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Personality/Identity tests


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You know what I'm talking about right? Those online assessments some companies make you take to determine if you have the personality traits, values, attitude, etc. that they are looking for?

 

If anyone knows anything at all about these, please fill me in! I don't know enough about these to even know what I don't know, so any info would help.

 

BUT, I do have a specific question: How seriously do companies take the results of these, or how heavily do they weigh in the decision to hire someone (or offer them an interview as the case may be)?

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Hi,

 

I work for a small office, and when one of the girls here decided she wanted to be bumped to sales, our boss had her take a online assestment. Sales is hard, and the girl in question is a very nice, quiet girl. Our boss wanted to give her a chance, but already kind of knew that the girl isn't really sales material. I think my boss made her take a assestment so that our boss can sit down with her, and show her what areas she might need to work on (assertiveness, sympathy, agressivness, etc).

 

My boss had told me that the reason she had our co-worker take the test, was more for the co worker to understand that their are challenges.

 

I think the assestment is a good way to get a feel for what you are naturally cut out for, but things can be learned through experience as well.

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You know what I'm talking about right? Those online assessments some companies make you take to determine if you have the personality traits, values, attitude, etc. that they are looking for?

 

If anyone knows anything at all about these, please fill me in! I don't know enough about these to even know what I don't know, so any info would help.

 

BUT, I do have a specific question: How seriously do companies take the results of these, or how heavily do they weigh in the decision to hire someone (or offer them an interview as the case may be)?

 

The Meyers Briggs is a good one. Google it, it should come right up.

 

BE VERY CAREFUL to answer as to your honest nature instead of the way YOU SEE YOURSELF. Make sense? In fact, take it twice, one way answering as the way you would like to think of yourself, the other time being harshly realistic.

 

The difference might be interesting.

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Hi,

 

I work for a small office, and when one of the girls here decided she wanted to be bumped to sales, our boss had her take a online assestment. Sales is hard, and the girl in question is a very nice, quiet girl. Our boss wanted to give her a chance, but already kind of knew that the girl isn't really sales material. I think my boss made her take a assestment so that our boss can sit down with her, and show her what areas she might need to work on (assertiveness, sympathy, agressivness, etc).

 

My boss had told me that the reason she had our co-worker take the test, was more for the co worker to understand that their are challenges.

 

I think the assestment is a good way to get a feel for what you are naturally cut out for, but things can be learned through experience as well.

 

Thanks, that's actually a little reassuring; I'm hoping that this is the case in the situations I've been in also (of course they SAY there's no "right" answer, but I can't help but feel that there is).

 

The Meyers Briggs is a good one. Google it, it should come right up.

 

BE VERY CAREFUL to answer as to your honest nature instead of the way YOU SEE YOURSELF. Make sense? In fact, take it twice, one way answering as the way you would like to think of yourself, the other time being harshly realistic.

 

The difference might be interesting.

I've seen the Meyers Briggs ones before, but I'm pretty sure that these aren't what are used for the assessments I'm talking about; they're not just determining introversion vs extroversion and whatnot. I could be wrong.

 

I can take the Meyers Briggs one. I have a LOT of trouble with the ones I've had to take for jobs. I have no clue how to even begin to participate. If I can't even interpret the question, how can I answer it honestly? :o And then I get stressed out/frustrated because how am I supposed to know what they mean by the question, and how are they supposed to know what I mean by my answer? They can't!

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The few times I have taken these tests I'm pretty sure I was thrown out as a candidate. These were jobs I was obviously qualified for and sensed a good deal of interest during phone interviews. I even tried to feed them the answers I thought they were looking for. I guess my mind just doesn't work that way.

 

But to answer your question, I think some of these tests are very well designed by experts and companies do take them seriously.

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I even tried to feed them the answers I thought they were looking for.

There was your failure..

 

We use them exclusively here and have for many years..

A certain position needs or requires certain aspects of a personality and that role might look different in different companies.

 

So.. just because you thought you were qualified they may felt that for their organization that you were not qualified as they needed different aspects of a personality in order to fill the position.

 

An online test is always done here and they have to match the profile of the position that we are looking for..

 

We use the IML DISC profiling currently and have also used Myers-Briggs.

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Just go with your gut kneejerk reaction. I think a certain amount of interpretation will be factored in. Ironically, I think part of the test itself is your ability to make a decision on what the question means.

 

For example, I began the process of getting tested for ADD, but never finished. In my initial interview when filling out the information packet I remember doing a page, flipping back to see how long it is, doing another page or two, seeing how much left, getting up to get a drink, shifting around, pacing, checking my cell-phone, asking the receptionist if it HAD to be complete, when it hit me...

