The Myers Briggs Type Indicator is one of the personality tests widely used in hiring and employee development practices. In fact, 80% of Fortune 500 companies make use of such tools to assess their current and potential employees. The use of Myers Briggs and other such resources is to make better and more informed decisions when it comes to hiring and development.
All that said, is it always the best indicator of talent and areas of development? Supporters of Myers Briggs say it does help but critics believe it’s nonsense. So which is which? Let’s take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the Myers Briggs system:
List of Strengths of Myers Briggs
1. Helps create a better interview session
Asking all the relevant questions helps hiring managers select the best fit for the job. Knowing the personality type of a potential employee allows the interviewer to ask the right soft skills and behavioral interview questions. This way, they can get a good assessment of the candidate.
2. Know a job candidate even better
Given that interviews can last as long as three hours, and most of the time broken down into situational, behavioral and technical sessions, there really isn’t a lot of time to really get to know a potential employee. Yes, their resume may show a great skill set but you also have to judge their abilities on something more than just a sheet of paper. This is where the interview is most of value. The session can be used to truly assess the skills, abilities and work style of a job candidate to see whether they will truly fit in your work culture.
3. Aids in building better teams
The workplace is seeing lots of scenarios where employees work in teams. In order to build a good team, you must understand the different personalities working within. How would you get someone who is shy to share an idea? How do you manage someone with a hot temper? Knowing how to deal with different personalities and making them work as one is key to building an effective team capable of delivering results.
List of Weaknesses of Myers Briggs
1. The test takes time
While there are free Myers Briggs personality tests online, some companies might prefer getting their analysis from a professional company. After all, most of the free tests only offer the basics while a licensed company can provide in-depth analysis.
2. It costs money
Although companies can save money when they use free Myers Briggs tests online but most prefer a paid package. Why is that? As mentioned earlier, paying to get these tests administered gives a more detailed analysis of the test that was just taken. Hiring managers or development officers need more than just a person’s personality type to help them succeed.
3. It doesn’t provide definite answers
Personality tests are useful only to a certain degree. There are some people who are a hybrid of different personalities and treating them as just a member of the type indicated in a test isn’t fair to them at all. A personality test can give you a good estimate but it isn’t your final verdict as to the capabilities of a potential employee.