BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS

How would you describe yourself …

honestly?
1 Warmer

a. Discuss these questions.

1. What different traits make a ‘personality’? Add your own ideas to the word cloud below.

conscientiousness
agreeableness dominance

decision-making emotionality intuitiveness

honesty extroversion openness to experience
introversion influence steadiness
humility

2. Have you ever completed a personality test? Do you think these can accurately identify your
personality traits?

3. Do you think using personality assessment tools in recruitment is a good idea? Why (not)?

4. How accurately do personality tests predict an individual’s potential?

2 Key words

a. Read the definitions and find key words in the article that match them. The paragraph number
is given in brackets to help you.
Check your answers and your understanding of the words by using them to complete the
example sentence immediately after each definition. You may have to change the form of
the word.
Then, read the complete article to see how each of the key words is used in context.

1. a natural ability that makes it easy for you to do something well

(paragraph 1)

I had no for chemistry, which is probably why I dislike it so much.

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2. based on situations or events that seem possible rather than on actual ones

(paragraph 1)

Our crisis management plan is a document that outlines different

challenges.
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3. behaviour that is caused by your genes and the way that your brain is made, rather than learnt

from experience (paragraph 1)

I don’t think we are to deal with conflict; it is something that we need

to learn from our environment.

4. in a way that shows a quality or ability that you have always had

(paragraph 2)

Some studies have concluded that humans are social creatures, and

this should be considered when creating organisational structures and systems.

5. something that completely changes the way something is done, thought about, or made

(paragraph 3)

A new start-up is farming a plastic-eating worm, which might be a

for plastic waste management.

6. very common in a particular place or among a specific group

(paragraph 4)

According to the headhunting firm, dishonest CVs have become more

in the last decade.

7. the process of collecting and examining information about someone or something to get an

accurate idea of what they are like (paragraph 6)

The app includes a feature for each student and shares their learning

preferences with the teacher.

8. the quality of always behaving according to the moral principles that you believe in so that people
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respect and trust you (paragraph 8)

While not everyone agreed with her decisions, no one could question her

on this issue.
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9. make something more interesting by adding details, especially ones that are not entirely true

(paragraph 8)

I’m not sure why Dan felt he had to his narrative of the events when

the truth was already flattering.

10. show something unknown or hidden (paragraph 9)

The emergency that most of us choke under pressure.

11. look for someone or something, for example, by searching through a large amount of information

(paragraph 10)

Her assistant has through hundreds of CVs and shortlisted only

twelve for her to look at.

12. a feeling or attitude of confidence (paragraph 12)

Jess showed a range of skills and her depth of understanding in the interview, but she lacked

13. able to understand how someone feels because you can imagine what it is like to be them

(paragraph 13)

She shows a balance between being people- and results-orientated. Her team has described her

as a demanding yet boss.

14. extremely useful (paragraph 14)

Many of our competitors’ new hires are recent graduates, but we find that experience is

and have a strict age-discrimination policy.

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 BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS

Psychological tests can help firms hire

better – but accuracy is not guaranteed
EMPLOYERS ARE USING PERSONALITY ASSESSMENTS TO RESOLVE DISPUTES AND DIVERSIFY THEIR
WORKFORCE

ANJLI RAVAL
23 APRIL, 2023

1 It was the closest I’ve come to seeing a therapist. After 7 Only 10–15 per cent of companies on the Fortune
several hours of personality and aptitude tests for a 500, FTSE 100 and S&P 500 indices did not use
hypothetical job at AlixPartners, it was time to talk to some kind of pre-employment testing, according
Jeremy Borys, a partner at the consultancy and an to Chamorro-Premuzic. Even though these
expert in organisational psychology. He wanted to corporations only tested a small percentage of their
discuss my “hard-wired personality structure”. total workforce – perhaps at entry level or for an
executive committee – companies from PepsiCo and
2 For 40 years, Alix has been collecting data on the Boeing to Shell, Maersk and Spotify all used them,
core psychological needs of potential recruits – from he added.
its receptionists to its chief executive. The company’s
findings show that by discovering what innately 8 Yet there is no guarantee such hiring tools work.
drives an individual, they can hire for the long term, “That’s why we’re still here,” Reed said. “The most
weed out people who would not be a cultural fit and important thing for hirers is integrity. Is this individual
build teams that work more effectively. honest and trustworthy? And none of these products
will do that.” Reed does a lot of screening work for
3 Many creators of personality assessment tools issue clients – from evaluating CVs to credit and criminal
disclaimers that they should not be used to predict checks and getting references. “Around 40 per cent
job performance. Executive headhunters say people of them have an error, shall we say,” he said, alluding
lie, responses can change depending on the day to the fact that people embellished their work histories
and practice tests mean you can beat the system. and qualifications.
Alix believes its assessment is a game-changer for
the firm – it uses results to resolve problems within 9 As a truthful test-taker, the Alix assessments revealed
teams and, like other companies, believes testing some traits I knew I had – I am task-orientated,
helps diversify its workforce as it is not recruiting value-driven and work best when I have clear, well-
from certain schools or people with specific degrees. defined objectives, and take on work with meaning.
But even so, the consultancy admits the tests alone At the same time I can take on too much, struggle to
are not enough to hire someone. delegate, become overinvested in achieving goals,
and can be stubborn and overly critical. My husband
4 So why are they so prevalent? would likely agree.
5 “If you make a good hire, it is a powerful and 10 My results showed that even as my critical-thinking
advantageous thing to do,” said James Reed, chair skills were superior, my ability to process masses of
and chief executive of the recruitment company that data quickly could have been better. I couldn’t help
carries the family name. but think that had my toddler not woken up repeatedly
6 Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, an organisational the prior night my performance might have been
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stronger. Had I trawled the internet for practice tests,

