Here’s the short answer: you can, but you really shouldn’t.
As long as personality assessments have existed, employers have asked the question, “Is it all right to use these results to weed out bad or ineffectual workers?”
And the answer is no.
No, no, no, no, no.
No.
While we can’t truly enforce whether you use our test to screen job applicants, we can tell you two reasons why this would be a bad idea.
Reason #1: Someone’s Personality Type Is Not a Reliable Indicator of Their Professional Success within a Specific Field
We become what our work needs us to be. For example, if a person has a high score for Introversion, but their work needs them to be talkative and socially driven in order to succeed, then they will become that person for short bursts throughout the day.
Is it their preference to be that? No.
But are they capable of it? Yes.
This can be said of all the personality trait pairs – Introverted vs. Extraverted, Intuitive vs. Observant, Thinking vs. Feeling, Judging vs. Prospecting, and Assertive vs. Turbulent.
That’s why it’s a bad idea to filter out employees based on their personality assessment results. You’re filtering them out based on how they perceive themselves and not what they’re capable of.
Reason #2: Too Many [Insert Trait Here] Personalities Can Make for an Unbalanced Team
Suppose you disregard the above, and you still want a team composed mostly of, say, Intuitive personality types. And why wouldn’t you? Intuitive types, when left to their own devices, can be extremely visionary people. They often work outside the established lines and can push your company to new, never-before-seen heights.
But who is dealing with the logistics of things? Who is taking the practical steps, the steps that have already been proven to work? Who is making things much easier by suggesting, “Hey, this method already works. Why don’t we just repeat it?”
The same could be said if the situation were reversed. Too many Observant types may keep your team from innovating in a quickly changing landscape.
See, one of the beautiful things about having many different personality types on your team is that you’re able to see from several different perspectives, take a bevy of insights, and then decide on the right path.
Where to Go from Here
- Check out our Team Assessments – they can help you improve your existing team’s morale and performance.
- Read our framework to learn about personality theory, traits, and type groups.
- While we don’t recommend hiring based on personality type, we do offer plenty of advice on professional development, including how to leverage the strengths of personality traits to enhance teamwork in the workplace.
- Explore our Premium Profiles to get an in-depth view of how each personality type copes in the workplace.
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