Employee Personality Testing: It's Not as Difficult as You Think

If there were a way to find the types of employees who'll become excellent leaders, would you do it? If you could quickly recognize the ideal team players who'll bring the right attitude to your workforce, would you consider using employee personality testing? When you leverage testing results during the hiring process, you have the opportunity to find the types of workers that easily fill the gap of an open position.

The Omnia Cognitive Assessment

The cognitive assessment is a quick, timed test that can tell you a lot. It only takes about 15 minutes to complete but adds a strong decision point to your selection process. Managers instantly receive an easy-to-read, one-page report that can guide you on the following aptitudes:

• Problem-solving abilities. The test gauges the candidate's ability to solve simple problems. The goal is not to test math skills. Rather, it's to see how well a candidate will perform under pressure.
• Information processing strengths. Reading comprehension can be challenging to measure. However, make a mistake here, and a simple misunderstanding can result in high costs or losses. Make sure your candidate can process information.
• New skill acquisition. Find out if your potential new hire can digest and use previously-unknown information. Even the most seasoned candidate will have to learn new things; this is vital for any organization to attract.
• Critical thinking. Evaluating a situation on its merits and then relating the information to skills, training, and education can make an excellent management team candidate. It can also crystallize the position of a team lead. Know ahead of time whom you're putting in charge.

For the candidate who undergoes the test, the aptitude screening reveals how well they're able to fit in with your organization based on job-related demands.

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How Do Personality Tests Benefit Your Organization?

In contrast, a personality test for employment helps you gauge a candidate's motivations and workstyle preferences. Besides that, it assists you with understanding behavior-driven traits. This evaluation is another quick test that only takes the applicant about 10 minutes to complete.

• Collaborative or autonomous traits. Does your candidate have a dominant personality? If you have a broad range of lone wolves, they'll fit right in. However, if you operate a co-working environment with shared desks and frequent collaborative tasks, a lone wolf could create friction.
• Forceful or balanced. Each organization needs leadership individuals who know when you apply pressure and when to relax a little. You don't want the person who drives a team to exhaustion where there's no need to do so.
• Flexible or rigid. A flexible individual can be fantastic for a co-working environment; however, it might not be the right choice for a numbers-driven climate where precision is required.
• Biased or objective. Objectivity is a critical component in making decisions. Will a candidate base their choices on prejudices or on the data that is presented to them?
• Introverted or extroverted. A reserved individual may not be the best selection for a sales manager. However, they could be a fantastic asset in a position that requires mostly data-intensive work.

This test reveals how your would-be employee is wired. What makes them tick? As a result, you can determine if they would be a good fit, not only for the job but also for the workplace culture you've diligently cultivated.

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Why Employee Personality Testing is Right for Your Organization

The cognitive aptitude and personality tests complement one another, giving you another piece to the hiring puzzle. You would be hard-pressed to find a downside of applying their results to your hiring decisions. For starters, answers are almost instantaneous. They're also easy to read, which puts the hiring manager in an excellent position for negotiating an employment contract while the candidate is still available in person.

For the successful candidate, there's a deeper understanding of the traits that a company values. It can shape the individual's training, coaching, and development plans, which benefits everyone. Most importantly, the personality test helps you understand who's going to be working for you to manage them effectively day in and day out.

If you are working on creating a strengths-based culture, this insight is invaluable for effective recruitment. It can also result in better employee retention. Learn more about administering the right personality test for employment by connecting with the Omnia Group today.