Aside from resume screening and interviews, personality tests are the most common assessment used in the hiring process. Since these tests are given in the early stages of the hiring process, they screen out a very large percentage of the candidates.
Learn more about personality assessment and why you should prepare for them from the following video:
Learning about personality tests and preparing for them can help you get one step closer to your dream job. There is the DiSC personality test and the Big Five Personality Tests that can help you. Also, see our professional personality test preparation by company.
Although you cannot technically study for a personality test, you can get the results you want by preparing yourself beforehand.
When you take a pre-employment personality test, which is mandatory for many senior and management positions, you are placed in front of a computer screen and then flooded with all types of questions that seem to have nothing to do with the job for which you applied.
It makes you wonder how these unrelated questions enable assessors to draw conclusions about whether you are fit for the job or not.
If you approach the test with resistance, cynicism, anger, or fear, you minimize your chances of success. In fact, the personality test is a much more applicant-friendly tool than many others, such as job interviews.
It is well known that the job interview, for example, may be interviewer-biased, while personality tests are fully computerized and your results are 100% in your own hands.
Any type of assessment is a stressful experience. Such stress leaves its mark on anybody's performance, and every effort should be made to minimize its impact.
Preparing beforehand will decrease your stress levels during the test and allow you to take the test in a way that will best reflect your personality.
Maximize your chances of getting the job with JobTestPrep's comprehensive personality preparation: our practice personality tests; detailed study guide, which explains how to answer each question; and "single trait practice," which enables you to understand each trait and recognize and adjust it on the real personality tests and in the interview.
Our practice personality test is comprised of four sections. The four sections of the test contain different types of questions:
There is a total of 219 questions. Both the test format and the scales on our practice test are similar to the most common personality tests on the market.
Our personality test study guide will explain in more detail what personality tests are and will help you prepare for any personality test, providing you with tips and information on how to do well in them.
It will also teach you how to read instructions and how to deal with the stress of taking a personality test, as well as show you the type of formats in which personality tests are found.
We also provide the ideal personality test guide, where you can choose from a number of job types. This will enable you to compare your test results with the ideal job personality to help you get a better understanding of the type of person that specific profession is interested in.
In addition, we also offer a unique complementary study guide that is profession-specific, meaning that if you are applying for a certain position, the guide can help you understand what traits are important for that position.
We offer guides for the following professions: management, administrative, graduate students, supervision, customer service, sales, technical, IT, law enforcement, and others.
With our "Single Trait Practice," you can work on each trait independently at your own pace and practice each trait so you can optimize your answer accordingly on the real test.
Practicing for a personality test will help you learn more about yourself and the traits you possess. In addition, preparing will reduce stress ahead of exam day.
A personality test report will let you or the employer know the following:
Remember, when applying for a job, it is best to find out if the organization requires a personality test or if you will encounter personality test interview questions. Preparing for the test or interview in advance can improve your chances of getting the job you want.
There are many kinds of personality tests, which use different question formats. Below are some examples of personality questions found on different personality tests. Some of the questions may have styles similar to those of other personality tests. Below are samples of different personality tests that we offer.
Start preparing with our free personality practice test.
When you take a personality test, administrators assume that you have no background information about it and that you will, therefore, give completely honest answers. However, practicing with simulated personality assessments before the actual test will enable you to actively optimize your answers for the position you want. This will undoubtedly have a positive effect on your candidacy.
Our Personality Test PrepPack™ is specifically designed to help you prepare. Follow these personality test tips for success:
Many employers use questions pulled from personality tests as part of the interview. Coming prepared to an interview will assist you in answering these questions in the interview itself and understand which traits are relevant to this position. In addition, our "Single Trait Practice" will help prepare you for these types of questions.
The advice that states that “there are no right or wrong answers on the personality test” is misleading and can cause test-takers to fail.
An example of this can be found when answering the question: “Do you like working with people?" - If you are applying for a service position and you respond with a negative answer, you may not be considered for the job since this answer shows employers that you aren’t the right fit.
Another question could be: “Do you like to lead in a group?” - If you are applying for a managerial role and your answer implies that you do not like to take the lead, then this can negatively impact your likelihood of getting hired.
There are different kinds of questions found on personality assessment tests. When given a statement with extreme statements such as "always" and "never," you should answer them with less extreme answers such as "agree" and "not strongly agree." However, there are times during a personality test in which you should choose "strongly agree" or "strongly disagree."
You should choose "strongly agree" when the following types of questions are asked:
You should choose strongly disagree when asked the following types of questions:
Being consistent is very important when taking a personality assessment test. On personality tests, you may be asked similar questions that are worded differently. If you answer these similar questions differently, it will be reflected in your results. For instance, it could appear to assessors as if you did not answer both questions completely honestly, which may result in you not getting the job.
