Understand your team by leveraging these five top-rated workplace assessment tests for current employees and potential new hires.
Personality tests are an invaluable tool in the workplace. Employers of all sizes are recognizing work assessment tests’ potential in matching employees to roles that suit their individual strengths and preferences. Millions have taken at least one assessment test, whether by free will or employer direction. And we only see projections for positive growth in the coming years– something your organization should take advantage of.
According to SHRM, 32 percent of HR pros use assessment tests to vet executive positions, and Psychology Today revealed 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies use them to vet upper-level roles. By 2027, the personality testing industry is expected to reach a $6.5B valuation thanks to the corporate sector, accounting for over half of the industry’s globally generated revenue.
Simply by tapping into a person’s innate personality traits, employers gain a better understanding of how best to deploy their staff, create effective teams, and foster a more collaborative work environment.
5 Best Workplace Personality Assessments
While taking workplace personality assessments may feel like fun and game to the user, science and software work hard on the back end. Each test leverages a unique methodology, offering a different perspective on employees’ traits, behaviors, communication, and ways of being. We cherry-picked five of the best workplace personality assessments based on reputation, credibility, and the fuel that runs the machine.
PATH Assessment®
GoodJob’s proprietary PATH Assessment® is a result of decades of thorough research and real-world practice. This workplace assessment test uses psychology and behavior science to fuel its algorithm, carefully matching and ranking job applicants with the traits that will be the best match to your open job roles. Imagine slashing a pile of resume applications from 200 to a neat row of 10. That’s the power of the PATH.
The results of a candidate’s PATH score across four modes: Purpose, Approach, Thinking, and Habits. One of these will be highlighted as the dominant mode, driving who they are in the workplace. This is critical for organizations to recognize among their team, as dominant behaviors drive 73% of workplace success.
Myers Briggs
The Myers Briggs Personality Test is a psychological test that classifies people into 16 different personality types based on their preferences for how they perceive the world and make decisions.
The test is based on Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types and assesses four different categories: Extraversion vs. Introversion, Sensing vs. Intuition, Thinking vs. Feeling, and Judging vs. Perceiving. The results of the test can help people understand their strengths, weaknesses, and communication styles, as well as how they interact with others.
DiSC
The DiSC assessment measures different aspects of an individual’s behavior and preferences in the workplace, organizing these aspects into four categories: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and Compliance (C). A person’s score in each category indicates how they approach tasks, communicate with others, and react to different situations.
Managers and team leads can use the results of the DiSC assessment to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the individuals in their teams, thus creating better working environments. Additionally, the results of the assessment can provide insight into how to better manage teams and work together more effectively.
Gallup’s CliftonStrengths
The Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment is based on the work of the Gallup Organization, which has studied the topic of strengths for more than 30 years. The assessment consists of 177 questions that measure 34 different domains of strength. These domains include Strategic Thinking, Communication, Influencing, Achieving, Relationship Building, and many more.
Upon completion of the test, individuals receive an individualized report that outlines their top five signature strengths. This report also provides action items and strategies for leveraging those strengths in order to maximize their potential in their personal and professional lives.
Enneagram
The Enneagram is a personality test that helps individuals gain insight into their basic personality traits and how they interact with others. It is based on decades of research and is composed of nine distinct “types” ranging from type one, which is often described as the perfectionist, to type nine, which is seen as the peacemaker.
Each type has its own unique strengths and weaknesses and provides insight into how an individual responds to different challenges. The test can help people identify their own motivations, values, and needs, as well as gain a better understanding of the behavior of others. It can be used to create more meaningful relationships, help with problem-solving, and identify areas for personal growth.
Decipher Assessment Results Carefully
As employers gravitate toward workplace personality tests more and more, it has caught the attention of critical eyes. Some people fear the use of assessment tools for work encourages discrimination. For example, that fear became reality for a man who was declined a minimum wage job due to assumptions about his mental health after completing a personality test. This is a violation of federal law.
So, decipher test results with a careful and considerate perspective, and avoid making decisions based on personality alone. The true indicator of good employee fit lies in behavior, which in contrast to personality, is a person’s response to external or internal situations. From a behavioral angle, HR managers and team leads can make better, clearer, fairer judgments about a potential employee.
Find Your PATH in the Workplace
While a person’s personality fluctuates through seasons of life, their innate traits and behaviors remain relatively constant. The PATH Assessment® is unique from all other work-related tests because it shifts focus away from personality and toward psychological behavioral patterns.
This enables employers to understand employees or candidates on a fundamental level, gaining insight beyond their surface. Plus, test takers only have to complete the PATH once for you to see the results you need to make sound, unbiased hiring decisions.
