Throughout any organization, different roles require different skill sets and aptitudes, which are tied to personality. Not every temperament can be a motivating leader, an engaging front-line customer contact or a micromanaging organizational specialist. Even an entry-level position suitable for minimal skills is better filled by a compatible personality such as one tolerant of repetition and mundane occupation. Organizations are recognizing more and more the importance of personality when looking for candidates to fill job openings.
Personality testing is more widely used in business than ever. As of the year 2009, the $500-million industry of assessing an individual's disposition has been growing by 10 percent each year. With over 2,500 personality questionnaires to choose from, employers have ample tools at their disposal to assess the compatibility of a candidate's personality with a particular job. Testing is done to give employers a defense against legal dispute over the allocation of a position; companies using formalized testing have a quantifiable measurement to justify hiring decisions that carries more legal weight than the intangible preference of a hiring manager.
There are four basic personality types. Combinations and subtypes exist as well, but generally most people fit primarily in one of the four main categories. Action-oriented, objective-focused types get to the point. They sometimes appear cold as they justify their methods with their results, but are usually successful. Social personalities are dynamic and friendly, with strengths in motivation and communication rather than actual task completion. Supportive types shy away from conflict and decision making, but adapt to change well and are dependable. Detail-oriented analytical personalities love facts, excel at perception and processing information, but can be critical and pessimistic. Each basic personality type has strengths and weaknesses. Keeping personality in mind when assigning a staffer to a certain role allows strengths to shine while making weaknesses less relevant and impacting.
Emotional intelligence is also important in the workplace, and can affect the manifestation of an individual's personality. While personality is an inborn behavior inclination possessed by an individual, emotional intelligence is a skill used by that individual to recognize self behaviors and manage them appropriately according to each situation. For example, a socially-oriented personality with good emotional intelligence will recognize when to step back from motivational behavior to allow for productive work-flow and task completion, rather than being overly communicative and disruptive.
When building your team or filling a vacancy within your organization, paying attention to personality traits that will shine in job roles is not only prudent; it is as important as considering training and previously acquired skill sets. Information and skills can be learned, whereas personality is ingrained and harder to change. Matching the right personality, along with the right skills, to each job improves your chance of success.
- Psychometric Success: Personality Tests
- Hogan Resources: History of Personality
- Earthling Communication: The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace: Why It Matters More than Personality; Mike Poskey
- Hire Success: Personality Types Made Easy -- The Four Basic Temperaments
- The Basic 4: About Personality or Behavior Types; Jeff Compton
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