However, being consistent is not something you need to focus on, as it is not measured. It is a problem only if you significantly contradict yourself; for example, answering "agree" to "I'm never late" and "I have a tendency to be late to some meeting." At times during the test, you may encounter similar statements but not agree or disagree with all of them; in this case, it is fine to answer differently. For example, answering "agree" to both "I prefer working with people rather than working along" and "Sometimes, I need some alone time."
Although you cannot study for a personality test, you can pass by preparing yourself beforehand, developing optimized answers. Get tips on how to take the personality test.
When taking a personality test, your results may not always reflect your true self. You must keep in mind that a job personality test shows your work persona. The test is not about seeing personas that are revealed in family life or other contexts.
Personality tests are questionnaires designed to show the various aspects of a person's character.
Personality tests used in the job selection process focus on aspects of your personality that will affect your suitability as an employee. There are some characteristics that are seen as desirable and some that are seen as undesirable. Each characteristic depends on the job to which you are applying.
A personality profile is a tool used to provide an evaluation of an employee's personal attributes, values, and life skills in an effort to maximize job performance. Personality profile tests questions are designed to find out information about an employee's decision-making skills, communication style, and general attitude towards work. The information from the test is used to match the right employee to the right project or task, especially when working in a group.
When applying for a job, a personality test will let the employer know if you can do the job, will do the job, and would fit into the office environment. A personality test can tell how you will handle work-related activities, such as working as part of a team, solving problems, leading others, and coping with stress and pressure.
Our "Single Trait Practice" for all 50 traits offers the following benefits:
There are many different kinds of personality tests. Each test may use different items to measure your personality type. The most common personality tests use the Five Factor Model to create scales. For more information, see the section about the Big-5 personality tests.
There are many different kinds of job personality tests used during the hiring process:
Personality tests are the most commonly used assessment test in the employment market.
Trait theory is an idea that suggests individual personalities are composed of broad dispositions. The trait approach to personality test is focused on differences between individuals. The combination and interaction of various traits form a personality that is unique to each individual. Trait theory is focused on identifying and measuring these individual personality characteristics.
Each personality test uses different personality traits. The Big-5 personality test is just one personality trait test. It uses openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Some other popular personality inventory tests which are based on personality traits are the NEO and CPI.
Other personality inventory tests may not use the Big-five factor, but use more or fewer than five personality traits. For example, the 16PF uses 16 personality traits whereas the Eysenck personality test only uses three personality traits.
Most Common Big Five Personality Tests | |||
---|---|---|---|
16PF | Assess | Big Five Inventory | |
Caliper | CPI | Winslow | |
HEXACO | Hogan HDS | HPI | |
Inwald | IPIP | MMPI | |
NEO Personality Inventory | Newcastle Personality Assessor | OPQ | |
PSV20 | Sigma | Sosie | |
Talent Q Dimensions |
DiSC theory is seen as a quadrant where the top/bottom and left/right sides represent different traits:
DiSC-Style Personality Tests | |||
---|---|---|---|
DiSC® Classic Profile | DISCUS | Everything DiSC® Profile | |
McQuaig Word Survey | Personal DISCernment® Inventory (PDI) | Predictive Index | |
Thomas International PPA | TTI Success Insights | Revelian Behavioral Profile |
There are many different personality tests that an employer can choose from. Each employer may choose any personality test that he or she thinks is the best fit for the company. Below is a list of various professions and companies that use personality tests during the hiring process:
Personality Tests by Profession/Company | ||
---|---|---|
Accountant | American Airlines | AT&T |
Banker | CVS | Engineering |
Firefighter | Geico | Management |
Police | Sales | Shell |
Types theory is something many personality tests use to describe a person's traits. There are four types which are usually combined to create a four-letter acronym to describe a person. The most known personality test which uses types theory is the MBTI.
Personality Inventories | ||
---|---|---|
Eysenck | FIRO-B | StrengthsFinder |
Insights Discovery | Keirsey Temperament Sorter | Kolbe Indexes |
MBTI | PAPI | TKI |
A job personality test is an assessment used by employers to help them choose the most suitable candidate for a position. The test highlights aspects of one’s character and personality. Personality assessments are mostly based on the five-factor model, and they are frequently administered online.
No. A career personality test tells you what career you would be best fit for. A job personality test is an assessment you take when applying for a job.
If you are unsure of what career path you should to take, it would be best to take a career personality test. This test will ask questions which will result in the type of career that best fits your personality type. The career personality test is best to take before searching for a job, as it will give you a better insight of what job best suits you and your personality.
No, a motivation test is used to see what motivates people. It is sometimes used by employers as part of the preliminary application and selection process. Some employers use this kind of test to improve employee performance within the workplace.
A motivation test helps employers identify the factors that increase or decrease enthusiasm and motivation, and it can also help managers build staff motivation by increasing an employee's likeliness to maximize his or her potential.
Although it is an important factor, motivation is not only driven by money. In fact, employers are advised to use motivational tests to find ways of increasing their employee’s motivation not through financial means but through other incentives.
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