Many companies realize the considerable cost involved in hiring, training and retain employees. One approach that companies have started to use is to include personality tests in the hiring process. Personality tests can provide a scientific approach to identifying candidates that are the right fit for the work environment. A number of different personality tests have been used in these situations, and the results can be helpful in a number of ways.

What Exactly is Personality Testing and How is it Used in Hiring?

Personality is a set of preferences of thought or action that comes natural to someone. Most researchers believe that personality become set at a young age and does not change. Personality characteristics can explain why some people are natural organizers, why some make decisions based on facts and not feelings and why some are comfortable with limited personal interaction. Personality types are never negative, but certain personality types work better with other types. People of specific personality types are draw to certain positions.

Hiring managers and human resource professionals can use personality assessment of employment candidates as a way to identify the strengths of a candidate and the candidate’s fit with the position and office. For personality testing to be an effective tool, it can be important to understand the personality types of individuals already working for the organizations. Through assessment of employees, management can identify the personality types most present in the office, personality types of high performers and personality types of management. Then, the goal is to identify candidate with personality characteristics that would be a good match.

What Personality Assessment are Available?

Today, a number of companies provide personality assessment of employment candidates, and there are a couple of frequently used assessments, including the DISC and CPI. The DISC, or Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientiousness assessment, identifies the primary and secondary personality style of individuals based on quadrants taken from the assessment’s name. Each type has its own strengths and weaknesses. CPI, or the California Psychological Inventory, rates test-takers on 18 scales, which measure interests, personality, and behavioral characteristics.

DISC and CPI provide hiring managers with objective information about candidates that can complement other objective information, such as work history and credentials, and subjective information from interviewers. While personality testing can only serve as one part of the hiring process, personality assessment of employees before hiring can provide an additional way to try to increase employee retention, improve team morale and save money.

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