I took the full version IPIP-NEO Test, and the results were mixed. When it comes to Extroversion, I scored low, which is spot on. I am often called quiet and reserved by family and friends. Sometimes they think something is wrong. Almost all the time there is nothing wrong, I am just content. I do enjoy solitude and have very few friends, but we are very close and consider each other family. I have a high degree of Agreeableness, which I believe also to be true. I am not very sympathetic towards others unless I have a personal relationship with that person. I attempt to be pleasant and cooperative, which I believe to be mostly true during groupwork, which leads to the next personality domain. I scored high in Conscientiousness, which seems to be true based on reviews of me presented by family members, classmates, and colleagues. I try to pull my weight in every situation because being dependable is important to me. So is my work ethic. I want my daughter to learn that hard work gets you what you want, and nothing is handed to you, so earn it. My Neuroticism was rated as average. This was a little surprising considering my nickname is Iceman, known for being calm and rational in almost any situation. It might be because I internalize it, but being average is fine with me because no one knows me as someone who flies off the handle. The most surprising was Openness to Experience because I was rated low. While I like things to be orderly, I love to travel and experience new cultures and cuisines. I am conservative and practical, but I also have a sense of adventure when attempting to try new things.
A future employer would look at these results and see high scores for Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. I think they would like my Agreeableness and think of it as being a good team player and a pleasure to work with. With the collaboration levels of working environments continuing to increase, this could impress a potential employer I applied with. There is however a weakness in this score. As mentioned above, I am not sympathetic towards others unless I know them on a personal level. I come across as standoffish a lot of the time, even when the situation suggests I should be empathetic. I have always been this way and I don’t see it changing any time soon. Scoring high in Conscientious makes sense. I pride myself in being reliable and hard-working. I believe many employers would be attracted to this quality because they would understand they have an applicant who is willing to devote a good portion of themselves to their job. A probable employer may also be happy with someone who is average when it comes to Neuroticism. Having an even keel is a benefit in the office because overreactions to situations can cause problems with colleagues, something I try to avoid. A definite weakness would be the low score to Openness to Experience. As previously stated, this was a bit surprising, but for an office setting, it is true. Thinking about how I am in my working environment, I am not the biggest fan of change. I don’t see this quality changing, but I may not have a choice given we have a new manager in my department and a new CEO starting in June. It will be a good test for me as it will challenge me to venture out of my comfort zone.
Leave a Reply