The results I received after taking the IPIP test were not too surprising to me, although I was surprised to see I ranked low in openness to experience.. I was high in extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and ranked low in neuroticism and openness to experience. These results show that I prefer to be around people most of the time, am pleasant to be around, cooperative, reliable and hardworking. I also don’t tend to react with emotions even in stressful situations. Being low in openness to experience meant that I think to think in plain and simple terms and generally am described as down to earth, practical and conservative.
Based on my results, here is what I think a potential employer would see as strengths and weaknesses. I think for each of the categories strengths and weaknesses could be identified, but these are what came to mind first for me.
My low scoring on openness to experience, may cause the following concerns around weaknesses I may have. I think the most prevalent is that they may think I am not one to think outside of the box add creativity to the workplace. Another weakness they may see is that, I may not handle change well.
Being high in neuroticism, an employer may see my strengths as being able to perform well and remain composed in high pressure/high stress situations. Based on the high extraversion and agreeableness scores, and employer would likely see me as being a good team player, an energetic addition to the team and someone who can adapt well to different groups of people. I could also see an employer potentially viewing my high ranking in agreeableness as a weakness, especially if they are looking for someone to challenge the status quo. Based on the type of work or the current office environment, they may be looking for people less introverted as well , so if that was the case, this could be another weakness.
Hi Kayla,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the IPIP test. Although we agree that the results of our tests weren’t surprising, it is nice to have the reinforcement on our understanding of our predisposed traits. In particular, when applying for a new position and discussing our strengths and weaknesses, it will be easier to respond with the results of the test and be able to describe how we can contribute to the organization. Given that interpretation leaves room for differences on how a trait is a strength or a weakness, I would rather address those head on and ensure that my viewpoint is heard by the hiring committee.