Tips & Tricks
Coach's thoughts on careers, work, psychometric testing & preparation; check out some "personal" views on the developments in job testing, recruitment policies, careers and other news! Click here for the RSS feed page!
21 Oct 2011
Share This
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Personality questionnaires</strong> are a popular type of <u><a target="_self" href="http://www.careergym.com/psychometric_glossary/personality_inventory_profile_test_questionnaire">interview test</a></u> for employers to get an idea of what makes you “tick” and whether your personality would be a good fit for the position they are filling. The great thing about <strong>personality questionnaires</strong> is that there are no wrong answers; it is all about how you feel about particular situations. If you are taking your first personality test, consider these tips:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Consistency</strong>: Most <strong>personality questionnaires</strong> will have several questions that measure the same traits, so it is important to answer consistently and truthfully – otherwise you will have very odd results which may raise the suspicion of you trying to manipulate the outcome.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Honesty</strong>: There are usually a few questions intended to measure your honesty, so be honest! For example “I have never told a lie” – everyone has told at least one lie in their life, so answering negatively may, ironically, be a red flag that you are being dishonest in your answers.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Speed</strong>: Although these tests are usually not timed, it is important to choose your first (or “gut”) reaction as this is the most likely indicator of your true personality. Note that for computer-based tests there may be indicators to let employers know if you hesitated on any answer, so keep that in mind.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Emphasis</strong>: Depending on the position you are applying for, you may want to keep a particular emphasis in your mind. For example, if applying for a caretaker role you would be aiming for empathy, discretion, and willingness to help others.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Role</strong>: Consider what your role will be with this organisation, and keep that in mind as you are answering questions. For example, if your role is going to be customer service, then you will want to agree with statements to do with resolving conflict or working with others.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Work-related</strong>: Consider your answers in relation to your work personality only, not your social personality.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Vary results</strong>: If too many test responses use the same answer (i.e. all “strongly agree” or all “neither agree / disagree”) it will be very difficult for the <u><a target="_self" href="http://www.careergym.com/psychometric_glossary/assessment_centre_assessment_center">assessment centre</a></u> to gauge your personality profile.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Stick to the end</strong>: The test can be fairly long, tiring, and tedious. However, it is intended this way to ensure that the employer gets a reasonably accurate picture of your work personality. Make sure you answer all questions as truthfully as possible all the way through.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Avoid neutrality</strong>: Questions where you want to choose a neutral answer (i.e. “don’t know” or “not sure”) should be reconsidered; your potential employer is looking for specific traits, not someone who doesn’t know what they would do in a situation.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Relax</strong>: This <u><a target="_self" href="http://www.careergym.com/psychometric_glossary/psychometric_test">psychometric test</a></u> has no wrong or right answer; it is merely trying to get a picture of who you are in a working environment. You really can’t go wrong, so it’s not worth stressing about the answers!</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">If you have never taken a <strong>personality questionnaire</strong> before, it may be worth trying out an <u><a target="_self" href="http://www.careergym.com/online_test_packages">online psychometric test</a></u> so you can get used to the format of questions. This will help you feel more comfortable during the test, so you can fully focus on providing the answer that best reflects your true self.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Interested in learning more about Psychometric Tests? Check out the most comprehensive <u><a target="_self" href="http://www.careergym.com/psychometric_glossary/">FREE Psychometric Glossary</a></u> now!</strong></p>
Is it Possible to Pass or Fail a Personality Questionnaire?
Personality questionnaires are a popular type of interview test for employers to get an idea of what makes you “tick” and whether your personality would be a good fit for the position they are filling. The great thing about personality questionnaires is that there are no wrong answers; it is all about how you feel about particular situations. If you are taking your first personality test, consider these tips:
