Personality tests

Personality testing is something that I have never taken too seriously. In my find, it falls right under the same genre as Cosmo quizzes to figure out what guy is your type or if you’re a good kisser. I know that these tests are not remotely the same, and that there is an actual science behind the official personality tests such as Myers-Briggs, but mentally, these are all lumped together.

I have taken simulated versions of these personality tests to discover I am an ISFJ, but honestly, these results were not a surprise because I already knew that I am introverted, perceive information by sensing, feel out my decisions and a “judger.” I already knew all of this because I am acutely aware of my own person. I know my traits and habits and how these have developed.
I think when applying personality results to the work place, having the answers to a test does not determine how well people will interact with others or their efficiency. I think personal interaction with your employees is the best way to determine someone’s personality. The test results may allow for an employer to have a basic understanding of how the person may act, but there is no guarantee that the person will melt into the mold like jell-o before it solidifies. A person who is typically very efficient may not be so if he/she comes to abhor their job. A typically friendly person may turn cold and snappy if constantly surrounded by people who have bad attitudes. I think a person’s environment has just as much effect on their work place interactions as their own personality.

Yes tests may be somewhat effective in giving an employer an overview of whom he/she may be hiring, but there is nothing to stop the employee from branching out beyond the bounds of the test results.