In most cases, the initial three months of working with a new employee will teach you all you need to know about them. Things like problem-solving style, the preferred method of working alone vs. in a team, and the approach to handling conflict in the workplace are examples of the kinds of things that might fall under this category. Think about how much time you’ll need to spend in the first few months of your job trying to figure out all these minutiae, even though they’re necessary. Now picture being able to learn all of that crucial information about your new hire before they even start working for you—even before you look at their résumé! It is acceptable practice to administer personality tests as part of the hiring process. One example is the Big Five personality test.
What is the Big Five model?
Ernest Tupes and Raymond Christal created the original Big Five model in the 1960s for use in the United States Air Force pilot hiring process; it was later refined in the 1980s and 1990s. This Big Five personality test is sometimes abbreviated as OCEAN or CANOE, although the conventional sequence is EAOCN, as you’ll see below.
What are the Big Five characteristics?
The personality trait of extraversion, Enthusiastic, and gregarious as opposed to introverted and lonely
- Enthusiasm: Warm and welcoming, as opposed to being too critical
- Receptivity to new information and experiences: receptive, creative, and open to new things, as opposed to guarded and introverted.
- Efficiency and organization vs carelessness characterize conscientiousness.
- Those who are neurotic are either overly sensitive and anxious or strong and capable.
- Everyone can be found anywhere along the continuum of each characteristic, which is quantified on a sliding scale.
In a nutshell, our personality traits are the foundation upon which our day-to-day conduct, habits, and thinking patterns rest. Also, personality traits are universal; in fact, research by Robert R. McCrae and Antonio Terraciano has shown that personality traits were valid in 50 different nations.
It’s worth noting that a person’s environment (i.e., family, school, upbringing, culture, etc.) and genetics work together to shape their personality traits, which tend to be very consistent throughout a person’s life. Researchers estimate that certain features are inherited to a degree of around 50%.
How personality tests solve 3 major hiring challenges
A more productive, enthusiastic, and loyal team is the result of hiring the proper personnel.
Even if a candidate with stellar interview skills and a stellar CV may not be a suitable cultural fit for your business, you never know which prospect may end up being your hardest worker.
But how do you find the most qualified applicant, rather than merely the most skilled interviewer or CV writer? Also, what’s the secret to retaining them for the future? Identifying, engaging, and maintaining the ideal individuals is a major difficulty in the hiring process. Learn how personality tests such as the Big Five personality test may help.
Problem 1: You aren’t attracting the proper kind of candidates.
The format and atmosphere of conventional recruitment processes are often somewhat consistent. For example, since an ATS is used by almost everyone, the process of applying for a job is standard across all companies.
Also, your message will be watered down if everyone is describing their function and the organization in the same way. The bright side? You can start attracting the ideal individuals without a hip, unique brand or a bring-your-dog-to-work bonus.
Using personality testing to find a solution
Adding a Big Five personality model test to the application process is a fun and engaging method to help the applicant stand out from the crowd. Additionally, it provides candidates with something to take away, meaning that they still receive something from the process (rather than having their application disappear into thin air throughout the job hunt).
This adds a unique and entertaining spin to the typical hiring procedure while bringing the human element back into the job application. Research also shows that the Big Five personality tests are quite appealing, whether the goal is to discover one’s optimal work style or one’s portrayal in the Office.
Big Five personality tests not only improve the candidate experience, but they also reveal, objectively, whether an applicant is a good fit for your business’s culture. Additionally, they can provide insight into whether or not a candidate is a suitable fit for the role. Consider a candidate who thrives on rapid-fire tasks; they may fit the requirements for the position, but would they thrive in an environment where they are expected to sit through lengthy meetings and deal with tedious procedures every day?
Problem 2: You depend too much on resumes
When it comes to resumes, it’s all about keywords. However, this sort of system is highly gameable; for example, candidates who are well-versed in relevant keywords tend to do better than those whose backgrounds are more closely aligned with the position’s requirements.
Screening resumes can also provide you with several other obstacles:
- Exaggerations, omissions, or partial facts are commonplace in resumes. 1/3 of the population has admitted to embellishing their resumes.
