What Personality Test Should You Use?
Personality describes differences between individuals in the ways they typically think, feel, and behave across situations, and has been directly linked to job performance. Personality can be a valuable source of information for employers looking to select and develop employees. Given its value, many organizations seek to take advantage of personality testing, but quickly discover that there are many measures available, using different techniques and approaches to personality assessment. How can one decide which measure will have the best fit for their organization?
Personality measures can generally be broken down into two types: typologies, which sort people into groups based on their full personality profile, and continuum measures, which assess each individual personality trait of the individual separately. Typological measures (like the MBTI and DISC) often provide a starting ground for discussion on personality, which continuum measures can be used in actual predict of employee behavior, including performance.
In this guide, we will review the different kinds of personality measures, some of the more common measures of each type, and the situations in which each type of measure should be used. This guide can be used as a tool in learning more about personality and making decisions into what kind of measure might be right for you.
Our EGuide, Personality: Typologies versus Continuous Measures provides more information on the following topics:
- What is personality?
- What are the different types of measures used to assess personality?
- How can personality assessments be used in workplace settings?
- When should type and continuous assessments be used? When should they be avoided?
- What products or services can SIGMA offer to help an organization use personality effectively?