 

What if THIS is the test?! :laugh:

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*Sigh* I was kind of afraid of what Art Critic said being the case.

 

Some of the questions on the assessment I took (the one I'm concerned about; the others not so much) I felt very strongly about and had a definite answer, didn't even need to think about it.

 

But others were just ridiculous, IMO. There were at least 4 questions on the same thing, but worded differently.

 

All questions were Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly Disagree.

 

For example:

  • Would you describe yourself as stubborn?
  • Would you describe yourself as hardheaded?
  • I find it easy to change my mind about something I feel strongly about if the right facts are presented.

Yes, I would describe myself as stubborn, in some situations. No, I wouldn't describe myself as hardheaded. The last question I don't know. Maybe I just think too much, but when I read that I thought "what are the 'right' facts?" To me, the wording made it sound biased and one-sided, and I think there's always at least 3 sides to every story. However, I'm also not unreasonable, and if I say 2+2=5 and you prove to me beyond any doubt that 2+2=4 of course I'll concede the point. So what is the right way for me to answer that question about myself? There isn't one; my answer isn't an option and I don't think any of my choices comes close to being acceptable.

 

On top of that, when that question follows the stubborn one and hardheaded one, I'm wondering if that is just another way of asking me if I'm stubborn/hardheaded.

 

And then there were about a dozen questions regarding whether I think people take sick time just when they feel like taking a day off. HUH???:confused:

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The redundant questions are to see if you contradict yourself. The sick question gauges your own interpretation of the true meaning of sick day.

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The redundant questions are to see if you contradict yourself. The sick question gauges your own interpretation of the true meaning of sick day.

 

:laugh: But that's just one interpretation!

 

Stubborn and hardheaded are not the same thing, though similar:

Stubborn: 1. unreasonably obstinate; obstinately unmoving: a stubborn child.

2. fixed or set in purpose or opinion; resolute

Hardheaded: not easily moved or deceived; practical; shrewd.

 

And to be honest, before I looked up the definitions just now, I would've said hardheaded was the definition of stubborn, while stubborn was the definition of hardheaded (as given here).

 

Then, as far as your interpretation of the sick day question: Personally, YES, I think (I KNOW) that most people take sick days just when they want a day off. Do I do that? No, I don't (at least I haven't yet). So if they interpreted my answer to that question the way you would have, they would have an inaccurate idea of my opinion on this topic. But as I was answering the 12+ (:rolleyes:) question about sick days I was thinking the same thing you thought: are they going to take these answers about my attitude toward other people to apply to myself as well?

 

Grrrr I'm so frustrated by this!

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:laugh: But that's just one interpretation!

 

Stubborn and hardheaded are not the same thing, though similar:

Stubborn: 1. unreasonably obstinate; obstinately unmoving: a stubborn child.

2. fixed or set in purpose or opinion; resolute

Hardheaded: not easily moved or deceived; practical; shrewd.

 

And to be honest, before I looked up the definitions just now, I would've said hardheaded was the definition of stubborn, while stubborn was the definition of hardheaded (as given here).

 

Then, as far as your interpretation of the sick day question: Personally, YES, I think (I KNOW) that most people take sick days just when they want a day off. Do I do that? No, I don't (at least I haven't yet). So if they interpreted my answer to that question the way you would have, they would have an inaccurate idea of my opinion on this topic. But as I was answering the 12+ (:rolleyes:) question about sick days I was thinking the same thing you thought: are they going to take these answers about my attitude toward other people to apply to myself as well?

 

Grrrr I'm so frustrated by this!

 

lol, completely agree, and I had the same reaction when I took psychological evaluations.

 

I guess these tests are just geared towards people that are less analytical than us.

 

All you can do is hurry yourself through it and just ANSWER THE GODDAMN QUESTION, lol. :)

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It is contingent on the field (line of work) and level of security being applied for.

Government jobs take it very seriously.

Large Corps are apt to gear it towards the skills and personal asset.

As a person who works for a smaller business we still have all staff take the test, and its dead on in accuracy! I can tell you that it helps immensely when times of discipline or times of raises come into play. We can pretty much tell which ones are going to be argumentative and those that are going to be team players and see the big picture. We can even gauge from the overall test if this person will work out in that career field or if they would work better in another department. Some employees who get shifted to other areas, actually come back a year later for their review to thank the management for putting them in a career that is more aptly suited to their work structure style.

The best I learned is, how can you be anything less then honest when that is the perfect time to be such. Its straight upfront answers and they either accept that perception or answer, or they don't.

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