After taking the IPIP test I wasn’t too surprised by my results. Personally, I really enjoy personality tests such as the StrengthsFinder, Enneagram, Myers Briggs, etc. so I have taken these all many times before. I really find it fascinating to learn more about how you function fundamentally and how to work well with others. My results were pretty similar to my results of other personality tests as well.
For the extraversion category it stated “Extraversion is high, indicating you are sociable, outgoing, energetic, and lively. You prefer to be around people much of the time.” For the Agreeableness category it stated “Agreeableness is average, indicating some concern with others’ Needs, but, generally, unwillingness to sacrifice yourself for others.” For the Contentiousness it stated “Conscientiousness is high. This means you set clear goals and pursue them with determination. People regard you as reliable and hard-working.” For the Neuroticism category it stated “Neuroticism is low, indicating that you are exceptionally calm, composed and unflappable. You do not react with intense emotions, even to situations that most people would describe as stressful.” Lastly for the Openness category it stated ” Openness to Experience is average, indicating you enjoy tradition but are willing to try new things. Your thinking is neither simple nor complex. To others you appear to be a well-educated person but not an intellectual.”
After looking at these results I could see how an employer or future employer would be able to identify some potential strengths and weaknesses. For example, for the category of Extraversion, an employer might be able to use this information to determine how outgoing, and energetic a potential might be in a role. This specifically could be helpful for an outward facing role where an employer is looking for someone to be a friendly, welcoming and outgoing person interacting with customers. Another example of how an employer might interpret this information could be seen in the Openness category. Being open to learning and trying new things is essential for new employees to learn and take in information from coworkers and supervisors. Employers likely will want someone who has a strength of being able to be flexible and open to learning new things. If the results of this category were different and showed that an individual wasn’t as open, and maybe was more reserved and stuck in their ways, it would most likely make an employer concerned and consider it a weakness. Overall these different categories can give an employer a lot of insight into how an individual operates and functions in the workplace.
