Do You Like Flowers? A Yes Answer Didn’t Help Careerist Blogger
The company that developed a personality test for would-be lawyers at McKenna Long & Aldridge says it’s difficult to game the results, but a blogger who took the test thinks you may be able to improve your chances of being hired.
The Careerist blogger Vivia Chen took the 30-minute test that posed questions such as “Do you believe in authority?” and “Do you like flowers?” No, she doesn’t believe in authority, and, yes, she likes flowers. She reports these results: “The computer-generated assessment says I’m tense, pessimistic, and a work-in-progress on issues of maturity and responsibility—and those were the positive points!”
The test was developed by TalentQuest. A psychologist with the company, Rick Brandt, told the Careerist that it’s difficult to fake the answers to increase your chances of being hired. You may believe a character trait is a positive, but it might not be, he said.
He offered this example: Lawyers may rate themselves as highly conscientious, he says, but those who are too conscientious may be too rigid.
The Careerist, though, suspects job seekers will do better with the proper spin. She suggests emphasizing you are a cooperative person who takes criticism well and works to find solutions to problems. And for some reason, she says, there is math on the test. “It might help to buy one of those SAT prep books,” she advises.
