I took the IPIP-NEO long version questionnaire and the results were not necessarily surprising to me in most areas. The test results indicated I am an extrovert and enjoy being around people, I am outgoing and sociable. Being Hispanic and growing up in a large family I was always attending parties and large gatherings of people, which I have always enjoyed. Therefore, that is one of the things I miss the most right now with current pandemic restrictions. Depending on the position, being an extrovert can be an important strength to have. I work with people day in and day out so being an extrovert makes it easy and desirable from an employer standpoint.
I rated high in agreeableness which means I can be described as pleasant and caring. Working in HR, I feel like this is a trait is really important to have and employers would likely see this as a strenght. I also rated high in conscientiousness and I feel like I may be on the verge of being deemed a workaholic, which is important to be aware of. It was interesting to see that rating high in this trait is not always positive but I definitely think I am not in the extreme of being a perfectionist but rather dependable and hard working. Employers should be weary of those individuals that display perfectionist and workaholic behaviors as it can lead to employee burnout.
The rating on the neuroticism area was low meaning I am a calm individual even in stressful situations. I have known this about myself for a few years now and it has also been a great ally when handling difficult situations such as HR investigations, safety incidents and life in general. When others freak out, I am there to provide a calm, positive, realistic vibe with a plan of action. This is also another strength to offer especially in a collaborative setting as organizations are becoming more team based.
I thought I would rate high in the Openness to Experience area but the results showed I scored average meaning I enjoy traditions but I am open tor trying new things. Employers would typically identify rating low in this area as a weakness.
Overall I think this is an accurate representation of myself and its always interesting to see it laid out. A potential employer would likely see my personality traits as strengths.
-Nicte
Nicte,
Great rundown of your score results. I wonder how much of a sample cross section of HR professional would score as extroverts versus introverts? In my career, I have had a pretty 50/50 experience in terms of HR staff and extraversion. About half of the ones I have worked with I would presume to be introverts, which worked out well in the traditional one-on-one setting of the employee/HR representative relationship. The other half I would assume to be extraverts as they seemed to be more excited about situations involving large groups of people.
Your comment about openness to experience was also interesting to me. As a potential supervisor, I’m not sure how I would view someone with a low degree of this. On one hand, I would prefer to have the inquisitive and creative nature that a strong openness to experience seems to generate. But on the other hand, an employee who scores low in this category may end up being more focused and results-driven. This is one of the reason why I prefer to see these personality scores as part of general process improvement initiatives and not as part of the hiring process.
Thanks for sharing!
-Matt