Employee personality profile..has anyone had to do this?

[calico2222]

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Oh wait! They want you to display the results at your desk?!!! OMG! That's insane!

That's what I'm saying...INSANE! We got an email about it early last week, but didn't get the test until Friday. And that is when we found out the results would be displayed at our desks. I need to find out tomorrow it that's a requirement or just a suggestion. It's a company wide test, and the home offices are in San Diego, CA and, no offense to our California members, but sometimes I think the sun, heat and healthy living might eat a few brain cells in our corporate office.

For what it's worth, the supervisors aren't happy with it either. Not so much the test, but the displaying the results part. So, we'll see how much it's going to be enforced. Hopefully we can hide our "sign" under our keyboards. I mean, how likely is it someone will travel from sunny CA to back woods Maryland?

 

[Ms. Freya]

Ick...I didn't realize you had to display them.

When we did it, it was entirely up to you if you wanted to share. I'm on a small-ish team, so most of us did, but I'd resent the heck out of being forced to share...especially because, no matter how accurate, these things are generalizations.

 

[auntie crazy]

I've spent the last two and a half years creating, implementing and teaching Learning and Career Development-related initiatives, and I consider these assessments to be a hugely beneficial tool for learning more about oneself. This is important because it facilitates the search for your "perfect job" by helping you identify your innate talents, passions (sometimes), behavior patterns, and priorities.

Do you like to lead? Do you crave stability? Is a high level of visibility important to you? Are you more comfortable working on your own or in a group?

All of these are pieces to the puzzle that is each of us, and learning what those pieces look like can go a long way toward understanding why one particular job "works" for you over another. For instance, what if you're given the choice between two jobs with identical salaries and other benefits and you're having trouble choosing which one will make you the happiest and most successful? These assessments will help you pick that right one based on your task preferences and current priorities.

In my case, I like to lead but I don't like to manage, and I thrive on roles that are highly visible with a lot of responsibility and risk. Knowing this, I stay away from roles that require me to manage other employees, and pounce on projects that allow me to lead teams, especially if they're short-term and high-priority.

Same thing when different opportunities come your way. These assessments will help you identify which ones to pursue and which ones to pass on. And the results of assessments will change over the years as your circumstances and professional experiences change; an employee with a young and growing family may choose the work/life balance as being their highest priority today, but make it one of their lowest once the children are grown and out of the house.

You can take these assessment results a step further and learn to identify all the personality types and - more importantly - how to work with them given your own personality. This is great for anyone who needs to interact with all levels of the company hierarchy (such as Administrative Professionals), and for anyone who deals with the public.

Knowledge is power, and knowing oneself is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful tools of all. I think it's a touch unusual to order employees to post their profiles, but I personally wouldn't find it degrading. Every "type" has a unique and vital part to play in an organization and not one of them is worth more than another.

The mediator role, as mentioned by the OP, is actually a highly sought after trait. I make it a point to pull in mediator types whenever I have the opportunity to create my own teams because they are often the ones who can bring the different sides together to find a viable solution.

Yeesh, I wrote way more than I intended, but this topic is actually one that is near and dear to my heart. I love helping employees come to understand and value their professional selves, whichever "box" they happen to fall in!

AC

P.S. Keirsey.com, TypeLogic.com, Enneagram.net

 

[melesine]

I think they are the worst invention brought to the employment realm since universal drug testing ( I'm fine with drug testing where safety is an issue like drivers and working with heavy machinery) and are regularly abused and used in discriminatory ways.

I think if you want to do one on your own time because you lack self awareness be my guest.

I've never taken one in the context of a job interview and I purposely screen out such places if I can.

 

[auntie crazy]

Originally Posted by Melesine

...

I think if you want to do one on your own time because you lack self awareness be my guest.

....

Yeesh.

The older I get and the more I learn, the more I realize just how little I really know. There is always room for greater understanding and self-improvement.

Throwing this out just for fun - on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator scale, I assess as an INTJ, as does about 1% of America's population. ;-)

AC

 

[yosemite]

Having worked in HR I know first hand how valuable a tool these tests can be in assessing a candidates strengths and weaknesses and a way for HR to work with those assessments to get the best fit for both employee and employer.

 

[vampcow]

LOL yes I have...but only because I was a guinea pig. My sis is an HR director and they were testing a new testing system and she asked me to take the test she was quite suprised at the results

 

[calico2222]

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

I've spent the last two and a half years creating, implementing and teaching Learning and Career Development-related initiatives, and I consider these assessments to be a hugely beneficial tool for learning more about oneself. This is important because it facilitates the search for your "perfect job" by helping you identify your innate talents, passions (sometimes), behavior patterns, and priorities.

Do you like to lead? Do you crave stability? Is a high level of visibility important to you? Are you more comfortable working on your own or in a group?

All of these are pieces to the puzzle that is each of us, and learning what those pieces look like can go a long way toward understanding why one particular job "works" for you over another. For instance, what if you're given the choice between two jobs with identical salaries and other benefits and you're having trouble choosing which one will make you the happiest and most successful? These assessments will help you pick that right one based on your task preferences and current priorities.

In my case, I like to lead but I don't like to manage, and I thrive on roles that are highly visible with a lot of responsibility and risk. Knowing this, I stay away from roles that require me to manage other employees, and pounce on projects that allow me to lead teams, especially if they're short-term and high-priority.

