The five-factor test or Big Five is the name given to the personality test that characterizes the job market. The test is often used in recruiting processes and measures five basic personality traits. The test is based on self-assessment. You evaluate your own behavior based on various statements. The result then shows where you are on the scale within each characteristic. But what does this really say about your performance at work?
– Personality tests only explain about five percent when it comes to predicting success in professional life. This means that 95 percent depends on factors other than personality, for example motivation, gender, age or talent and actual competence, says Bo Melin, professor at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, at Karolinska Institutet.
According to Bo Melin, it is the evolution from traditional HR departments to more strategic HR departments that has created a need for different tools and tools in the recruiting process. He points out that these tests are heavily marketed and companies and governments are particularly receptive to purchasing such services to reduce the risk of a bad hire.
– It is expensive to recruit incorrectly. This can happen if 2,000 people apply for one job. Then the ad may have been too broad.
Bo Melin believes that it is better to specify and limit job postings to reduce the number of applicants rather than screening candidates based on their personality type.
– Nowadays, personality tests are used very frequently, not least among young people at the beginning of their professional life. As a recruiter, you have a lot of responsibility and it’s important to be humble about it, says Bo Melin.
Facts.The five-factor test or Big Five.
● Extroversion: How extroverted or introverted you are.
● Conscientiousness: How structured and thorough you are.
● Friendliness: How friendly and cooperative you are.
● Openness: How open-minded and innovative you are.
● Neuroticism/Emotional Stability: How you work under pressure and stressful situations.
Despite the criticism, many employers assume that the use of the tests will increase. According to a nationwide recruiting survey by jobseeker website Jobbland, nearly 40 percent answered this way.
– Job seekers are very skeptical about personality tests, especially when used very early in the process. This often happens in simpler roles, perhaps workshop jobs, entry-level jobs, holiday jobs or similar. The problem is not the tests themselves, but rather how and when they are used, says Anita Rae, labor market manager at Jobbland and Jobbsafari.
In her opinion, personality tests should not replace professional assessment, but rather be a good supplement.
– An experienced recruiter can recognize patterns and understand relationships better than a standardized test. It is the combination of the recruiter’s experience and the data from the tests that creates the strongest basis for decision-making, says Anita Rae.
Although the tests can be valuable, they are often the first thing you encounter when looking for a job. Interviews and face-to-face meetings typically follow, except in industries where personality testing is particularly necessary, such as healthcare or public health. Anita Rae believes that it is important to ensure that the person has the right qualifications to meet the demands of the job.
When there are large volumes of applications, the tests are often used to structure the selection process. Even if it’s not always about personality in the true sense, many companies use these tests, for example in workshop work and recruitment.
– The aim is to obtain an objective tool to tackle many applications. The risk, however, is that competent candidates will be weeded out before they can even show what they can do, says Anita Rae.
Read more:
What does a personality test actually show?
