The job market is an enigma right now. Tech companies are terminating employees by the thousands, yet the unemployment rate fell to 3.4%. That is the lowest jobless level since May 1969. What means that their is a lot of hiring going on right now. Job seekers are likely to encounter personality tests at some point during the hiring process. A per-employment personality test is an assessment used by employers to reveal particular aspects of a candidate’s personality and estimate the likelihood that they will excel in such a position.
Personality tests – Big business
Personality tests are big business. A 2017 Society for Human Resource Management report says that 32% of HR staff use personality tests to vet executive roles, and 28% use them for middle-management positions. The personality test business is expected to be a $6.5 billion industry by 2027. Today, there are more than 2,500 different personality tests on the market. The Myers-Briggs test is the most commonly used personality test. The Myers-Briggs Company website brags that their test is used by more than 88 percent of Fortune 500 companies.
One of the things that Myers-Briggs claims to measures is how introverted or extroverted you are. In basic terms, introverted people direct their energy inward to their own feelings and thoughts, while extroverted people direct energy outward to other people and their environment. In reality, personality is far more complex. Laurel Steinberg, PhD, a licensed psychotherapist in private practice told Insider that most people fall somewhere in between these two types.
Friederike Fabritius, a neuroscientist who has worked with companies like Google and Deloitte on how to attract and retain top talent, found that employers tend to favor extroverts. In an article for CNBC, Ms. Fabritius warns that introverts should not be overlooked. She argues that introverts have four highly coveted skills that set introverts apart from everyone else.
Introverts think more
Gray matter, which exists in the outer most layer of the brain, serves to process and release new information in the brain. Ms. Fabritius cites a study that found that introverts’ brains work differently, and have thicker gray matter compared to extroverts. In people who are strongly extroverted, gray matter was consistently thinner. Introverts also showed more activity in the frontal lobes, where analysis and rational thought take place. Another study that scanned brains of both introverts and extroverts found that, even in a relaxed state, the introverted brain was more active, with increased blood flow.
Introverts can focus longer
Because they enjoy spending time alone, introverts tend to be more willing than extroverts to put in the hours alone necessary to master a skill. The author cites the case of the most famous introvert, Albert Einstein. As a child his teachers thought he was a quiet loner who seemed a million miles away, lost in his thoughts. Einstein said, “It’s that I stay with problems longer.” This ability to focus intensely is a key characteristic of introverts, who often have more extended focus than extroverts.
Introverts are often “gifted”
On average, introverts and extroverts are the same in terms of intelligence. But statistics show that around 70% of gifted people are introverts. People are considered “gifted” when they exhibit above-average intelligence or a superior talent for something, such as music, art or math. Ms. Fabritius contends that your workplace is dominated by extroverts who criticize those who prefer to work alone — or skip after-work cocktails — as “not team players,” it may inadvertently alienate gifted people.
Introverts do the right thing
Introverts tend to be less swayed by external events and driven more by their inner moral compass. The author cites a 2013 study on social conformity found that extroverts are more willing to go along with the opinion of the majority, even if it’s wrong. Extroverts are more likely than introverts to succumb to social pressure. The researchers concluded: “The higher the pressure, a larger number of conforming responses are given by extroverts.” In contrast, “there is no difference in conforming responses given to high- and low-pressure levels by introverts.”
Introvert-friendly workplace
Ms. Fabritius offers some ways that a manager can create a work environment that introverts can flourish in.
Respect boundaries – It takes up to 23 minutes for a person to regain focus after they’ve been interrupted. Don’t expect people to answer every email or Teams message immediately.
Shorten meetings – Many introverts are not fans of meetings. Let go of the idea that the entire office has to be invited to every meeting so that no one feels left out.
Don’t force a certain type of communication – The introverts in your office may prefer emails. Allow people to decide how they want to communicate, even if it differs from yours.
Provide the option of privacy – Introverts tend to need privacy. The solution is a flexible work environment that provides silence and private space for introverts.
Dangers of using personality tests
There are consequences for using personality tests during the employment process.
In 2018 Best Buy settled a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) case where Best Buy had violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by using personality tests during the application process.
CVS Caremark Corporation was charged by the EEOC with using personality testing to discriminate against employees. After receiving the charge, CVS stopped using the personality tests.
In 2015, the EEOC discovered that Target had been using pre-hire employment assessments to discriminate against candidates. Target paid $2.8 million for violating both the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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As an introvert, I resent being pigeon holed by a test. I have had to take personality tests as part of the per-employment process (mostly in early career where the jobs were low paying.) What I see now – like it or not, the future of work is all about more choices, autonomy, and a culture that embraces different ways to work.
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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.
