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Personality questionnaires: candidate 101

April 10, 2014  /   No Comments

Gavin Mulcahy

Candidates taking personality questionnaires for the first time are often apprehensive about the process. Gavin Mulcahy answers some frequently asked questions.

Personality questionnaires remain popular for some clients to use with their candidates. But many job hunters have never completed one before, and may be concerned about what the company is assessing.

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions by candidates that should help recruiters alleviate job seekers’ concerns.

Is a personality questionnaire a test?

No it isn’t, personality questionnaires ask for ‘self-reports’ on personality. To get the most accurate and useful results from an assessment, candidates should take the time to sit in a quiet room with no distractions and answer the questions honestly.

Is the employer looking for an ‘ideal profile’?

As the personality questionnaire is not a test, there are no wrong answers and it should never be used as a black and white method for rejecting or accepting applicants.

A candidate’s responses may indicate that they have a preference for certain ways of working or types of work. Ultimately, the personality questionnaire will provide insight into how they work that will be explored further in an interview or feedback discussion. It should be used in this conversation to help both the candidate and potential employer decide whether the role is a good fit.

Can the outcome of a personality questionnaire be manipulated?

In a sense, it can. A candidate could complete a personality questionnaire so that the result doesn’t reflect their true personality, for example by answering questions at random. It is very unlikely that they could engineer the profile to present their personality in a certain way, and some questionnaires even include a measure to detect attempts at this. We always advise candidates to answer their questionnaire in an honest, open way, as there is no benefit in giving false responses.

Are all personality questionnaires the same?

No, there are a variety of personality questionnaires on the market, measuring a wide range of dimensions and drawing from different methods and models. These can be in different formats, although these days most are conducted remotely via an online invitation.

Do personality questionnaires ask about private lives?

As we explained above, there are a wide variety of personality questionnaires, and some may ask more personal questions than others. Many personality questionnaires used by organisations for selection purposes are work-based, so they focus on behaviour and motivations at work.

However, if candidates are uncomfortable with the idea of sharing personal information, they should not be afraid to ask the employer or the assessment provider they use to tell you a bit more about what the assessment will include.

Can a personality questionnaire be used to predict performance in a role?

This perfect prediction does not exist. Personality questionnaires are tools that help HR professionals improve the decisions they make, and the information gained from them can therefore have a big impact. As mentioned earlier, the feedback discussion is pivotal to this.

When personality questionnaires are used in combination with other techniques or tools, the employer’s understanding of a candidate is dramatically enhanced. This more comprehensive insight can help employers get an even better idea of how an individual might perform in a certain role.

Is there anything in it for the candidate?

Obviously, employers get a lot out of asking candidates to answer these questionnaires, otherwise they would not be so popular. For this reason, candidates often see them as a one-way street. This is a misperception; a good personality questionnaire, followed up with a well-planned interview or feedback discussion should provide you with a great deal of useful information on your strengths and development areas. This is why many employers now use these assessments in their development processes as well as for recruitment.

Gavin Mulcahy is principal consultant at Cubiks


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  • Published: 10 years ago on April 10, 2014
  • Last Modified: May 22, 2014 @ 9:59 am
  • Filed Under: Industry Insider

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