Comparing Employment Personality Tests
A lot of people have come to us with specific questions about how SelectiveHiring employment personality testing differs from or is similar to other assessments they know of. These are always fun conversations because we get a chance to debunk some common misconceptions about employment personality testing and various test providers. We also get a chance to explain what is so fantastic about SelectiveHiring!
The Myers Briggs Test
One of the most common types of assessment that gets brought up is the Myers Briggs personality assessment. The Myers Briggs test is one of the most widely used and well-known personality assessment tools. Myers Briggs paved the way for hundreds of other personality tests.
Almost everyone has at least heard about the test, but to summarize what it is, the Myers Briggs test is designed to determine a 4 letter code that suggests a personality type. Each letter represents a preference in a dichotomy between introversion and extraversion, sensing and intuition, thinking and feeling, and judging or perceiving. Since the eight possible letters can be combined in 16 different ways, each individual who takes the assessment is categorized into one of sixteen groups.
Myers Briggs and SelectiveHiring
Because of its popularity, the Myers Briggs personality test is frequently brought up when comparing various employment assessment tools. The primary difference between the Myers Briggs and SelectiveHiring is simply the reason each was created. The Myers Briggs assessment was created to help individuals understand themselves. Results are frequently used to determine ideal career paths, discover potential strengths and weakness, understand how they learn best, etc. It was not created for employers or for hiring purposes.
SelectiveHiring, on the other hand, was created to help employers discover what job-related personality traits and skills each candidate has in order to easily and effectively screen candidates. With such different purposes, it is difficult to even compare the two assessments types, but, they do have their similarities.
Similarities Between the Two
SelectiveHiring, like Myers Briggs, can test for certain personality traits. For example, both tests can determine a person's preference towards extroversion. SelectiveHiring also offers modules called initiative, assertiveness, and energy, which can also bring out certain specific aspects of an individual's extraversion. There are other similarities between the Myers Briggs dichotomies and some SelectiveHiring modules. On the surface, they are not all that different in their basic ideas. Myers Briggs was definitely a precursor to today’s employment personality tests.
Some Important Differences
While both testing platforms are focused on getting to know the test-taker beyond what meets the eye, Myers Briggs is more generalized while SelectiveHiring targets specific traits and attributes. As previously mentioned, Myers Briggs sorts each person into one of 16 categories. While this information can be extremely helpful in understanding your personal preferences, 16 categories is not enough to fit an individual to a specific job or role. In contrast, SelectiveHiring offers over 85 modules that can be combined in any way to create an assessment completely tailored to your position.
Another important difference is time. Being able to customize the assessment means you don’t need to test for things that do not apply to the position. For example, if you wanted to hire an accountant, testing for extraversion would not be useful. With SelectiveHiring, you can easily replace this module with trustworthiness, problem-solving interest, or work ethic. This means that your time and money, as well as the time of the applicant, is well spent and results are much more applicable.
Summary
For screening candidates, SelectiveHiring is clearly the better tool. Myers Briggs has its place and is a ground-breaking assessment, but does not fit well into today’s job market. For more information about SelectiveHiring assessments, schedule a time to chat with one of our assessments specialists using the link below:
https://meetme.so/applicantproassessments