| nality and behavioral assessments help evaluate job | | | | organizations are turning to personality and behavioral |
| candidates, build teams and resolve workplace | | | | assessments to help evaluate job candidates, build |
| conflicts. | | | | teams and resolve workplace conflicts. |
| I’m sure you’ll find this interesting. | | | | Think about it. You’re already testing offers, |
| While recently wrapping up a CEO search for a | | | | testing copy, testing merchandise, and testing |
| leading consumer catalog and web company, nearly all | | | | catalogs. So why not your people? |
| the candidates who made our client’s short | | | | If your business is not doing so, you ought to |
| list had the same personality. Interesting, yes! But not | | | | consider using testing (and there are numerous |
| peculiar. | | | | pre-hire assessment options to choose from) to |
| The finalist candidates—four men and a | | | | fine-tune your hiring process and bring in top talent. It |
| woman—a talented mix of seasoned dm execs | | | | may help you get a handle on which candidates are |
| from across the country, were representing career | | | | most likely to succeed—evaluating candidates |
| backgrounds in a variety of product categories and | | | | before they are hired. And give you some kind of |
| company size. | | | | idea of what makes them tick. |
| In fact, after 12 years of assessment testing | | | | This raises the question: Are certain people genetically |
| hundreds of men and women—senior-level | | | | bred to go into direct marketing? Or does the very |
| direct marketing candidates for positions as CEO, | | | | nature of the business effect personality and |
| President—for leadership roles in Finance, | | | | temperament? Take your pick. In my judgment, |
| Marketing, Merchandising, IT, Operations, I’ve | | | | it’s a bit of both. "We want to learn more |
| noticed the same thing. Over 75% of these | | | | about candidates as individuals," says Andy Katz, |
| individuals have the same personality and | | | | President & CEO of pet supplies direct |
| temperament type. So for me, testing this most | | | | marketer, PetEdge. "Once a candidate is hired, this |
| recent group came as no surprise. | | | | same information helps us understand and maximize |
| Why Can't We All Just Get Along? | | | | their talents specific to the role they have," Katz |
| The direct marketing executive personality type | | | | adds. "And we continue to work on developing |
| I’m referring to—and the one you may | | | | employees' self-awareness throughout their careers |
| not be aware of—is shared by only 12% to | | | | to help create an environment that ensures success." |
| 15% of the American population, according to the | | | | You Can’t Study For It |
| Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). This is the | | | | In taking a personality assessment, experts advise |
| standard-bearer of all personality assessments. In | | | | candidates to answer the questions truthfully, not the |
| fact, it identifies sixteen distinctly different, universal | | | | way they think the company wants them to |
| personality types. | | | | respond. There is often a validity factor built in where |
| According to its publishers, Myers-Briggs is used by | | | | many questions are asked solely to determine |
| roughly nine out of 10 Fortune 100 companies and is | | | | whether the subject is answering truthfully and |
| administered to more than 2.5 million employees a | | | | consistently. |
| year. The MBTI was developed 60 years ago based | | | | Even if the candidate does fool the test, he or she |
| on the theories of psychoanalyst Carl Jung. It | | | | will only wind up in a job or assignment that doesn't |
| endures, because it does a great job of improving | | | | fit or will make you—and those around |
| team relations by pointing out differences between | | | | you—miserable. According to Bonnie Bass, a |
| how personality "types" perceive and process | | | | vice president of a professional dynametric programs |
| information. | | | | testing organization, "When people feel the need to |
| The Right Fit | | | | act unnaturally, they waste energy, experience |
| A Harvard University study found that for every | | | | stress and become unhappy and less productive. |
| dismissal based on failure to perform, there are two | | | | People are at their best when they're doing work |
| dismissals due to personality and communication | | | | that draws on their natural strengths and allows them |
| problems. With the high costs of employee turnover, | | | | to be themselves. |
| it's no surprise more and more direct marketing | | | | |