Personality tests another hurdle

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Personality tests: another hurdle

Companies are increasingly submitting job applicants to personality tests as part of the selection process.

Personality tests, used in combination with one-to-one or one-to-panel interviews, are typically introduced as part of the initial round of interviews. They are used to collect information about how and why people do things in their own particular ways and take the form of specific assessments - often 200 or more questions - that attempt to get to the heart of the applicant’s personality, personal values and the things that make that person successful... or not.

They look at how a person reacts or behaves in different circumstances, and the person’s attitudes and preferences.

Occupational Personality Questionnaires (OPQ)

OPQs are growing in popularity among large companies as a means of measuring and evaluating whether or not an applicant is a “good fit” for the position or role which needs to be filled. An increasing number of companies are now extending the scope of selection methods they use in the selection process. Personality profiling is often used in addition to the regular face-to-face interview process, the most common approach being the OPQ - Occupational Personality Questionnaire.

A large number of companies are using Occupational Personality Questionnaires as part of initial screening to find the right person for a job vacancy because they help give a better and more definitive picture of the applicant and even more so when taken in conjunction with an interview.

OPQs like any other personality questionnaires are “self-report” pro-forma questionnaires (paper or computer screen) and are not “tests” as used in the literal sense. They are used to highlight character traits, chosen thinking styles and the possession of certain personal skills and abilities, and characteristics important in the person who is to fill the role for which there is a vacancy. Employers use them as part of their selection process to add value, provide insight which may not easily be obtained by interview and, to give a wider perspective of the applicant’s personality and personal attributes. OPQs will often help to verify opinions formed by the interviewer during the face-to-face meeting. From an employer's viewpoint the questionnaires are a useful tool to gauge a candidate’s personality traits, for example by revealing whether an applicant is rational or irrational, logical or illogical, meticulous or slipshod, likely to stay cool or fly off the handle under pressure, gregarious or introvert, assertive or passive, and so on.

For regular psychometric testing designed for personality assessment, applicants are typically required to complete multiple-choice questionnaires (paper or computer screen), which ask how they would behave or react in certain situations, their preferences and the values and beliefs they hold. The questionnaires are designed in a way that develops a picture of how a person relates to others, how the person deals with his or her own and other people's emotions, what motivates the person, the person’s likely working style and general outlook on life.

Occupational personality questionnaires are slightly different – their aim is to assess the typical or preferred behaviour of an individual as it relates to his or her work. For example, is the applicant orientated towards instruction or participation, independent activity or team work, achievement or satisfaction, risk taking or risk aversion? The applicant ticks the box that most accurately describes his or her preference in a given circumstance. Results are then compared with statistical averages derived from the overall population or any specific peer group.

With personality questionnaires there are no right or no wrong answers. The best way to approach them is to answer as genuinely and honestly as you can. Employers who use personality testing approaches are looking for people who will fit into their company culture and add value to their teams - but they are also looking for genuine and honest people! Some applicants may try to imagine and give the responses they think recruiters want. This is imprudent and risky as the questionnaires contain lie-detector questions that can be hard to detect. Pretending to be someone you are not to secure a job is not a good idea - if you end up in work you're not suited to it you may well be on the interview trail again in only a few months time.

HR managers are now saying that personality testing more accurately predicts whether an applicant will be successful in a particular work role, rather than solely relying on a face-to-face interview. Furthermore, the questionnaires are standardised so everyone gets the same questions which seldom happens in a job interview.

Emotional Intelligence Quota (EQ) testing

You’ve heard of IQ, but have you heard of EQ? Emotional Intelligence is another matter that’s starting to gain the attention of recruiters.

IQ - Intelligence Quotient has been used as a selection tool for decades. Most large organisations now use assessment centres to select recruits, and invariably use IQ and aptitude tests as part of the procedure. There are several reasons these tests are widely used:

§They are generally believed to be an objective assessment. All candidates are presented the same questions and have the same time and conditions in with which to answer them.
They are also considered to be a good gauge of an applicant’s innate ability to understand and interpret facts – which are vital skills they will need in the workplace.
Aptitude tests are also thought to be a good indicator of potential job performance.

Critics claim however that IQ tests measure only what the questions ask - that is, they simply show an applicant’s skill in answering the type of question used in IQ tests. They also say that IQ does not judge how people will react and perform in the real-world, day-to-day elements of their work.

Today increasing numbers of employers are getting interested instead, or as well, at emotional intelligence. Applicants are now being assessed by a new yardstick: not just by how innately clever they are, or by their training and skill-level, but also by how well they deal with themselves and others. After all, the ingredients of career success for most executives is 70 to 90 percent emotional intelligence and only 10 to 30 percent IQ.

Daniel Goleman, author of Working with Emotional Intelligence, explains ‘Emotional Intelligence’ as ‘the capacity for recognising our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.’ In employment terms, this makes EI a vital part in a manager’s ability to work with colleagues, juniors and seniors, and helping the manager to understand what is motivating the people he or she interacts with and therefore how to handle situations better. It is not surprising that recruiters are now widely testing the EQ of applicants. EQ tests are not based on problem-solving but rather on how a person may react and perform in given circumstances.

Supporters say that this makes EQ far more powerful that IQ in selection and career development, as people with a high EQ are usually able to manage people and circumstances far more skilfully, and as a result progress further in their career. It used to be said that “ while IQ can get you a job, EQ will get you promoted”, in fact the truth now is, that you may need a high EQ to be employed in the first place.

The principles of EQ have been used in job selection for some time, through the scope of personality testing which we looked at previously. And this type of testing is becoming increasingly important. You might be effective and efficient at what you do, and hold high skills, but if you don’t function well in a team, and your prospective employer has a team–oriented ethos, then chances are you won’t be given the job.