- Personal histories are condensed into resumes. They aren’t very indicative of character traits and may or may not be a strong predictor of success in the work.
- Resumes exclude a lot of information. What’s lacking? The candidate’s aspirations, work style, goals, and motivators; their soft skills (such as ambition, ownership, and empathy).
- While resumes are helpful, they shouldn’t be the only factor considered when deciding whether to advance an applicant in the recruiting process.
Using personality testing to find a solution
Resumes should be reviewed with a more comprehensive view of the individual, taking into account their qualifications, abilities, and work history. For example, they may be good at completing short deadlines yet struggle to control their temper under pressure. Concerns like these can be uncovered through a Big Five personality test.
You might also benefit from their assistance during interviews. Emotional reactions during interviews are counterproductive, however, we do tend to like others who share our interests (such as fellow sports lovers). Alternatively, you may think about using the candidate’s personality data as a framework for the conversation.
For instance, if an individual has a poor adaptability score yet works for a dynamic startup, you should investigate more into their potential performance in this setting. As a bonus, the Big Five personality model test will help standardize interviews for all applicants, which will increase efficiency and reduce the likelihood of unconscious prejudice.
Problem No. 3: Workers are fleeing because they don’t feel their work matters.
Modern artists want to create a constructive difference. Your workers will put in more time and effort and be more invested in the company’s success if they believe their work is meaningful. In a nutshell, they take immense pleasure in and find purpose in their work.
The “search for meaning” has been utilized by companies in the hiring process, but how can it be translated into actual work?
Using personality testing to find a solution
One way personality testing can aid in talent retention is by:
- Demonstrating your concern for the individual’s holistic growth. So that workers may make the most of their abilities, overcome obstacles, identify their optimal work environments, and plan for their future advancement within the organization.
- Working to enhance comprehension and dialogue. Team members’ strengths and areas for improvement may be effectively identified and used with the use of personality insights. Teams are effective and cohesive, which makes employees feel like their work matters.
- It will assist you in recognizing and accommodating various work styles. For instance, some applicants may be more productive outside of regular office hours. You can enhance their productivity and prevent fatigue if you know this early on through the Big Five personality test.
How to use the Big Five personality test
An empathic and supportive work environment may be fostered when managers take the time to learn about their workers’ emotional and social habits.
In terms of popularity and usage, the OCEAN model ranks high among personality test models.
Raise the level of compassion and understanding among employees, supervisors, and colleagues.
In our hearts, we all have an elusive formula for achievement. No one would ever dream of holding their pens in their printer or expecting their desk to double as a word processor. Equally important is learning to connect with your employees on a personal level; this will lead to more trust and a better knowledge of their abilities.
Direct career advancement
Viewing your personality and individual attributes as a whole makes it much easier to identify your best and worst qualities, as well as your accomplishments and places for improvement.
Consider looking for additional opportunities to be creative at work if, for instance, your openness score is high. Your manager will also be able to see how they can assist you in achieving your goals, backed by real facts.
Make the interview procedure better
Employers who use the Big Five personality test in their hiring process indicate that they want to focus on a candidate’s character traits in addition to their technical abilities. These days, more and more businesses are realizing that a candidate’s skill set is just one component of a well-rounded application.
When employers have access to comparable and evaluative data, they are better able to make decisions that benefit their employees and the office as a whole.
Summary and suggestions
Regardless of the industry or position, conscientiousness is the single most important factor in determining success. This is not surprising given that detail-oriented, goal-oriented, and highly motivated people tend to be more conscientious. Opposite to neuroticism, emotional stability is the second biggest predictor of personality. But there’s some significant information we may glean from comparing various types of jobs. Personality traits like agreeableness, openness, and extroversion are better predictors of success in sales, customer service, and managing roles, which rely heavily on interpersonal interactions. Workers with some level of expertise were exempt from this. Adding even more predictive validity for particular job types can be achieved by combining particular characteristics and facets, or sub-traits for each of the big five personality tests. This is the subject of the new study.
