Why you should stop trying to game personality tests during job interviews

You’re applying for a job and made it to the next step in the hiring process: the dreaded personality assessment. Few people like to take these tests—especially when a job offer hinges on it. And are these tests even legit?

You want to showcase that you’re right for the job, and some of the questions seem like no-brainers. For example, if you’re asked to assess statements such as “I like to learn new skills” by choosing from “strongly agree,” “agree,” “neither agree nor disagree,” “disagree,” “strongly disagree,” you’ll likely choose “strongly agree.”

Others are more nuanced, such as being asked to complete this sentence:

“When I set goals at work, I choose . . .”

1. Objectives I feel confident I can attain
2. Objectives that feel challenging but attainable
3. Objectives that are part of a bigger goal
4. Objectives that would make me feel good to achieve

Um . . . all the above?

While you can answer questions based on what you think the company wants to hear, doing so comes with significant risks, says Matt Poepsel, vice president of talent optimization for The Predictive Index, a behavioral assessment tool.

“In psychology circles, we call it ‘impression management,’” he says. “You try to dress your best and show up on time, even if you don’t always do those things. It also extends over to behavioral or personality assessments that employers give.”

What Happens When You Game Tests

Pretending on an assessment sets you up for problems later if you tilt your answers toward what you think the employer might be looking for but they’re the opposite of your true self. It’s the ultimate career self-sabotage, says Poepsel.

“If you actually get the job, that’s almost the worst thing that could happen,” he says. “Now the types of tasks that they bring to you are going to be for this person that you’re not.”

When you land a job through falsified test results, you could feel like you must curtail certain parts of your personality that are natural for you, which could cause stress, anxiety, and eventual burnout. In addition, you will need to expend a tremendous amount of energy to do the types of tasks that weren’t a great fit for you in the first place. For example, if you present yourself as detail-oriented and you’re not, you’ll need to bring a level of concentration to your role that’s unnatural to you.

“When that happens, especially for early career people, imposter syndrome begins to set in, and then performance begins to take a hit,” says Poepsel. “All of a sudden, you’re having those difficult conversations with your employer, and it’s really on you, because you decided that getting the job was more important than being a great fit for the job. It’s like walking around in the wrong shoes, thinking this is what the employer wants me to wear. But wearing shoes that are too tight is not a comfortable way to go through your workday.”

What Employers Need to Do

While it’s important that candidates answer questions honestly, employers have a responsibility in how they use assessments, too. Their misuse can be detrimental to the company in the long run. Poepsel recommends using a live interview to cross-check a candidate’s answers.

For example, if an employer needs someone detail-oriented for a job, they may look for assessment answers that demonstrate formality and compliance. A behavioral affirming interview question might be, “Tell me about a time when you’ve had to bring a tremendous amount of detail orientation to a project that you’re working on.” Someone who authentically has these traits should be able to provide a detailed answer to the question.

Assessments are just one tool employers can use to find their next great employee, and answering behavior test questions honestly shouldn’t necessarily exclude someone from getting a job offer, says Poepsel.

“Ultimately, the manager owns the gaps,” he says. “If they’re hiring somebody for a role that’s highly detail-oriented, and you’re detail-oriented but not super detail-oriented, that’s totally fine. The manager can provide coaching, training, tooling, and support to overcome that natural gap. We don’t need a 10-out-of-10 person. If somebody’s an eight out of 10, they just need different types of resources and support.”