What Role Do Personality Tests Play in the Job Search?

You’ve probably heard that you need to find a job that’s the “right fit” for you — but what does that mean, exactly?

It’s not just your knowledge and experience that make you a great candidate for a position, but also your personality. When your character and personality attributes fit in with a company and its culture, everyone wins.

For employers, making sure there is a cultural fit along with the proper expertise/skill set is important, as it can ensure lower turnover rates of new hires. By using some of the more popular tests on the market today, including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and sites such as 16 Personalities and iPersonic, personality tests can help employers go beyond your hard skills and predict whether you will actually enjoy being a productive and engaged member of their team.

As a jobseeker, a clear understanding of your personality and your fit with the positions to which you’re applying gives you a huge advantage in the job search and interview process. There’s a large range of industries that may utilize personality tests in hiring efforts, so familiarizing yourself with these tests — and their benefits — is one way to give yourself an advantage over the competition. Even if you’re not specifically asked to take a personality test as a part of the interview process, it can be beneficial for you to have a grasp on your soft skills — not to mention that taking a test may preemptively give you insight into that pesky “strengths and weaknesses” question that commonly arises in interviews.

Below are a few ways you can become acquainted with personality tests, and use them to your advantage in the job search.

Find the right company and environment for you

Knowing your personality attributes can help you determine whether or not certain company cultures and environments will work for you.

The Myers-Briggs personality test, for example, begins by asking about an individual’s general preferences, such as their natural energy-orientation. It then places you within two different personality types based on those preferences, such as “extrovert” or “introvert.” This test can address classic questions like, “Am I this way because I learned it, or is this just the way I am?”

Recently, research and leadership-training company Leadership IQ tracked 20,000 new hires, and found that 46% failed within the first 18 months of employment. Of those who failed, 89% of the time, it was due to attitudinal reasons.

Applying to companies with like-minded people and environments that are a natural fit for your personality will not only increase your chances for landing the job, but also for success once you’re hired. For instance, a position in medical sales requires individuals to have a strong personality, great people-skills and the ability to sell. This type of high-pressure environment might be great for someone with a more competitive and confrontational personality, but disastrous for someone who is shy, non-confrontational and quiet.

Stay on track with your long-term career path

When you know your personality traits, you can also use them to factor into your longer-term career path.

When you know your personality traits, you can also use them to factor into your longer-term career path. After you’ve applied to job number 10 or 20 — particularly if the positions are across different industries — it’s easy to lose focus on an exact, clear-cut path. Your dream job in journalism may open you up to positions in public relations, marketing or social media management, for example.

Expanding your career horizons isn’t a bad thing, but different industries lend themselves to varying environments and personality types. Understanding why you’ve chosen your long-term career path and how it aligns with your personality traits will help you stay on track and apply to jobs that make the most sense for you.

Gain more focus for professional development

As an active jobseeker, professional development is very important. However, it’s not just about keeping up on new sales tactics or Google’s new algorithm. Personality tests can help you determine what skills you should build outside of your occupational ones. These are called your soft skills, and they include things like communication, problem solving, adaptability and conflict resolution. All jobs require employees to have these skills, just in different capacities.

At the end of May 2014, there were 9.8 million people unemployed in the U.S., meaning that it is still critical to remain competitive and desirable in today’s job market. Honing in on soft skills will help you do just that. Focus development on competency in soft skills important for your industry to put yourself a step ahead of the competition.

Clearly communicate your strengths

With knowledge that you gain from personality tests, you can clearly communicate how you fit into a prospective employer’s company culture and what truly makes you a good fit for the position. Showing you have a keen understanding of not only your hard skills, but also soft skills, may set you apart from other candidates.

You can also prepare more impressive and useful responses for the interview process using this knowledge. For example, instead of saying, “I believe I will be a great fit for the position,” you might say something like, “I know I will be a great fit for the position based on my conflict resolution skills and honest communication traits.”

When you’re taking a personality test as part of the hiring process, just remember that honest feedback will help you discern what work culture suits you best and will allow you to thrive. Therefore, don’t try to trick the system — be patient when answering the questions, and answer honestly and thoroughly. Set aside a good amount of uninterrupted time for the tests as well, as some of them can get a little lengthy.

Keep in mind these tests are just indicators — not an end-all solution. However, they can provide a great starting point to give you a leg up.

SOURCE: MASHABLE