Why Personality Testing?
I have been evaluating online personality tests for use by TAC students for several purposes:
- Prompt students to gain insight into their interests and strengths which is useful for preparing a resume and for standard interview questions.
- Offer students a framework to evaluate and discuss these characteristics.
- Provide specific suggestions about which careers align with a student’s personality traits.
Now, after my daughter has just experienced three job interviews all of which involved an online personality test, I would add a fourth purpose:
- Give our students experience with online personality testing as an increasingly common interview tool.
Based on my recent experience with these online tests, I recommend students take one of the online personality tests as a first step then take the more job specific “eparachute” test second.
I found that the taking a personality test first, as a practice test, helped me to be more efficient and thoughtful when taking the “eparachute” test.
Personality Tests
There are different types of personality tests. Just like there is no correct answer to a personality test question, there is likely no perfect personality test. The links to tests offered below are options. If you find one which you prefer, please let us know and give us the reason so we can offer it on this page. The tests offered below are free.
(For 123test, be sure to scroll down on results page to read extensive interpretive notes)
https://www.16personalities.com/
Another personality test to consider is called the “Clifton Strengths Finder 2.0”. The code to a free test is located in the back of the book by the same name.
Confidentiality Note for All Tests: Presuming you enter your email address at the beginning of these tests, you will have access to the test results (and retests, if you wish). These results are confidential to you unless you share the results with others (which, I recommend against).
Career-oriented Test
The College has purchased a subscription which enables its students to take a more career oriented test, eparachute.com, which is based on the long-running series of self-help books, “What Color Is Your Parachute”. This test leads a student to a written list of potential career activities which match the characteristics evident in the student’s test results.
http://eparachute.com?ao=2RWUEL5P909GYQ5X
Please do not share this link with others outside the College.
As above, the results of this test are confidential to the student.
Conclusion
I hope you will find these online tests to be both helpful to you and not burdensome to take.
Please give me your feedback on the value of the specific tests and the overall activity.
Dennis McCarthy
dmccarthy@thomasaquinas.edu