PORTLAND, OREGON BUSINESS NEWS FROM THE FOUR-COUNTY REGION AUGUST 12, 2005

HUMAN RESOURCESH I R I N G A N D E M P L O Y M E N T L A W

A glimpse at personalityEmployersincreasingly relyon predictiveindices andpersonalitysurveys to gaugethe suitability ofjob applicantsand existingemployees.

Personality tools aid the hiring processRestaurant manager Linda Addy uses a predictive index to assess job applicants’ personality traits.

CHARLIE KLOPPENBURG / PORTLAND BUSINESS JOURNAL

When it comes to hiring servers for Salty’son the Columbia, Linda Addy knowsexactly what she is looking for:

BY JODI HELMERSPECIAL TO THE BUSINESS JOURNAL

someone who is upbeat and outgoing, hasexcellent customer service skills, takes instructionwell and is a team player.

Addy also knows that it can be difficult toassess whether an applicant has such skills byviewing resumes or conducting brief interviews.

So in order to learn as much as possible abouteach applicant before making a hiring decision,Addy asks them to fill out a Predictive Index, orPI, a survey that identifies the personality traitsand motivating needs of applicants.

“It helps us get a better perspective on a

potential employee and gives us an extra lookinto their personality that we may not get in a 15-or 30-minute interview,” says Addy, the generalmanager at the landmark local restaurant. “It hasproven time and time again to help us in thedecision we are making.”

Addy is not alone. A growing number ofcompanies are using personality profiles to helpgain insights into the personalities of prospectiveemployees. The reported advantages, whichinclude increased productivity and decreasedturnover, have made companies eager to addanother tool that will aid in the recruitmentprocess.

Initially developed during World War II toassess the personality traits of successfulbombardiers, the PI was eventually developedinto a hiring tool that has been used by more than5,000 companies in 129 countries. Applicants areasked to check the adjectives that best describehow they perceive themselves and how they feelthey are expected to act at work. The resultingpersonality profile is presented to prospectiveemployers in report format and outlines variousstrengths and motivations.

“It is one way to help align individualpreferences with specific business goals,”explains Keith Emerson, the Pacific Northwestconsultant for PI Worldwide, the Massachusetts-based consulting firm thatcreated the Predictive Index.“The PI helps companies makesmarter hiring decisions andonce they are hired, it helpsemployers motivate theiremployees in ways that suittheir personalities.”

Critics warn against relyingtoo heavily on personalitysurveys in the hiring process,noting that it is difficult to judge workplaceperformance, motivation and aptitude based on ashort survey.

Diane Boly, co-founder of staffing firm BolyWelch Inc., has seen an increase in the number ofclients asking applicants to complete a personalitysurvey but she warns against putting too muchstock in the results.

“I think that the way an individual fits into thebusiness culture is almost as important as theirskill set,” she says. “But I think these tools can bea little too black and white because there are somany variables that are not being factored intothe results.”

Another PI Worldwide customer, Portland-based MBank, began asking applicants tocomplete the PI as part of the application processin 2004 and immediately began using the tool to

TESTS: Managers can find better positions for existing employees

optimize productivity and increase job satisfactionamong its current employees.

“It all boils down to putting the right people inthe right positions,” explains Trey Maust, seniorvice president and CFO of MBank. “Weunderstand which tendencies are compatible toeach position in the organization and as werecognize staff with profiles matching thosetendencies we discuss potential avenues forgrowth within the company.”

Over the past year MBank has talked to severalemployees about moving into new positionsbased on the results of their PIs. According toMaust, most have eagerly accepted the newchallenge including an employee who movedfrom operations officer to financial analyst.

Another oft-used personality survey, the FortéSurvey, was created by C.D. Morgan III in 1978to identify individual communication styles.Based again on a list of adjectives that the applicantchecks off, the Forté Survey provides insightsinto how people adapt to their environment andhow others may perceive them.

Morgan is confident in the accuracy of theresults of the Forté Survey, which has been usedby more than 6,000 companies worldwideincluding Boeing, Sprint and Dell Computers,but maintains that companies must look beyondthe results of a personality survey when makinghiring decisions.

“No amount of personality profiling can

overcome a lack of skills,” says Morgan, founderof the Forté Institute in North Carolina. “But it isone more tool that an organization can use to helpmake its hiring decisions.”

In addition to using personality surveys toassess applicants during the hiring process,companies are also using the results to facilitateteam building, resolve conflict and assessemployees for promotions.

Morgan encourages companies to have theiremployees share the results of their Forté Surveyas a means of learning more about each other.According to Morgan, discussing the results willhelp employees work as a team and developsolutions to conflict.

Restaurateur Addy believes that usingpersonality surveys as part of the hiring processand ongoing employee development on theColumbia has made a significant difference inemployee morale and retention at Salty’s, inaddition to improving its bottom line.

“The cost of recruiting and training a newemployee is between $2,000 and $10,000 andhaving a tool that lets you identify the right personfor the right position really helps you to safeguardyour profit margins,” she says. “A happyemployee is a good employee and being able toplay to their strengths gives them an environmentwhere they can thrive.”

MBank’s Trey Maust finds personality surveys useful for placing employees in the right positions.CHARLIE KLOPPENBURG / PORTLAND BUSINESS JOURNAL

Emerson

portland@bizjournals.com | 503-274-8733

Reprinted for web use with permission from the Portland Business Journal. ©2005, all rights reserved. Reprinted by Scoop ReprintSource

For more information about the Predictive Index, please visit our website at: www.piworldwide.com.To speak to the PI consultant nearest you, please call contact PI Worldwide at: 1-800-832-8884 or email us at:

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