If you are a Hiring Manager, you may have noticed personality tests your peers have given potential employees. You may have taken one or two when interviewing yourself in the last five years.

Personality Tests have become popular in the job market in the last ten years.

So what are they about?

In my unfiltered and honest opinion, most of them are different ways to disguise an IQ test.

IQ Tests measure someone’s cognitive ability and are a good predictor of success. This is the reason many companies decide to use them and they are successful to a point: they show the company how intelligent this applicant can be.

However, intelligence is only one determinant of success.

Here, I will give you an example from my life that illustrates this point well.

Like many people in life, I have friends that are very, very smart. They aced their SATs, went to the best schools, and then… nothing.  Well, something, but not the big hopes they had. They took on jobs, but did not apply themselves and work as hard as other peers that were less intelligent.

Hence, my smart friends were not as successful as my other friends that were not as smart but were more hard-working.

Intelligence only gets you so far. Eventually, hard work, grit, risk-taking, and perseverance also play a very important role in long-term success.

So should use these “Personality Tests”?

Only with a grain of salt since they do not predict success long term. The above factors contribute too.  Be careful.

I recommend looking at the person’s past performance more and their people skills as well.

If you need professional advice for hiring top talent please reach out and I will gladly help you.