Pre-employment personality tests
Today’s job market is tight, there are typically more than a dozen applicants for each position posted. How do employers find out who is the best candidate for the position? You used to be hired based on your resume, your previous experience, and a personal interview.
Now, due to downsizing of most human resources departments, applicants are required to take a pre-employment personality test. This test is usually administered online, is timed, and once you answer a question or finish a section of multiple questions, you cannot go back and review your answers.
You are asked to answer each question as honestly as possible and are assured that there are no right or wrong answers. They are required to make this statement, but once you take one of these tests and don’t get the job, you start to wonder. Did they tell you the whole truth?
Types of Questions on a Pre-Employment Personality Test
Most personality tests are multiple choice or true and false. Here’s a tip that will help you improve your scores on this test.
In any section where you have options for Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Neutral, Somewhat Agree, Agree, Strongly Agree, you need to be careful.
Most people, who answer honestly, will neither choose Strongly Disagree nor Strongly Agree.
Why is that? When we’re applying for a job, we don’t want to rock the boat. We want to be seen as a person who is able to get along. Having strong feelings for or against an idea or topic seems rude. We might even worry about coming off as confrontational, aggressive, or even rude.
Right?
Therefore, you will take the most passive approach. You don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. You will choose anything BUT Strongly Agree or Strongly Disagree.
AND YOU WILL GET THAT WRONG ANSWER!
Strongly agree and Strongly disagree questions
Any section that has options ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree should be viewed as True or False. Ignore all options in between!
That’s right, ignore them!
Because they are wrong.
If you agree with the statement, check that you strongly agree with it. If you disagree with a Statement, check Strongly Disagree. There are no other correct answers. The statement is true or false. There is no gray area in these questions. If you want to get a better score on the personality test, this one change will make all the difference.
Answer as honestly as possible, but stop trying not to hurt the test’s feelings. It’s just a test after all.
Did you find this article helpful? Strongly agree!
Best wishes in your future job searches. I guess they’ll hire you a lot quicker now.