Workplace Personality Assessments: Detailed Horoscope or True Performance Indicator?

August 27, 12:07 AMBaltimore Workplace ExaminerLaura Bristow

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True story: many years ago, I took a personality assessment for a prospective employer. In a series of 50 questions, the test asked me to choose between  one of two paired statements that most applied to me. The statements were not opposite each other; that is, the pairs weren’t like “I prefer vegetables” paired with “I prefer dessert”. More like: “I prefer to take my lunch to work” paired with “I enjoy staying up late.” Huh?

Anyway, I must have passed because I got the job. A few weeks after I started, I received a small, bound report containing the results of my test. I thought it was relatively general, almost like a horoscope in drawing very open-to-interpretation conclusions about what were supposed to be my key but perhaps hidden personality traits. One statement was "You tend to get up and pace the room during tense meetings."  The kicker: my colleague showed me her report and it had drawn almost exactly the same conclusions about her that mine did about me.

Plenty of companies, across lots of industries, ask brand-new or prospective employees to take a personality assessment. Their goal is to identify traits in people that can predict success or failure in a job, or stated more tactfully, find the best fit between the individual and a job.

There is a wide range of tests to determine skills, traits, and fit. But are they truly predictive of employee success? Some employers swear by them. Some employees say they gained new insights that help them relate better to co-workers or supervisors. If you find yourself directed to take one, just answer with your first instinct. Don't try to put down answers you think the employer wants to hear.

According to an article about personality tests posted on careerjournal, employees at Axciom Corporation wear badges showing their personality traits in a color-coded matrix (green for communicator, red for problem solver, etc.). That way, just by checking the colors, colleagues can adjust their workstyle based on each other’s traits.

Well, I guess that beats water-cooler gossip and back-channel manipulation. As for the job I got after my own personality assessment, I left a year later: the owner was really completely bonkers.