Personality tests can reveal a lot about a prospective hire you may not normally get in a standard interview. In fact, many businesses are increasingly using them as part of their hiring process to better understand how an employee might fit in within their company culture. If you’re looking to assess the personality of the candidates for your next hire, here are eight personality tests for your candidates.
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The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Perhaps the most famous of the personality tests, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator divides people into 16 distinct categories through a series of questions. The test determines your personality based on how you respond to a series of random questions and what tendencies you lean towards in the following groups: “Extraversion vs. Introversion,” “Intuition vs. Sensing,” “Thinking vs. Feeling,” and “Judging vs. Perceiving.” The test is best suited for hiring managers who want to understand how a candidate may work in a group, as opposed to if they would be a good hire for you.
The DiSC Behavior Inventory
DiSC is an acronym for the four main personality types that the DiSC Behavior Inventory indicates. They are: D for dominance, I for influence, S for steadiness, and C for conscientiousness. It is the oldest personality test, as the roots of the theory can be traced to physiological psychologist William Moulton Marston’s 1928 book, “Emotions of Normal People.” The theories posited in this book have been expanded upon and further developed over the past 90 years. This test is popular if you’re trying to determine the personality of a potential hire, though scores cannot be compared to other candidates and do not reflect a person’s job success.
The SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire
The SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire (or OPQ32) is a test consisting of 104 questions that measure 32 different characteristics. The test evaluates candidates in three major categories: “relationship with people,” “thinking style and feelings” and “emotions.” When taking the test, candidates are given a series of four statements and must pick out which one describes them the best and which one describes them the least. The OPQ32 gives employers a report of the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses and compares them to other candidates who have taken the test.
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When you're hiring a new employee, you'll want to know how their personality will directly correlate with their job performance.
The Predictive Index
If you're looking for a behavior assessment that is quick and easy to take, The Predictive Index is a great option. The test takes under 10 minutes to complete and uses behavior science to understand how your prospective employee acts in your company. There are two main types of Predictive Index Tests companies can use to screen candidates: the Predictive Index Cognitive Assessment (PICA) and the Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment (PIBA). These tests are designed to measure a candidate’s abstract intelligence and personality characteristics to see if they are a good fit for the role.
The Caliper Profile
When you're hiring a new employee, you'll want to know how their personality will directly correlate with their job performance. The Caliper Profile is made up of a series of statements that asks the participant to determine which ones best align with their own viewpoint or least reflect their viewpoint. It also has a customized selection tool so you can target specific types of people and see how they compare to your standards. You can use this data to compare candidates to one another.
The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)
Developed in the 1980s in a socio-analytic context, the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) determines how candidates will act in certain settings under certain circumstances. It consists of 206 true-or-false questions that evaluate candidates in seven primary scales (adjustment, ambition, sociability, interpersonal sensitivity, prudence and inquisitive), six occupational scales (service orientation, stress tolerance, reliability, clerical potential, sales potential and managerial potential), and 42 subscales. The HPI gives you an instant report that you can compare to other candidates.
Athena assessment
The Athena assessment is a pre-employment assessment that measures a candidate’s judgement. It is a quick test that takes under 20 minutes to complete and identifies an applicant’s strengths and weaknesses through an advanced algorithm. If you want to determine how a candidate will do under pressure or if they’ll make the right call, the Athena assessment is a good indicator of that.
Berke assessment
Created in 2004 to predict job performance, the Berke assessment measures seven personality traits (adaptability, assertiveness, intensity, optimism, responsiveness, sociability and structure) and four cognitive traits (logical problem solving, rapid problem solving, spatial visualization and vocabulary). The assessment is customized to your job, so you can determine if candidates will fit in with your culture and better understand their work performance.
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