Hiring is based on astrology now

Hi! I’m Peter, CEO of Kickresume, and these career-related stories caught my attention this month — and might catch yours too.

I have a strict hiring policy:

• Developers? Only Capricorns. They're analytical and precise.

• Managers? Definitely not Libras. Hired one, couldn’t make a decision.

• Content team? Strictly Cancers and Pisces. Sensitive, creative types.

Okay, obviously I'm kidding. That would be completely ridiculous.

Though funnily enough, you've probably already been hired (or rejected) because of something equally random as your star sign.

Something that, according to researchers, “isn't much better than astrology.”

You just need to swap out Capricorn for INTJ or Libra for ENTP.

And boom, suddenly you’re just practicing standard corporate hiring. 

I’m talking about personality tests—they are everywhere, and turns out, nearly 80% of Fortune 500 companies trust these tests to (not) choose new employees. 

(And if you're into astrology and I've just offended you... well, you know, us Sagittarius men simply “tend to be straightforward and honest, sometimes to the point of bluntness.”)

The Buzzfeed quiz companies pay billions for

Personality tests in hiring are massive. 

Around 80 million people worldwide take one of these tests each year when applying for a job. And, by 2027, the whole personality-assessment industry is expected to be a $6.5 billion business.

Maybe you've even taken one yourself when applying for a job. And even if not, you've likely heard of at least some of these popular tests:

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) sorts you into one of 16 personality types based on four categories: introversion (I) or extroversion (E), sensing (S) or intuition (N), thinking (T) or feeling (F), and judging (J) or perceiving (P). In the end, you become an INTJ, ENFP, ISTP, and so on. It’s so popular that everyone and their mother have taken it at some point. 

• Big Five (Five-Factor Model) measures you across five personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. It's considered one of the more reliable tests out there—but even then, calling it foolproof would be generous.

• Redbull’s Wingfinder personality test took some bits from other tests out there and modified it to be unique to them. They’ve made it part of their official hiring process, and some other companies now ask candidates to submit Wingfinder results with their applications too.

• And then about 2,000 more I’ve never heard of.

Now, I would be lying if I said doing these tests isn’t fun. 

But the thing is… companies aren't using them for fun. They're actually making important decisions based on them. 

Which is kind of weird, because the company behind Myers-Briggs explicitly states on their website, “The MBTI assessment is not designed to be used for hiring purposes.”

I mean, if even the people making money from the test are saying "don't hire based on this," maybe there's a good reason to listen?

Turns out, there are quite a few research-based reasons why basing hiring decisions on personality tests (and not just the MBTI) is actually a pretty questionable move.

Not valid, not reliable. Let's use it to make life-changing decisions

After doing a bit of digging, I think there are two main ways to look at it:

• issues with the tests themselves

• issues with us, the people taking them.

When it comes to the tests, the first big red flag is that most of the 2,000+ personality assessments out there (including both Myer Briggs and DISC) were developed without a scientific method behind them. 

Even the Big Five test (the one model psychologists actually take seriously) isn’t exactly impressive when it comes to recruitment.

A meta-analysis looking at the Big Five traits and their link to job performance found that even the best-performing trait (conscientiousness) had a correlation of just about 0.20 to 0.23 on a scale from 0 to 1.

In other words, conscientiousness explained roughly 20% of the difference between high and low job performers, while the remaining 80% came from unknown factors. 

Another thing is that these tests rely on simplistic binary categories. You’re either an introvert or and extrovert, a thinker or a feeler. For example, if you're 51% extroverted on Myers-Briggs, you're grouped together with someone who's a 100% extrovert.

Even I know us humans are a little more complex than that.

But let’s say, for argument’s sake, we trust the assessments completely. We still have another bigger issue—ourselves.

For starters, we’re not exactly consistent. Research has shown that around 50% to 75% of people get a different MBTI type if they retake the test just a few weeks later. (At least your horoscope stays with you for life.)

Also, personality tests rely entirely on self-reporting. But let's face it…most of us have a pretty shaky self-insight. Often we give answers based on the ideal version of ourselves, rather than how we actually behave. 

And to be fair, that’s usually not on purpose.

But sometimes it absolutely is. 

According to studies, around 30% to 50% of candidates intentionally don't answer personality tests honestly. And during tough job markets or recessions, that number can spike as high as 80%. 

You can even materials online that teach people how to tailor their answers for specific tests – for example, this YouTube guide on how to get a perfect Caliper Profile.

Now, does all this mean personality tests are totally useless? Of course not.

Morally confusing, strategically correct

It really comes down to how companies actually use them.

If a hiring manager explicitly accepts or rejects candidates based on test results, that's... pretty bold. Especially since, as we've seen, people can (and often do) fake their results, which kind of defeats the whole point.

So, how can these tests be used?

Well, if you take them honestly (and not as a part of the recruitment process), they can offer genuinely useful insights.

MBTI, for example, can suggest careers that might fit your personality type. Redbull’s Wingfinder highlights your weak spots and offers tips on how to improve.

But the reality is, companies love these tests and probably aren't giving them up anytime soon. 

So, it might be worth taking a few practice runs yourself, just to prepare for see the results.

I’m always impressed to see anyone scroll all the way down here.

As a token of appreciation for your excellent scrolling skills, here’s a 20% discount code for Kickresume Premium.  

Catch you later!  

Peter