they’re applying for a design firm they’ll choose answers that emphasize their artistic side. If the job requires a lot of customer contact, they’ll aim to seem sociable and service-minded.
Putting people in a box can be dangerous. Someone who is not naturally outgoing can still be a great waitress because of their attention to detail and ability to multi-task. But if their personality tests indicates someone who prefers alone time, the company may pass on a great employee.
One of the most incredible characteristics of humankind is our ability to adapt. No one is all one thing or another. Getting along with a certain type doesn’t preclude you from getting along with a different type. Questions like “Are you (A) leisurely or (B) motivated?” don’t apply because most can be both, given the right circumstances.
Employers should throw away their personality tests and base hiring choices on tangible facts: does the applicant have necessary experience and skills? Schooling? Intelligence? These are details that can’t be disputed, and will more likely lead to a better hire overall.
