Personality tests are a hustle

There is no bottom

It’s been a minute since I ranted on personality tests. But today I was reminded there is no bottom.

Personality tests are the new astrology. A plausible sounding pseudoscience that attempts to reduce the complexity of the human mind into easily digestible stereotypes. They give people the false confidence needed to make questionable personnel decisions. Their ultimate goal is to sell more tests.

More simply: it’s a hustle.

Why personality tests are dumb:

1. If you believe the net sum of someone’s ‘vibes’ can be determined with a standardized test, I have a bridge I can sell you.
2. If you think that only hiring ABC personality type is a good idea for team chemistry to begin with, you failed the cognitive test.
3. The idea that only XYZ personality type can be successful in a particular role flies in the face of any real world experience any of us have.

I’ve known a lot of successful recruiters in my life. They’re all extremely different. If they can do the job, they can do the job.

So about this image:

Yes, a professional contact and friend of mine, who is a Head of People, received this as a rejection letter. I cannot divulge who as they are looking for a new role and currently employed.

But safe to say: the reason why we became friends is largely because this person is very knowledgeable, outspoken, and assertive. The exact opposite of how the ‘assessment’ went.

And yes, this served as the rejection letter. The only person who failed the test is the person who sent it.

James Hornick

Partner at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn.