Ideally, a CIO or CTO can put together a team of complementary personalities to make the most of the team. But it’s hard to do that without objectively knowing each person’s personality type, especially when it comes to new hires or potential candidates. That’s where personality assessment tools are very helpful. They take away the need to guess.
There are generally two types of personality assessments that are useful for professionals. There are self-report inventories, which require people to identify how well a statement or question applies to them. And there are projective personality assessments, which provide information and ask test-takers to give an interpretation.
For career purposes, self-report testings might be more useful. They are easier to understand in a standardized way, comparing results across the board. But there are advantages and drawbacks of each type.
Here are our seven best personality assessment tools for IT professionals.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Long used in the corporate world, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator looks at people through the lens of Carl Jung’s theory of personality. It measures attitudes, perception, judging, and lifestyle preferences. It aims to determine if someone is extroverted or introverted, if they use senses or intuition for perception, if they make decisions based on thought or feeling, and if they relate to the world through thinking or feeling, or perception. The test involves 93 questions.
The results sort people into one of 16 personality types. Each type has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. CIOs and CTOs can use this information to determine if a potential hire is a good fit for the company, and also to put complementary personalities together on teams or projects.
Learn More About the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
DiSC Profile Test
The DiSC test explores dominance, influence, conscientiousness, and steadiness in a test-taker. It’s specifically made for organizations to measure personality in a career context, making it a popular choice. Through 28 questions, subjects pick a word that best describes them and a word that is least likely to describe them.
For company leaders, it’s valuable information. The DiSC test was made for organizational use. It allows CIOs and CTOs to set up teams and projects based on personality types, such as a dominant personality with confidence and directness, a high influence employee who is more enthusiastic than others, a steady, dependable employee, or a conscientious employee who is going to fill in the gaps of accuracy and competency.
Learn More About the DiSC Profile Test
16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF)
The 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire measures warmth, reasoning, emotional stability, dominance, liveliness, rule-consciousness, social boldness, sensitivity, vigilance, abstractedness, privateness, apprehension, openness to change, self-reliance, perfectionism, and tension. The test can be administered online for free, so it’s a simple way to dip one’s toes into the world of personality testing.
Learn More About the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire
HEXACO Model of Personality Structure Personality Inventory
HEXACO stands for the traits it measures — honesty-humility, emotional stability, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. It comes in three versions, a 200-question assessment, a half-length 100-question assessment, and a very quick 60-question edition.
Learn More About HEXACO Model of Personality Structure Personality Inventory
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory or MMPI is commonly used in clinical settings to assess issues of hysteria, depression, paranoia, hypochondriasis, psychopathic deviate, masculinity/femininity, psychastenia, schizophrenia, hypomania, and social introversion. In some cases, it’s used in organizational or occupational contexts to determine psychological stability when that could impact a job-holder.
Test-takers have the option of a 567-question test or a shorter 338-question test.
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Hogan Personality Inventory
The Hogan Personality Inventory is built specifically for occupational use, which is why it features an occupational scale to measure service orientation, stress tolerance, reliability, clerical potential, managerial potential, and sales potential. It also measures behaviors of adjustment, ambition, sociability, interpersonal sensitivity, prudence, inquisitiveness, and learning approach.
The 206 question test is fairly short and simple, making it effective for CIOs and CTOs who want to get a handle on the personality and behavior traits of a team. The hook is that it is not intrusive or invasive. And it is easy to fill out online. With this test, staff and candidates are at lower risk of feeling like they are under a microscope.
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Occupational Interest Inventory
The Occupational Interest Inventory looks at occupational interest in six categories: realistic (naturalistic or manual), investigative (intellectual or technical), artistic (aesthetic or eloquent), social (developing or helping), enterprising (persuading or leading), and conventional (organizing or following).
With this information, CIOs and CTOs can make sure that people are in the roles that work best for their interests, and they can plan future career paths or specializations based on interest and aptitude.
Learn More About the Occupational Interest Inventory
As a CIO or CTO, it’s important to know the personality and talents of IT team members. Each personality comes together to make up the dynamic of the team. One personality type versus another can shift that makeup positively or negatively depending on the mix. Knowing the personalities of team members can help CIOs and CTOs make informed decisions that boost happiness, productivity, and profits.