Why understanding my Personality Type is important for job interviews

You’ve probably sat through a job interview where you were asked some version of, “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” If you’ve done your homework, you will have googled this question and prepared a list of the best answers in order to impress the interviewer. Full marks for creative thinking, but you’re hardly being authentic and honest. And chances are you’ll be found out.

Instead, what if you really understood your personality type and knew how to present and describe your personality traits to the interviewer in ways that were relevant and meaningful to the job on offer? Wow. Now that would be impressive. By knowing and understanding your personality type you can give yourself a secret weapon to outshine the competition when trying to land a position.

Take the test

If you haven’t already done so, take the PeopleHawk free Personality Test and start to understand your own character and personality. It will only take about 10 minutes. The test measures your Big 5 personality factors (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness and Emotional Stability) and adds in the one most leading employers most look for – Emotional Intelligence. Once you’ve completed the test, you can download your very own Personality Guide detailing the traits that make you who you are. It shows how you stack up on the leading personality traits and working styles that you typically get measured on by employers and colleges.

And don’t worry – the personality test isn’t about good and bad or right from wrong aspects of your nature.  Its purpose is to help you identifying and understanding the behaviours that come naturally to you. It’s an invaluable starting point towards getting the best out of yourself at an interview… and in life.

Filter your findings

Armed with the insights from your Personality Guide, you’ll be ready to use this information to understand how you tend to operate on the job, and you can draw on this information to prepare first-rate responses to those awkward job interview questions, regardless of your career interest. The most straightforward way to do this is to compare what you’ve learned about your personality type with what you know about the requirements for the job you want. Then find ways to emphasise and align the strengths of your personality type with the needs and preferences of the hiring manager as they appear in the job description.

For example, let’s say your PeopleHawk Personality Test describes you as an ‘Analyst’ and the position for which you’re interviewing is strategic and requires high-level decision-making. Analysts are critical thinkers and very strategic in their approach. They are also logical observers and judges of what is going on. You can thus leverage insights about the ‘analyst’ part of your personality type to emphasise your ability to conduct analyses and think logically to arrive at the absolute best solution.

Into action

If you’re new to PeopleHawk, then jump in and take the Personality Test now. In terms of your career it could be the most important 10 minutes you’ll ever spend. And if you’ve already done the Test, then make sure to download your Personality Guide. Its six pages of clearly laid-out insights will open your mind to what a remarkable human being you really are. Knowing your strengths, you’ll be able to play to them and use them to your advantage —not only in work, but at home and in your relationships.