And is a personality test just another obstacle on your road to gainful employment?
Recruiters, hiring managers, and larger corporations often use personality tests to see if a graduate candidate will "fit" into the company. The questionnaire is designed to determine what kind of person you are, sometimes even to reveal information you wouldn't automatically admit to in an interview. The questions are generally designed to provide a description of how you behave and what motivates you.
They are also designed to be ‘cheat-proof’ so you can’t fake it. It’s always best to be honest in all aspects of the job search process. You wouldn’t want to lie your way into a completely unsuitable position, after all! And then, of course, there is the chance of being caught out, which is a severely career limiting move, especially for a graduate in their first position.
Read: Why personality fit is so important for career satisfaction
While a personality test might sound like another obstacle on your road to gainful employment, the truth is that you can't actually pass a personality test.
In fact, you can’t fail either.
The test is there to distinguish your personal strengths and weaknesses, among a variety of other personality points. How you fare is then matched to the job requirements. This is to help the employer find the right match for the role. As a graduate, you’ll have little or no work experience to back up your conviction that you’re the ideal candidate, so a personality test can really help you here too.
Even if you ace the test, you might not get hired. You might score very high in, say, being sociable. But if the position advertised is that of manning an isolated satellite office, a sociable individual would be completely wrong for the role. So you won't get hired, even though you haven’t failed the test.
However, because of this, personality tests are win-win for everyone. As a young sociable person, do you really want to work all alone out in the sticks?
Tim Barry, co-founder of the online community #JobAdviceSA, says that when you are applying for a job it is extremely beneficial, both to you as a jobseeker and to the employer, for you to have completed a personality test. This not only enables the company to assess whether you will be a good fit for the role and the company itself, but also prevents you from joining a company where you will not be happy or starting a job which you are not suited to.
Tim Barry explains why there is value in completing online personality tests in your free time as well: “There are a multitude of personality tests on the internet that you can take. Although many of these are not accredited or research based, there still may be a benefit in taking some of these tests, even those that appear frivolous, as they may reveal more about you then you previously knew.” He explains that self-awareness is essential for job seekers as it will surely help you in identifying where your strengths and interests lie.
Personality tests are not the only method used to determine your suitability for the role. Your CV will get your foot in the door for an interview, and this face to face meeting will provide the employer with plenty of vital information about you. Ultimately it is their overall impression of you that employers will use to decide if you’re hired or not.
For the first time ever, South Africans have a uniquely indigenous personality test that takes our unique culture into account. Ready to learn more about yourself? Take the test here.
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Why personality fit is so important for career satisfaction
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