If you\u2019re writing a detailed CV, especially for a professional or reasonably senior position, you may want to take a couple of free online personality tests and include extracts from them in your CV \u2014 just as long as they support your application. For example, one extract might read \u201cZest, enthusiasm, and energy\u201d. <\/p>\n
Executive recruitment agencies regularly use personality tests in their psychometric testing of candidates, so they\u2019re bound to find them relevant and interesting. Many employers will also find them relevant, as they\u2019re part of a general trend in recruitment. <\/p>\n
Two free online tests worth considering are the VIA Survey<\/a> of character strengths and Traitify\u2019s 90-second test<\/a>, both of which assess your personality strengths and could be excerpted under a general heading such as \u201cPsychometric profiles\u201d in your CV, with subheadings that specify the names of each of the tests.<\/p>\n Also, if you have copies of the results of any psychometric tests you\u2019ve completed in job applications in the past \u2014 both personality tests and cognitive tests \u2014 you could abbreviate these, selecting only the best bits as excerpts. <\/p>\n And if you complete psychometric tests in a job application in the future, make sure you ask the recruiter for copies of them. To prepare yourself for recruitment tests, see the Guardian\u2019s \u201cHow to complete psychometric tests<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n For a rather negative take on personality tests, see JobTestPrep\u2019s PDF, \u201cPersonality Test Guide<\/a>\u201d, which offers pertinent comments about the somewhat misleading instructions often found in their introductions. For example, \u201cThere are no right or wrong answers\u201d may well be correct as far as capturing your personality is concerned, but the odd answer may differ markedly from some recruiters\u2019 views of the kind of personality they want for the job.<\/p>\n Consequently, you need to exercise some discretion when it comes to deciding what to include in your CV and also when it comes to sitting psychometric tests in the first place, but there\u2019s no point in trying to game the system by creating a false impression of yourself. If your personality really isn\u2019t suited to the job then it won\u2019t serve your interests if you get the job any more than it\u2019ll serve the organisation\u2019s interest in employing you.<\/p>\n However, don\u2019t leap to the conclusion that all employers are seeking one ideal personality type. Some may be. They\u2019ve discovered that, for particular jobs, certain personality traits are a better predictor of workplace performance than many of the traditional ways that candidates are assessed. <\/p>\n By contrast, another reason for an upsurge of interest in personality profiles is the discovery that teams perform more cohesively and effectively when their members have different personalities that complement each other. For more information on this trend, see \u201cPersonality Tests Can Help Balance a Team<\/a>\u201d, which mentions the NZ Army as one of the organisations that is adopting this approach.<\/p>\n And for information on the first trend, scroll down to the section headed \u201cPersonality tests\u201d in the U.S. article \u201cThe resume of the future will tell employers who you are, and not just what you\u2019ve done<\/a>\u201d. (The early part of the article isn\u2019t really applicable to New Zealand and much of the tests section isn\u2019t either.) <\/p>\n A couple of points are worth noting if you do the VIA survey. First, it was developed to assess character strengths for the sake of personal development, not for the sake of using in a CV, so the top 5 or 6 strengths you excerpt for a CV may need some adjustment. For example, if you get \u201cCapacity to love and be loved\u201d among your top strengths, it\u2019s of no relevance to an employer, so drop it off. <\/p>\n