To Human Resources Experts: Test or Personality Inventory ? Discover the difference !
Personality tests and personality inventories are tools used to assess individuals’ personality traits. Both are methods used to measure personality characteristics, but they have some differences.
A personality test is typically an assessment tool that focuses on a specific topic or area and consists of predetermined questions. For example, a personality test used in the hiring process may include questions designed to measure certain personality traits and correlate them with job performance. Personality tests often use standardized scoring systems and provide the opportunity for result comparison.
On the other hand, a personality inventory is a tool used to create a broader personality profile. Personality inventories include a comprehensive set of questions to assess personality traits more extensively and in detail. These inventories typically measure personality traits across different dimensions and factors to construct an individual’s personality profile. The results of personality inventories can be used to evaluate a person’s overall personality traits and tendencies more comprehensively.
In this way, while personality tests usually serve a specific purpose, personality inventories aim to construct a more extensive personality profile. Both can be useful tools for assessing personality traits, but they differ in their purposes and scopes.
.Human Resources Professionals: Which Personality Inventories Do We Use?
Personality inventories used in the recruitment process are tools employed by employers to assess candidates’ personality traits and compatibility. Through these inventories, employers seek to understand candidates’ abilities, skills, motivations, and behaviors in the workplace. Below, you can find some common personality inventories used in the recruitment process and how they are utilized:
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): The MBTI is a widely used personality inventory that categorizes individuals into 16 different personality types based on their preferences in four dichotomies: extraversion vs. introversion, sensing vs. intuition, thinking vs. feeling, and judging vs. perceiving. Employers often use the MBTI to gain insights into candidates’ communication styles, decision-making approaches, and team interactions.
- Big Five Personality Traits: The Big Five model assesses personality traits across five dimensions: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability (also known as neuroticism). Employers use this model to evaluate candidates’ levels of adaptability, organization, sociability, cooperation, and emotional resilience.
- DISC Assessment: The DISC assessment classifies individuals into four primary behavioral styles: dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness. This tool helps employers understand how candidates approach challenges, interact with others, and handle responsibilities in the workplace.
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is an inventory used to analyze personality preferences. This inventory categorizes individuals into four different dimensions (extraversion/introversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, judging/perceiving). The method uses a series of letter pairs to define personality differences, namely: I (Introversion), E (Extraversion), S (Sensing), N (Intuition), T (Thinking), F (Feeling), J (Judging), and P (Perceiving).
- DiSC Personality Profile: The DiSC Personality Profile is used to measure four basic personality types based on behavioral styles: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. Candidates are presented with a series of statements and are asked to rate themselves based on these statements, indicating their behavioral preferences or tendencies. This inventory helps employers understand candidates’ potential behaviors, communication styles, and adaptability in a work environment.
- California Personality Inventory (CPI): The California Personality Inventory is an inventory used to measure and assess personality traits. Candidates are presented with a series of statements and asked to rate them, indicating their own personality characteristics. This inventory analyzes areas such as self-perception, values, habits, and social interactions of individuals.”