Same thing when different opportunities come your way. These assessments will help you identify which ones to pursue and which ones to pass on. And the results of assessments will change over the years as your circumstances and professional experiences change; an employee with a young and growing family may choose the work/life balance as being their highest priority today, but make it one of their lowest once the children are grown and out of the house.

You can take these assessment results a step further and learn to identify all the personality types and - more importantly - how to work with them given your own personality. This is great for anyone who needs to interact with all levels of the company hierarchy (such as Administrative Professionals), and for anyone who deals with the public.

Knowledge is power, and knowing oneself is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful tools of all. I think it's a touch unusual to order employees to post their profiles, but I personally wouldn't find it degrading. Every "type" has a unique and vital part to play in an organization and not one of them is worth more than another.

The mediator role, as mentioned by the OP, is actually a highly sought after trait. I make it a point to pull in mediator types whenever I have the opportunity to create my own teams because they are often the ones who can bring the different sides together to find a viable solution.

Yeesh, I wrote way more than I intended, but this topic is actually one that is near and dear to my heart. I love helping employees come to understand and value their professional selves, whichever "box" they happen to fall in!

AC

P.S. Keirsey.com, TypeLogic.com, Enneagram.net

Your post was very informative, and I plan on checking you links tomorrow when I have more time (just about bedtime for me tonight), but I want to ask you a few questions.

It seems like other people had long in-depth tests to gauge their strengths and weaknesses, which I would have no problem with. I'm just not sure what a one page test where we have to answer how we think our co-workers perceive us helps at all. I could see that being a part of a more in-depth test but I honestly don't know how they perceive me. I'm quiet, mainly read books during down time (ie, in between calls, which is allowed). Most of the members on our team are in their 20's and still bar hopping..I'm 41 and am asleep by midnight so not a lot in common there. I hop in conversations when it's something I'm interested in, but most times I keep to myself with a few comments thrown in here and there. So, I don't know if they think I'm stuck up, shy, don't care or what. So how is it going to help by saying what I think THEY think of me? This is an honest question as I'm not sure about the thinking behind it.

 

[denice]

The last time I took one of these I came out as a Guardian Protector. I don't remember what the letters were except that I was introverted and feeling. I was supposed to be easily taken for granted because of being introverted, don't like being in the limelight, and want to keep the peace. I do tend to prefer to stay on the sidelines and quietly work.

 

[auntie crazy]

Originally Posted by calico2222

Your post was very informative, and I plan on checking you links tomorrow when I have more time (just about bedtime for me tonight), but I want to ask you a few questions.

It seems like other people had long in-depth tests to gauge their strengths and weaknesses, which I would have no problem with. I'm just not sure what a one page test where we have to answer how we think our co-workers perceive us helps at all. I could see that being a part of a more in-depth test but I honestly don't know how they perceive me. I'm quiet, mainly read books during down time (ie, in between calls, which is allowed). Most of the members on our team are in their 20's and still bar hopping..I'm 41 and am asleep by midnight so not a lot in common there. I hop in conversations when it's something I'm interested in, but most times I keep to myself with a few comments thrown in here and there. So, I don't know if they think I'm stuck up, shy, don't care or what. So how is it going to help by saying what I think THEY think of me? This is an honest question as I'm not sure about the thinking behind it.

Every assessment type I'm familiar with uses a bunch of very similar questions phrased slightly differently for the purpose of identifying one's personality traits at some point along a left to right line, with each of the end points being the "extremes" of whatever trait being assessed.

They aren't meant to measure "strengths" and "weaknesses" but to identify and assess the strength (i.e. slight/moderate/clear) of traits inherent to your personality type. If the only question asked is, "What do you think your coworkers think of you?", then this isn't really a personality or career type assessment. If, however, that question is one among many, then it's likely it's just one of those "rephrased" questions that assesses where along your "how are you energized" line - with extroverts on the far left and introverts on the far right - you lie.

And, contrary to the expectations of many, being an introvert does NOT mean you are shy, it just means you exert energy in group situations and recharge your energy when you are alone. I am an introvert, but there's not a person alive who would call me shy.

Again, personality assessments aren't intended to be used to identify strengths and weaknesses. And - please take this to heart - every single personality type in existence has inherent value. Not one of them is "worth more" or "worth less" than any other.

Knowing your inherent tendencies allows you to understand where some of your thoughts and behaviors come from. This gives you the insight to both moderate those reactions when you think the situation calls for it, and capitalize on those you wish to build upon.

For instance, when people of my personality type sign a contract with someone, we inherently believe the subject is closed, the deal struck, and that's the end of the matter. However, the confidence I feel at that moment - while based upon the contract - is bolstered by a non-logical certainty that things will go exactly as they've been planned. When the situation DOESN'T go smoothly, we suffer that much more because we held such a strong assurance it wouldn't.

Knowing this, I am forewarned to not take things as personally as I "feel" them when, inevitably, a contract is broken. (I say "inevitably" because all contracts involve people and, somewhere along the way, someone is going to breach some contract or agreement.)

And having an inherent belief that people will do what they say they'll do and that events will proceed as they've been planned to proceed is neither a strength nor a weakness, it's just part of who I am.

Does that help a bit?

AC