Personality testing went mainstream with the development of the Myers-Briggs test way back in 1944. The test, based on the work of Carl Jung, purported to shine a light on who we are, why we act how we do, and the essence of our personalities. 

 

It was a groundbreaking publication, but not without its faults. Nevertheless, understanding who we are beneath the surface was a compelling challenge for psychologists and has evolved greatly over the last few decades. The science has become more accurate and useful, particularly in recruitment, where cultural fit is becoming more crucial than ever in building a team and a business.

 

 

We’ve been offering psychometric testing for a while now, via our partners Criterion, so we caught up Alan Redman who heads up their psychology team to find out what you can learn from psychometric profiling and what, specifically, to look for from the results.

 

From the aforementioned Myers-Briggs to more modern personality profiling like 16 Personalities, there have been a number of tests to work out who we are. The problem with these models, however, is that they put you in a box. The results provide you with answers based on a type. “I think the traditional approach was very much to find a model, or a theory, of psychology, and in the case of Myers-Briggs that’s a very old model”, Alan tells us. “The difficulty with that approach is that models vary in terms of the amount of research and evidence they’ve got behind them in the first place.”

 

“These models at work is that they are very general, so they’re looking at a broad, all-round picture of personality. They don’t particularly focus on areas of personality and performance which are concerned with the work environment. Also, the scientific language the results use can look a bit unwelcome, a bit strange, in a work setting.”

 

 

Fast-forward to recent years, and personality tools have been specifically developed for the workplace from the outset: “These tests are more pragmatic in terms of what they measure,” Alan explains. “They are often based on research in the workplace to understand what critical success factors exist in terms of personality and performance. As they’re being used in an employment context there’s a significant pressure to get them right because, in the end, critical decisions are being made. We can demonstrate that the results themselves are accurate and precise and are predicting performance.”

 

It’s always important to make workplace personality profiling specific to the type of job or the role. It falls into three broad areas in terms of performance at work: behaviour, emotion and values.

 

“There are three important behavioural areas: how you deal and work with people, and how you approach tasks and decisions”, says Alan. Although you can talk to candidates about these facets in an interview setting, profiling allows recruiters to go deeper, and learn more about their candidates’ fundamental responses. “It’s about getting underneath that [exterior] and determining exactly what’s driving those behaviours, and also understanding the extent to which someone can adapt their natural style when they need to, in response to a workplace demand.”

 

Profiling also explores the way in which someone is likely to respond emotionally to demands at work. Alan explains that underperformance in a role is not always down to poor behaviour. Instead, it can be because the person’s overwhelmed by the emotional demands of the new position: a lot of setbacks or criticism, difficult customers, or tight deadlines. “That will be fine for some people with a certain emotional style, and harder for others”, he says. “Again, it’s about fitting the right person with the right role.”

 

 

The third area goes deeper again, focusing more on values – what motivates the individual, what drives them, what do they find engaging and rewarding? It also deals with the kind of culture they find comfortable to work in: one that aligns with their own personal values.

 

These three core areas are geared towards working out how potential employees will react to the pressure of the new role: “Workplace assessment is focused on how employees respond effectively to the demands, responsibilities, rewards, the highs and lows of the job”, says Alan. “You’re more interested in how they will typically be at work, both where they’re drawing on their own personality but also having to adapt and be a bit flexible in the way they approach things.”

 

Of course, personalities are complex, and performing well in a role isn’t a simple this-or-that matter. You don’t just want to recruit a team of clones. But understanding how certain people thrive in certain roles – the key attributes that drive effective performance – can inform your recruitment process from the start.

 

Research is key in terms of understanding exactly what the people who perform well have in common, and how they are differentiated from people who are more mediocre or underperform.

 

 

Alan explains: “There are lots of ways of doing that but, essentially, it often comes down to talking to the people who are doing the job at the moment and their managers to get a full view of the role. For example, you might find that in a leadership role it’s helpful to be fairly assertive or be able to lead a group where necessary. The qualities you look for in personality testing should focus on those soft skills.”

 

Alan recommends using tests more than once throughout the recruitment process, as they can provide added value at different times. Giving your entire applicant pool the personality assessment upfront can aid in guiding initial shortlisting, rather than basing your decision on CVs alone. “Then, later on, you can use the profile again in the context of an interview.

 

“That works powerfully on several levels. First of all, for the interviewer, it’s a timesaver, it helps them understand the areas to probe. The results of the tests highlight the areas of strength that the person’s described, so in the interview you can make sure that there is evidence for them. Similarly, the test results can describe areas of concern that you want to follow up on. If their personality isn’t perfectly aligned with the role or the business, interview questioning can uncover whether they’re able to adapt and work around that.”

 

Interviewees can lower their guard if you give them information back from their profile. It turns the interview into something less formal, steering it away from a situation where people have got their defences up and are conscious of being assessed. This can help create an excellent employer brand that attracts the top talent.

 

“I don’t think I’ve discovered a role where personality testing wouldn’t add value,” Alan told us. High volume roles can benefit from profiling by automating and injecting objectivity into the initial sift. Just be wary of making it too laborious to apply to a lower level role. At the other end, recruiting very senior leaders is a very high value, critical business decision, so personality profiling obviously adds value, but Alan advises there can be some ego-based resistance from employers and candidates at that top level.

 

“Really”, Alan concludes, “every role has its own range of demands and its own fairly unique measure of who will thrive, enjoy and perform well in the role.” Only you know who will be the right candidates for each role and your company culture, but personality profiles can help you learn more than a standard interview with a candidate.

 

To be happy at work, candidates need to find the right job for them as much as employers need to find the right person for the role. While a regular CV and interview-based recruitment process can be rigorous, personality profiles add structure and objectivity, allowing the very best matches to take place.

 

 

 

Many thanks to Alan for taking the time to chat to us, and for the great insights. If you’re interested in a free personality test, visit our page to find out more and get in touch on 01908 886 048.