[WorkPlace] Making The Most Of Personality Profiles

For years, business owners have questioned the value of conducting personality profiles. I’ve probably heard almost every objection in the book. Some were valid; some were not. After working with thousands of business owners in a variety of industries, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is, indeed, a significant value associated with conducting the right personality profile. I am joined by an ever-growing number of employers who, battered and bruised from the labor wars of the 1990s, have also learned to appreciate the usefulness of a good personality profile.

In the past, most employer concerns were based on fears related to privacy (years ago it was not in vogue to reveal one’s "true self"), trust (some people feared that the results would be used against them), the apparent value of experience (past work experience was once the "sacred cow" of hiring — now employers realize the importance of hiring for attitude and training for skill), and legal liabilities (many of the early personality profiles asked personal and non-job-related questions).

Because of the continued need to build consensus, develop strong leaders, and hire people that fit a company’s culture, employer attitudes toward personality profiles have changed. Many have found out what we know — that a good personality profile helps reduce the costs and liabilities associated with placing a "square peg in a round hole."

ONE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE. The theory behind personality profiles is that people perform at their best when they are in a position that allows them to draw on their natural strengths. When people are in a position that causes them to act unnaturally, it creates stress, and stress lowers productivity. Profiles identify an individual’s natural tendencies, which, in turn, help determine what roles they are best suited for. An effective profile can save you years of getting to know someone and learning how to understand the individual.

Of course, personality profiles are only one piece of the hiring puzzle. There are many traits that a personality profile cannot measure, such as experience, maturity, judgment, cultural tendencies, intellect, and a sense of humor, among others. And although two people can score similarly on a personality profile, they will, nevertheless, be two distinct and different individuals. While their personalities may be similar, how their traits are manifested will differ for each person, depending on his or her culture, experiences, upbringing, personal beliefs, intellect, etc. A good personality profile will not provide a complete picture of the individual, although it will define the "template" personality from which the traits emanate.

Personality profiles should never be used as the sole determining factor in an employment decision (hire, promotion, demotion, etc.). They should be combined with other valuable hiring tools, including an in-depth and job-specific interview, a comprehensive and legally compliant application form, background checks (criminal, credit or motor vehicle, as needed), reference checks, job-related pre-employment testing tools, a drug screen and others. Results from all of these should be evaluated carefully and considered as a whole.

A good personality profile should measure "template" personality traits — it should not attempt to define attitudes or feelings. Also, I have found that a good profile that measures an individual’s "rock bottom" personality is useful for any position — in other words, it is not always necessary to use position-specific profiles. A person’s personality traits remain the same regardless of his or her position.

In general, personality profiles should be practical to administer, legally compliant, cost effective, easy to interpret and understand, and job-related. If you elect to use a personality profile (prior to hire or as a development tool after hire), here are several important tips:

• Ensure that the criteria you use to select who will take the profile are non-discriminatory. In other words, we do not recommend that you single out certain people or positions without having a job-related and non-discriminatory rationale for doing so. Personality profiles or employment tests that weed out people based on age, sex, religion, disability or other protected categories are illegal.

• Consider completing the profile yourself, before administering it to employees or candidates. This way, you will have a greater understanding of the profile and how it is interpreted.

• Provide individuals who take the profile with a copy of the results (or the appropriate portion of results). People who bother to take the time to share information about who they are deserve to walk away with a copy of the results. Likewise, prior to hire, you may want to share a copy of your own results with a candidate whom you will supervise. After all, if you are really interested in building relationships, enhancing communication, and focusing on strengths, wouldn’t it help if the people who report directly to you understood you and your style better?

When used properly, the right personality profile can provide invaluable insight into the person you are about to trust with your business, your image, your equipment and your customers. As a prehire tool, personality profiles are one piece of the hiring puzzle that I wouldn’t hire without.

The author is president of Seawright & Associates Inc., a management consulting firm located in Winter Park, Fla. For the past 15 years, she has provided human resource management and compliance advice to employers across the country. She can be contacted at 407/645-2433 or jseawright@pctonline.com.