How To Pass Personality Tests

If you are applying for jobs then it is only a matter of time before you are asked to complete a personality questionnaire. These are often referred to as personality tests, though it’s not really a test; it’s an assessment.

I am often asked how to pass personality tests but job candidates, so here is what I tell them.

How To Pass Personality Tests – Tip No 1

You need to know what your personality report says about you.

Most people have a very poor understanding of their personality. If you don’t know who you are then you will always struggle to sell yourself at job interviews.

When you are unclear about who you are, then you tend to come across as “I will be anything you want me to be. Please just give me the job.

There is no correlation between how badly you need/ want the job and the employer’s likelihood of offering it to you. In fact, the more you want it, the less likely you will get it. There is a bunch of psychological reasons for this, that I will not go into here.

For now, your take away is – make sure you are very familiar with your personality report and know who you are. the clearer you are, the easier it is for an employer to hire you.

How to pass personality tests – Tip No 2

The second most important piece of advice I can give you is – Do not try and manipulate the results or cheat the questionnaire.

There are plenty of websites that tell you how to do this (allegedly) but it’s all a hoax.

The chances of you manipulating things to your advantage are very small.

Your best case scenario is that you land a job that is fundamentally unsuitable for you and you will be miserable doing it.

Employers are not trying to catch you out or test you. They are trying to do you a favour by placing you in a job that you will be a naturally good fit for. it’s a win: win.

Don’t join the bandwagon

There are plenty of articles out there decrying personality tests They are usually written by journalists that didn’t get a job offer and who want to blame the personality assessment for this. They are rarely written by anyone who actually understands how profiling is used in business. These articles appeal to our vulnerabilities but they aren’t helpful.

How to get more job offers and pass personality tests

If you want to land more job offers then make sure you apply for jobs that are likely to suit your personality type. There will always be a job role that you have the perfect personality type for. Do not waste your time trying to land jobs that are looking for a different personality type to the one you have.

Make sure you have a deep understanding of your personality and know in advance what your report is likely to be telling an employer.

You can read your own Strengths Challenges and Motivations personality report here.

Share This