psychologist and expert in personality profiling,
I could have improved my scores.
said that while there was huge variability in the
quality of tests, a small proportion of them were very
accurate. “Well-designed tests predict performance,”
he stressed.
Continued on next page
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11 Chamorro-Premuzic said doing practice tests didn’t 14 When individuals feel fulfilled psychologically, they
necessarily mean you were gaming the system. are more productive in the workplace as well as
You are showing yourself in the best light. He said healthier and happier. If testing technology improves
prospective employees cheated less than people and more accuracy could be guaranteed, the
thought, for fear of being caught. And even if some information it provided would be invaluable for all
did lie, what’s the problem? “If you can tell employers team leaders – they would be able to manage people
what they want to hear... is that wrong? Sounds better, individuals would be assigned work that was
unethical, but this is the real world. You might actually more suited to them, groups could function better and
be good at your job even if you lie your entire life.” conflict could be dissipated swiftly.

12 Putting cynical thoughts aside, testing provides an 15 Until that happens, companies might be wise to take
extra level of assurance at a time when hiring badly note of those disclaimers.
is costly – in terms of time and money – amid a
shortage of skilled workers.

13 It helps companies assess an individual’s skills

and potential for growth, as well as how well they
would respond in a particular scenario. Self-reported
personality quizzes aim to identify specific traits, such
as how reliable or ambitious you are. Psychological
tests try to measure emotional intelligence, such as
how empathetic and self-aware you might be.

Anjli Raval, 23 April, 2023

© The Financial Times.
All rights reserved.
Articles republished from the Financial Times.
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3 Understanding the article

a. Complete the table with key information from the article.

1. what AlixPartners research

2. applications
3. personality assessment tool disclaimer
& reasons
4. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic on accuracy
5. what companies use pre-employment
testing
6. screening methods and findings
7. writer’s test results
8. factors that influence results
9. benefits of testing
10. benefits of a hypothetical 100%
accurate test

4 Business language – collocations

a. Match the verbs and nouns below to form collocations from the article.

assess assign collect dissipate diversify

embellish issue process resolve trawl

1. disputes/problems

2. your workforce

3. / data

4. disclaimers

5. your qualifications

6. achieving goals

7. the internet

8. / an individual’s skills and potential for

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growth/emotional intelligence

9. work

10. conflict
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b. Complete the sentences with collocations from task a.

1. I (went through) before I found a job ad that I liked and sent in

my application.

2. I believe she would have got the job had she not (exaggerated) her
.

3. A corporate psychologist has been brought in to help (fix) the

in the management team.

4. This meeting has been called to define and (designate) all of the
involved in the next event.

5. Since we receive applications with very similar profiles, we are exploring new avenues of
recruitment to (vary) our .

6. Employees are encouraged to use open communication to (end) and

maintain a positive work environment.

7. A was (released) on the company website

denying support for the controversial political campaign.

8. A 360 evaluation is a process for (evaluating) performance by using

many different kinds of feedback.

9. Their latest study (gathered) self-reported

from more than 5,000 subscribed customers.

10. While it is good to focus on your goals, it is important to enjoy the process and not (be obsessed)
the outcomes.

c. Identify useful vocabulary from the article related to the recruitment process. Draw a diagram
in your notebook.

5 Discussion

a. Discuss the following questions.

1. Did anything in the article surprise you? Why?

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2. At what stage and how could companies most efficiently use a personality assessment
tool?Should it be limited to the recruitment stage?

3. What criteria should a company use to select a personality assessment tool?

4. How do you think personality assessments vary?

5. Would you prepare for such an assessment? How?

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6 Wider business theme – using personality assessment tools in the

recruitment process

a. You are a manager at a rapidly growing company that makes clothing from sustainably grown
bamboo. Recently, you have had to hire several new staff members to meet demands. You
recruited quickly but unsuccessfully from IT to design, sales, and marketing. With a high
turnover and some not-so-great fits, you are now considering using personality assessment to
help inform your recruitment decisions.

b. You are attending an online meeting to decide whether to include a mandatory personality
assessment while recruiting.

1. First, list the pros and cons of each alternative. Do more research on your options, if possible.
Consider biases, diversity of people who would be successful, relevance to your company’s
values and vision, reliability, accuracy, ease of use, cost, etc.

2. Then, consider your pros and cons and develop an argument favouring your assigned
assessment tool and arguments against possible objections. Note down reasons and examples
to support your opinion.

3. Now, work in small groups and discuss to decide.

Different types of personality assessments

HEXACO personality inventory DISC The Myers-Briggs

Type Indicator
Measures six major personality Measures four major dimensions: Measures: extroversion-
dimensions, namely: dominance, influence, introversion, sensing
honesty-humility, emotionality, conscientiousness, steadiness preference-intuitive preference
extraversion, agreeableness, for processing information,
conscientiousness, openness to decision-making by thinking or
experience feeling, judging-perceiving way of
doing things
Available in 60-item and 100-item Free 12-question test-question Online or in-person by a
version test (10 min) professional
Results shown on the scale Description of your natural and Identify your personality type
adapted style (there are 16 4-letter MBTI types)
and verification by expert
Free online test Full 24-question test $39 Free for basic results,
$49.95 for online test
Test available in over 20 Available in over 30 languages, Available in European languages
languages, results in English as well as translated reports
Advanced

Pros: Pros: Pros:

Cons: Cons: Cons:

Extension
Write an email to Human Resources summarising the final meeting outcomes.
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