The Types of Personality Tests an Employer Can Implement In the Hiring Process

The employment attorneys at Nardone Limited regularly assist our clients with labor and employment issues, such as Department of Labor (“DOL”) compliance, as well as guidance on preventing and responding to discrimination and harassment charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions (“EEOC”) and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (“OCRC”). Our employment attorneys also regularly assist our clients on various labor and employment issues, including the recruitment and hiring of new talent.

A growing trend that employers are adding to the hiring process is the implementation of personality testing for potential employees. And, in our prior blog, “The Benefits of Personality Testing and the Potential Legal Implications”, we discussed how implementing pre-employment personality testing is important and beneficial for an employer to determine potential employees’ personality types. Identifying personality types at the hiring phase helps the employer to find a potential employee that is best suited for a specific position, and also helps the employer to learn how to effectively communicate with the employee once they are hired.

There are many different personality tests available, with each test focusing on different aspects of a person’s personality. Determining the best personality test to use in the hiring process will depend on your business, work environment, and the specific position your business is looking to fill. It is also important to consult with a labor and employment attorney who is well versed in the types of personality tests available to determine which test is right for your business. Below is a list of the most common personality tests, along with a brief description of each.

  • The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (“MBTI”) is the most common personality test implemented in the hiring process. The MBTI has 16 different personality types that a candidate can fall into. The groupings include “Extraversion v. Introversion”, “Intuition v. Sensing”, “Thinking v. Feeling”, and “Judging v. Perceiving.” The MBTI test is good for understanding how a candidate can fit into the culture of the company, and whether the candidate can work as a member of a team, however, the MBTI test is not the best test to determine whether a candidate is well-suited for a specific position.
  • The Caliper Profile. The Caliper Profile is another commonly used personality test. This test helps to determine whether a potential employee’s personality traits correlate to job performance. The test provides a series of statements and the potential employee is asked to identify which statement best aligns with their viewpoint. For example, the potential employee is presented with a statement and must choose whether they “strongly agree”, “agree”, are “neutral”, “disagree”, or “strongly disagree” with that statement.
  • The DiSC Behavior Inventory. The DiSC Behavior Inventory test (“DiSC”) determines a potential employee’s character traits based on four personality qualities, which are “Dominance”, “Influence”, “Steadiness”, and “Conscientiousness.” DiSC is commonly used to help an employer better understand a potential employee’s behavior style and the ability for a potential employee to work in a team environment. The test also helps the employer and potential employee to adapt their behaviors so that they can communicate effectively and work better with people of different personality traits.
  • The Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior Assessment. The Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior Assessment (“FIRO-B”) is a personality test that measures the interpersonal needs of a potential employee. FIRO-B helps to reveal how a particular value, or interpersonal need, drives the potential employee’s behavior. FIRO-B measures a potential employee’s interpersonal needs on three scales: (i) Inclusion, (ii) Control, and (iii) Affection. FIRO-B also determines a potential employee’s ability to build trust, influence others, and create productive relationships.

Listed above are the most common personality tests, however, there are many more personality tests available to employers. Overall, the main focus of personality tests is to determine how a potential employee: (i) communicates, (ii) interacts with others, and (iii) their ability to work as a team.

Implementing a personality test into the hiring process can be very beneficial and will allow an employer to gain better insight into the characteristics of a potential new hire, with also ensuring that the new employee is the right fit for the position. But, as noted in the prior blog, “The Benefits of Personality Testing and the Potential Legal Implications”, it is important to be aware of the possible legal implications of personality testing. Therefore, it is important to consult an experienced labor and employment attorney, such as the employment attorneys at Nardone Limited, before implementing a personality test.

Contact Nardone Limited

The employment attorneys at Nardone Limited handle a full spectrum of employment law issues, including advising employers on the hiring process, employee disputes and litigation, drafting employment agreements, and consultation on employment law issues. If you need advice or representation in an employment dispute before the EEOC, the OCRC, or if you need consultation regarding potential labor and employment litigation, feel free to contact Nardone Limited.