Summary
There are many people in the world, each of whom has unique characteristics. The diversity of types of human characters and interests, due to the complexity of people’s psychology and differences in life experiences, makes one job unbearable for one person while another loves it. Various psychological personality tests are critical in studying a person. The employer can use them to find the best job for the employee, and vice versa; the person can find the best job for herself. Different aspects of character in such tests cannot be regarded as positive or negative. Therefore, the tests are also helpful in understanding in which areas a person should work. Although psychological tests that exist today can be blamed for their lack of universality or weak correlation with real life, many years of research in psychology have made modern tests more accurate than ever. Therefore, their study and application are essential in human resource planning and career choice.
Results of Personality Tests Taken
The five-factor model of personality is a model that describes a person by the five independent factors that determine a person’s personality structure (Blitz, 2018). The “Big Five” test results revealed high scores on the extraversion, intellect, and agreeableness factors. For all of these factors, the result exceeded 90% of the results of other test participants, which indicates friendliness, sociability, and openness to new experiences (Blitz, 2018). On the emotional stability factor, the retrieved score exceeded only 43% of the other people, and on the self-control factor, 84%. It may indicate my high emotional instability and predisposition to neuroticism (“Results summary,” n.d.). Although this test is widespread in the study of age psychology and other applied sciences, it is often criticized because of the small number of factors considered and their obsolete naming (Youngman, 2017). Nevertheless, although the test does not give a detailed picture of my personality, it still unmistakably identified the strengths and weaknesses of my behavioral traits.
The Jung typology test is based on Jung and Myers’ typology, defining four aspects of personality and naming them by specific letters. This test is beneficial in determining a person’s future profession, as it indicates the strengths of personality and job in which they can be relevant (Hewett & Martini, 2018). My result is ENFJ, which indicates a pronounced extrovert who can connect well with others. This personality type is characterized by good leadership qualities, a high level of empathy, and at the same time, the ability to self-reflect (“Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging,” n.d.). All these qualities are necessary for jobs related to communication with people or sales, as one of the qualities of this type of personality is the ability to a profitable trade. Among the professions suitable for this type of personality are social work and entrepreneurship.
The following personality test, the Holand Code Test, identified me as an investigative, enterprising and conventional person. Generally, this test assesses six personality factors that define personality. Usually, this test is used to determine the best professions for a person to maximize their potential, but it can also be used to understand what skills are worth improving. The lowest score was on the realistic factor, which is responsible for emotional stability and the ability to perform specific tasks. The second test confirmed my emotional instability factor, which might imply the need to work on maintaining inner calm and tranquility.
High results were taken on the factors responsible for social, entrepreneurial skills and the propensity to perform tasks or other work. The highest result was retrieved on the research skills factor: methodical study or teaching (“Holland Code (RIASEC) test,” 2019). Because of high scores on five of the six factors, it is difficult to discuss the accuracy of the results, as the gap between the first three and the fifth place is not huge. Still, emotional instability as a deficiency and a high propensity for entrepreneurship and social relationships can be seen in several tests.
The Social Intelligence Test Results and Its Importance
Finally, the Social Intelligence test is the last of the tests under consideration. This test is designed to investigate how a person behaves socially, their ability to build relationships and her/his positioning, and their ability to understand others (Lievens & Chan, 2017). This test is significant for professions requiring employees to work in a team, support a team, and perform tasks together. The ability to understand another person and build relationships within a team can significantly increase company effectiveness and employee motivation. This test result is 63 out of a possible 75 points, which indicates my high communication skills. As in previous tests, the lowest score is on the self-regulation factor, indicating a short-tempered and emotional personality (“How emotionally intelligent are you,” n.d.). On the other hand, The test showed significant scores on empathy, motivation, and self-awareness, which means the ability to understand the emotions of others well and the ability to formulate and follow a goal.
Reliability of the Personality Testing Methodology
After taking all these tests, it is worth talking about their validity. These tests are widely used in psychology, HR management, and career guidance, as they contribute to a better understanding of a person’s strengths and weaknesses (Lundgren et al., 2019). The value of each result increases if it is confirmed by the result of another test, which can serve as evidence of the validity of the methodology. There are many ways to determine the validity of techniques, including external, operational, constructive, and others. They are directly related to psychological tests, which have become widespread because their results are tested on large samples and the theoretical basis of these techniques (Youngman, 2017). Various studies have tested the practicality of these tests by examining the life histories of those who took them. Respondents were asked about their work difficulties and current occupation (Hewett & Martini, 2018). Therefore, there are many reasons to trust these tests. Still, it is worth remembering that they do not ultimately reveal a person’s personality but only identify the main areas of personality and recommend ways to deal with their shortcomings.
Thus, all the tests indicated my high social skills and ability to work in a team, but almost all of the results agreed on the need to work on my emotional stability. Besides, many tests indicated my predisposition to entrepreneurship due to my high level of empathy, ability to work with a team, and ability to be a leader. Although the practice of personality tests cannot be called entirely accurate, this is offset by their great variety and narrow focus, which allows a person to check their results. That is why employers or teachers in schools often ask for several tests to get a complete picture of one’s personality. It can help a child choose a profession, a boss determines a position and occupation, and the person himself understands what he has to work on to achieve specific goals.
All these tests have different prevalence, which depends on the purpose of taking them, the region, and other factors, but it is worth emphasizing the trend of their increasing use in different spheres of human life. These tests are being modernized and improved as scientists acquire more and more empirical data about people. Therefore, it should be assumed that such tests will be even more accurate and widespread in the future.
References
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Youngman, J. F. (2017). The use and abuse of pre-employment personality tests. Business Horizons, 60(3), 261-269.