If the secret to career happiness is to choose a career in alignment with your values, talents and strengths, then the first step to any fulfilling career change has to be gaining a good understanding of who you are.
And here is where personality tests come handy.
For me, taking personality tests it’s a fun thing to do, but I admit there are some downsides to using personality tests.
There are 5 important keys to keep in mind while taking any career personality test.
Key #1: Well researched personality tests are the best.
There are many personality tests out there. And you can find a free version of almost any of them online.
The problem with this approach is that you can not give too much credit to those results.
As they say, you get what you pay for. So whenever you take a free online test, take those results with a grain of salt.
Keep the information you are absolutely convinced it’s true and discard the rest. And never make a huge life change based just on free personality test.
Key #2: You are always the expert in you
Even if you take a well known and trustworthy personality test, don’t put your own personal power on the test results. Because, no matter how good or accurate a test is, tests are fallible.
So my recommendation is this:
Never accept the information you get from a test at face value. Go inwards, do a bit of self reflection and check the information you’ve received against with what you honestly know about yourself.
(NOTE: I’m creating a free pdf with some guidelines on how to do this. If you are interested and want to be notified when this pdf is ready, please leave a comment below and I’ll make sure you get a free copy of it.)
Key #3: Different tests will give you different kinds of information about you.
Every test is designed with a specific goal in mind. Each one, no matter how similar they might seem, is designed to access a different kind of information.
If you compare your results from different tests without being aware of their focus, the information they’ll give you can be misleading. At times it can even be totally contradictory.
That’s confusing.
And confusion will always keep you stuck.
I don’t know about you but I’ll rather have less information, from a trustworthy source, than have lots of contradictory bits that keep me paralyzed, don’t you agree?
For example, the Fascination Advantage Test, gives you information about how other people see you, while your self image can be completely different.
My tip for you is to always keep in mind what type of information the test is designed to give you.
Key #4: You are a multifaceted being
Let’s face it, no single test will be able to tell you everything about who you are.
People are like diamonds.
We are multifaceted, we have lots of different qualities. And you won’t be able to see everything just by looking through one of the sides.
Whenever you can, I recommend you use at least 3 different personality tests. By doing so, you will gain a deeper and more accurate understanding of the totality of who you are. (Find out what my favorite personality tests are in this article).
Key #5: Your life circumstances will color your test results.
Specially with test-type assessments, your personal situation will influence the results you get.
There are a number of circumstances that can make a difference on the answers you give to each question; based on your age, what stage of your personal evolution you are or even if you are going through a very stressful situation.
This personal story will illustrate what I mean.
One day I was mindlessly surfing the net, when I discovered this new and intriguing test. I’ve mentioned before that taking personality tests it’s fun for me, so I rushed to take the test.
By that time I was very exhausted.
My father had been in hospital for several months, and I was paying daily visits there to talk with the doctors, help him eat dinner and stuff like that.
My need for down time was huge, as you can imagine, and I was literally craving alone time to recharge my batteries. So when I took the personality test on that day, my test results reflected that in a very dramatic way.
No wonder I came out as a very extreme case of introversion.
What I know about myself is that I mostly behave like an ambivert, with slight preferences towards introversion.But on that day, the results pointed I was an introvert to the extreme! My need to rest and recharge showed up in my answers.
So it’s always better to take a personality test when you are going through a calm and peaceful period of your life. And if you can’t, keep in mind that those results might be colored by your current needs due to your stressful situation.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
I’m giving the final touches to a guide that will help you evaluate any test results to gain the a better understanding of who you truly are.
If you are interested and want to receive a FREE copy of my guide, just let me know in the comment section below and I’ll make sure you get a free copy of it.
Have you ever taken a test and received totally contradictory information from what you knew about yourself? Let’s keep the conversation below.