Personality Assessments for Better Hiring
Understanding Behaviour Before You Hire
What Are Personality Assessments?
Personality assessments are tools that help employers understand how someone is likely to behave at work before they are hired. When you’re looking for the right person for a job, it’s not just about their skills or experience.
It’s also about how they act, communicate, and fit in with the team. That’s why using candidate assessments in your hiring process can make a big difference.
One of the most popular tools is the Thomas International Personal Profile Analysis (PPA). This assessment gives employers a clear picture of how a candidate is likely to behave in the workplace.
It goes beyond what you see in an interview or on an application form or CV, helping you make better hiring decisions and build stronger teams.personality
Why Use Personality Assessments?
Hiring the wrong person can be costly and stressful. Sometimes, people do well in interviews but act differently once they start the job.
Candidate assessments help you see the real person behind the interview. Here’s why more companies are using them:
Better Job Fit: Assessments show if someone’s natural behaviour matches the job’s needs.
Improved Teamwork: You can see how a person might get along with others.
Fewer Hiring Mistakes: By understanding behaviour, you lower the risk of hiring someone who isn’t right for the role.
Support Development: Assessments help new hires understand their strengths and areas to improve.
Save Time and Money: Making the right hire the first time means less turnover and fewer rehiring costs.
How Does the Thomas PPA Personality Assessment Work?
The Thomas Personal Profile Analysis (PPA) is a quick and simple test. It takes about eight minutes to complete and has 24 questions. Each question gives four words that describe ways people might respond at work.
The candidate picks the word that is most like them and the one that is least like them for each question. There are no right or wrong answers, just honest choices.
By the end of the assessment, the candidate has chosen 48 words. These choices create a profile that shows their natural behaviour at work.
The PPA is a “forced-choice” test, so candidates must pick answers that best fit them, which makes it hard to fake.
What Does the Assessment Measure?
The Thomas PPA uses four main factors to understand behaviour. These are:
Dominance: How they deal with problems and challenges.
Influence: How they interact with others and influence their opinions or actions.
Steadiness: How they handle pace, change, and routine.
Compliance: How they respond to policy and standards.
Every person has a unique mix of these traits. The assessment shows which traits are strongest and how they affect the way someone works.
For example, someone high in Dominance might like taking charge, while someone high in Steadiness may prefer a calm, steady environment.
What Do Employers Learn from Candidate Assessments?
When you use candidate assessments like the Thomas PPA, you get a detailed report about the candidate. This report can include:
Communication Style: How the candidate likes to converse and work with others.
Motivators: What gets them excited and keeps them working hard.
Basic Fears: What might make them uncomfortable or stressed.
Behaviour Under Pressure: How they act when things get tough.
Strengths and Limitations: What they do well and where they might need support.
This information helps you see if the candidate is a good fit for the job and your company’s culture. It also helps you plan how to support them if they join your team.
How Does the Assessment Process Work?
Here’s what happens when you use the Thomas PPA candidate assessment:
Invite the Candidate: The candidate gets a link to take the assessment online. It can also be done on paper if needed.
Complete the Assessment: The candidate answers 24 questions, choosing the words that most and least describe them.
Review the Results: The employer receives a detailed report about the candidate’s behaviour.
Compare to the Ideal Profile: The results are matched to the job’s needs, showing how well the candidate fits.
Use in Interviews: The results help guide interview questions and discussions.
Support Onboarding: If hired, the report helps the new employee understand their style and how to work best with others.
Are Candidate Assessments Reliable?
The Thomas PPA is registered with the British Psychological Society and meets high standards for accuracy and fairness. It has been updated and tested over many years to make sure it works well for all types of jobs and people. The assessment is also available in many languages, making it useful for companies globally.
The PPA is designed to be fair and unbiased. It does not favour any gender or ethnic group, and it only compares candidates to themselves, not to others. This means you get a true picture of each person’s behaviour, not just how they stack up against other candidates.
How Does the Assessment Process Work?
Here’s what happens when you use the Thomas PPA candidate assessment:
Invite the Candidate: The candidate gets a link to take the assessment online. It can also be done on paper if needed.
Complete the Assessment: The candidate answers 24 questions, choosing the words that most and least describe them.
Review the Results: The employer receives a detailed report about the candidate’s behaviour.
Compare to the Ideal Profile: The results are matched to the job’s needs, showing how well the candidate fits.
Use in Interviews: The results help guide interview questions and discussions.
Support Onboarding: If hired, the report helps the new employee understand their style and how to work best with others.
Are Candidate Assessments Reliable?
The Thomas PPA is registered with the British Psychological Society and meets high standards for accuracy and fairness. It has been updated and tested over many years to make sure it works well for all types of jobs and people. The assessment is also available in many languages, making it useful for companies globally.
The PPA is designed to be fair and unbiased. It does not favour any gender or ethnic group, and it only compares candidates to themselves, not to others. This means you get a true picture of each person’s behaviour, not just how they stack up against other candidates.
What Are the Benefits of Using Candidate Assessments?
Here are some of the main benefits of using candidate assessments in your hiring process:
Find the Right Fit: Match candidates to jobs where they can do their best work.
Build Stronger Teams: Understand how different people will work together.
Support Employee Growth: Help new hires learn about themselves and develop their skills.
Reduce Turnover: Hire people who are more likely to stay and succeed.
Make Smarter Decisions: Use data to guide your choices, not just impressions.
How Can Candidate Assessments Help After Hiring?
Candidate assessments aren’t just for hiring. They can also help with:
Onboarding: New hires use their reports to learn about their strengths and areas to improve.
Team Building: Managers use the results to build balanced, effective teams.
Personal Development: Employees can see where they shine and where they can grow.
Performance Reviews: Use assessment data to guide feedback and development plans.
Tips for Candidates Taking the Assessment
If you’re a candidate about to take the Thomas PPA, here are some tips:
Be Honest: Answer based on how you really act at work, not how you think you should act.
Don’t Overthink: Go with your first instinct for each question.
Focus on Work: Think about your behaviour in a work setting, not at home or with friends.
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. The goal is to find the best fit for you and the company.
Why Candidate Assessments Matter
Candidate assessments, like the Thomas International Personal Profile Analysis, are powerful tools for making smarter hiring decisions.
They help employers see the real person behind the application or CV and interview, making it easier to find the right fit for every job. By understanding behaviour, communication styles, and motivators, companies can build stronger teams and set new hires up for success.
If you want to improve your hiring process, reduce mistakes, and build a better workplace, consider using candidate assessments.
They are quick, reliable, and give you the insight you need to make the best choices for your business and your people.
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