4 Ways Personality Tests Can Help Your Career

Perhaps you are in a phase of your life where you are ready for a new career adventure. Or maybe you are entering a period of introspection and wish to understand the characteristics of your personality. Whatever the reason, taking a personality test can help you in all aspects of life, this includes your career and business as well.

Choosing a fulfilling career path is far more difficult when we don’t know ourselves. So let’s delve more into the world of personality tests and how they can help your business or career.

What is a Personality Test?

A personality test is an assessment that measures the traits that a person exhibits in various situations. It is a scientific test or survey that aims to identify important traits that make up a person.

Though many people take personality tests for fun or just to learn about themselves, these assessments are beneficial for other reasons. Personality assessments are taken for a multitude of reasons, including:

• To assist with therapy
• To aid in a psychological disorder diagnosis
• To help children succeed in school
• To find a better career path

If you are interested in learning more about personality tests or other psychological assessments, head over to BetterHelp for more information.

Popular Personality Tests

Personality is a complex topic that has resulted in a multitude of assessments and measurements over the decades. Some tests are accurate and have gained quite a bit of popularity, while others are only used for specific scenarios. Below are three of the most popular personality tests that both psychologists and companies use to measure personality.

Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

If you’ve heard of any personality tests, then you probably have heard of the Myers-Briggs test. It is by far the most popular personality test available and has exploded into the mainstream in recent years. About 88% of Fortune 500 companies use it to screen candidates and assess their employees.

The MBTI assessment depicts where you are along the spectrum of four personality trait dimensions. These traits are extroversion/introversion, intuition/sensing, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving.

The first letter of these traits is typically used to define a person’s personality type. For example, someone who is introverted, intuitive, a thinker, and a judger has an INTJ personality.

Caliper Profile

The Caliper Profile was specifically designed with employers in mind. This assessment measures personality traits to predict job potential and behavior. It can be used at any stage of hiring or employment, from candidate selection to identifying the perfect employee for a particular promotion.

16 Personality Factor Questionaire

The 16 Personality Factor Questionaire (16PF) is another assessment designed particularly for use in employment. The 16 personality traits are defined and named according to business needs. For example, a business may not need to know if someone is more judging than perceiving as in the MBTI, but it needs to know if someone is self-reliant or tends to be a perfectionist.

Some of the traits measured in this assessment include:

• Warmth
• Emotional Stability
• Dominance
• Sensitivity
• Openness to Change
• Perfectionism
• Self-reliance
• Apprehension

Career Benefits of Taking a Personality Test

Now that you know what a personality test does read on to see how taking one can benefit your business or career.

Understand Which Careers/Job Types Are The Best Fit

While a personality test won’t be able to tell you exactly which field or industry to go into, it can help you understand the types of jobs you would fit well in.

For example, if you are an extrovert, you may enjoy being a salesperson more than an introvert would. The same can be said about a customer service role. On the other hand, if you are an analytical person and a thinker, you may do well in a job with numbers, details, or detailed analyses.

So, although taking a personality test won’t help you identify a specific career for you, it can help you narrow your focus based on your strengths and personality traits.

Know Your Work Style And Ideal Work Environment

A personality test can also bring your work style and ideal work environment to light. For example, do you prefer to be in a cubicle with little noise and no distractions? Or do you thrive in an open-plan office where you can collaborate with your team at a moment’s notice? Understanding your work style can help you choose a company culture and organization that best suits your needs.

Learn About Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Not everyone is aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Taking an assessment is a great way to get a good overall picture of who you are. For example, if you have low-self esteem, this may boost it as you learn about your personality’s strengths. However, if you are looking to improve yourself, you are given a snapshot of your weakness to keep in mind.

Better Understand How You Interact With Others

Learning about your personality makes you more aware of the personality traits of others. It becomes much easier to interact with others when you have a general idea of how similar their personality is to yours.

Furthermore, your assessment may offer guidance on how to work with others. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will help you understand where you succeed and where you fail in relationships. Taking this advice can help you improve your relationship with your coworkers and boss and make working with them easier.

Where To Take A Personality Test

The best way to take a personality test is with a psychologist or counselor. This way, you know the test is legitimate and is overseen by a professional. However, the downside of this is that it may be more expensive, as you may have to pay a fee for the test in addition to your hourly rate for your counselor.

A more popular option is to find one online. Though these are much cheaper (or potentially free), the downside is that these are not always legitimate. There are more for entertainment purposes or just to give you a general idea of your personality. It is not always an official test or indicator of your true personality.

However, there is a third option, but this depends on where you work. Some employers give employees personality tests to see their work style and strengths and weaknesses. This helps the company figure out what they need to do to ensure each employee succeeds.

Other companies may give a personality test to job candidates before making a selection. The assessment results tell the company which candidates have the most suitable personality for the job and the work culture.

Final Thoughts

Personality tests are a great way to see who you are, how you interact with others, and how you perceive the world around you. These assessments not only can help you find more satisfaction in your career but can improve other areas of your life as well. If you’re eager to learn more about your personality, talk to a psychologist or your employer about taking an assessment.

Author’s Bio

Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.

This article has been published in accordance with Socialnomics’ disclosure policy.