Job Seeker’s Question:

A job seeker asked, “What do personality assessment questions mean during interviews?

Initial Response:

Assessments can range from targeted interview questions, tests, to work-related tasks. Research has shown that certain personality types tend to respond to circumstances in a certain way. So, some employers use personality assessments to determine how you might respond to certain workplace scenarios. These scenarios might include 1) Responding when under pressure; 2) Conflict resolution; 3) Project management/Leadership; and/or 4) Failure.

Let’s examine each.

Scenarios Explained:

Responding when under pressure – First, let’s face it. Some workplaces are stressful places to navigate. So, potential employers want to know that you won’t have a nervous breakdown in the face of a challenge. Or, do you look at the difficulty as a challenge.

Conflict Resolution – Ideally, employers want a drama-free workplace. So, some go the extra mile to ensure that their selected candidate is personally and professionally mature enough to de-escalate volatile situations…not fan the flames of discord in the workplace.

Project Management/Leadership – How do you plan your strategy for managing a big project? Do you feel that planning is passé? Your project management, organization, and leadership skills can be predicted by some targeted assessments. If your potential role is heavily project focused, so your new employer will want to ensure that you have those intangible characteristics needed for on the on the job success.

Failure – None of us get the outcome that we want 100% of the time. While is it okay to fail sometimes, it’s not okay to let failure become ingrained in your attitude and your approach to your work. So, your potential employer wants to gauge how resilient you can likely be in the face of failure.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the best approach to preemployment personality assessments is to consider them an expected phase of the new employee selection process. They can a major aspect of some employers’ risk-aversion strategy. As we all know, every organization wants to avoid risk as much as possible, especially when it is related to those who interact with their employees. So, if your potential employer asks you to take a personality assessment, remember to respond to each item honestly. Test-taking wisdom also suggests that you go with your “gut” response when unsure. Don’t waste time trying to trick the test because it will likely negatively impact your assessment rating. Just take a deep breath, follow the instructions carefully, and let the process unfold naturally. I think you’ll be glad you did in the end.

I hope you found today’s post informative. Wherever you’re viewing, please share, subscribe, comment, or ask me your own job search question. It might become the focus of one of my future posts.

Until next time…

Career Search Success to You! Go Get Your New Job!