Why Do Personality Assessments Matter?

There are many ways in which we can measure our personalities using assessment tests. Each of the approaches in these assessments brings a unique perspective on what makes someone tick as a person.

Whether you’re trying to decide on a college major, in a career pivot, or are in the process of preparing a business plan, a personality test will help you see your skills and abilities more clearly. But these assessments can play a role in social interactions, too.

They can help you connect with others who function the same way as you do, which can be incredibly rewarding. This probably sounds great, but where do you begin a search for self-awareness?

Myers-Briggs – 16 Personalities

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI for short, is the personality test that has become the standard in the practice. There are countless social media pages dedicated to every one of the 16 personality types the MBTI recognizes.

Are you an introvert (I) or an extrovert (E)? The MBTI will confirm what you may already know deep inside. This test will help you define how you take in information, by sensing (S), that is, by what you actually see or feel, or intuition (N). It will crystalize how you make your decisions, by thinking (T) or feeling (F).

And it will assess how you deal with the world, by judging (J) or perceiving (P). For example, if you're an INTP, you’re an intuitive introvert who gets overwhelmed by the world and may be stuck in your own head too much.

MBTI definitely provides valuable information in helping you pave the path to stepping into confidence and finding your true purpose in life.

Values in Action (VIA) Quiz

A VIA quiz or survey has many similarities to the MBTI. Both deal with personality traits and aim to give self-knowledge to a person. There are no right or wrong answers either, only responses that can help you learn about unique preferences, strengths, and weaknesses.

However, while the MBTI measures how we perceive the world, the VIA quiz focuses on core positive capacities for thinking, feeling, and behaving.

The VIA quiz takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. One of the best parts? When you familiarize yourself with your greatest strengths, you can learn what to delegate to better manage stress and accomplish your goals.

CliftonStrengths Assessment

This test, which used to be known as the Clifton StrengthsFinder, can help you discover where you excel naturally. Sure, some people might believe they’ve known their greatest talents since they were young, but that's not the case for most people.

The CliftonStrengths Assessment offers personalized results that will give you keys to opening up and maximizing your potential. It will take approximately an hour to complete. You’re presented with 177 statements, and you choose which ones best describe you.

The results are 34 CliftonStrengths categories and themes. When completed, you receive a signature theme report so thorough, the odds of someone else having the same report as you are 33 million to one.

Enneagram

If there’s one thing to be said about Enneagram, it’s that it’s going to make you feel “seen.” This might seem like a serious overstatement, especially since so many of us struggle with finding validation.

Understanding your Enneagram type will answer the questions you've been asking yourself. "Oh, this is why I reacted that way!" is a common reaction people have when they learn, for instance, they are an Enneagram Type 4, which makes them a very expressive, temperamental, and dramatic type of person. There are nine Enneagram types, and the results of the test often surprise people.

Your results aren’t something to fight against, but instead, something to give yourself the permission to approach a challenging situation more effectively in the future.

Self-Knowledge Is Essential for Progress

It's entirely unsurprising that many employers use personality assessments during the hiring process. These tests are not random quizzes, but rather the result of long-term research in psychology and human behavior.

Indeed, no test can tell a person's full story, but it can provide valuable insight into their thinking processes and emotions. These assessments arm us with knowledge about ourselves and why we are the way we are. It can be a gift to have this input on a personal and professional level.

If you’re looking to dive deeper into understanding yourself better, send me a message for a complimentary consult here!