Research shows that certain personality traits have a strong predictive power for job performance for sales and customer service jobs. Most salespeople who are successful in many industries are highly competitive, motivated and outgoing. Conversely, the scores of successful salespeople were lower for traits such patience and cooperation.
Personality tests answer the following question: Are they comfortable in this role and what are their strengths? Is the candidate able to demonstrate the behavior traits necessary for success in this position. Personality tests do not have a set of right and wrong answers. This is in contrast to aptitude tests. These tests are used to assess whether people have certain behavioral characteristics that last a lifetime. Employers can use these traits as a way to predict whether candidates are compatible with the culture and position.
Many traits can be measured in personality tests, but the most well-known framework for personality tests is the "Big Five", or "Five Factor Model." These five dimensions of personality have been consistently identified in empirical research. The concept that personality "traits", as it is commonly known, is replacing an older paradigm about personality "types" that originated from Carl Jung. This model relied on a view that classified people into one or two types of personality, such as introverts or extraverts, thinkers or feelingers, Type A or B. The traits model is being accepted by personality researchers because there is growing evidence that it does not accurately reflect the individual nuances of human personality.
While personality tests have become increasingly popular among HR professionals and others, there are still a lot of misconceptions about what these tests are and how to use them.
Because of the substantial evidence linking these traits with job performance for many positions, the Big Five are particularly applicable to the hiring process. Conscientiousness (which measures an individual's reliability, organization, persistence, and responsibility) has been shown to be moderately predictive for success across many job types. However, it is particularly important for entry-level roles where qualities like punctuality and reliability may be more important than creativity.
Figure 2 - The traits model is increasingly accepted in personality research as there is growing evidence that a binary dichotomy between two types doesn't accurately reflect the individual nuances of human personality.
Many traits can be measured in personality tests, but the most well-known framework for personality testing uses the "Big Five", or "Five Factor Model." These five dimensions of personality consistently emerge in empirical studies: Agreeableness. Conscientiousness. Extroversion. Openness (to experience). and Stress Tolerance. The concept that personality "traits", as it is commonly known, has replaced the older paradigm of personality type that originated with Carl Jung. This based on a view of personality that divided people into two types (introvert or extrovert or thinker or feeler, Types A or B). The growing evidence that two distinct personality types are not sufficient to describe the individual nuances of human personality is making the traits model more popular in personality research is supporting its acceptance.