Fact: When we first launched the ideamix coaching platform, we had hundreds of visitors swarming our site who thought we were offering a personality assessment. That’s because most people want to better understand themselves and personality tests are a tool by which to accomplish this. Note: We haven’t devised a new personality assessment. We’re a marketplace of vetted, experienced coaches for individuals to access high-quality coaching.

Personality assessments are an increasingly popular tool used by individuals, employers, and coaches to better understand an individual’s personality traits. These assessments provide valuable insights into an individual’s strengths and weaknesses in the workplace, helping the organization put individuals into roles where they will have the greatest chance of success, and helping individuals make informed decisions about their career path and how they can improve their professional performance.

Understanding Your Strengths

One of the primary benefits of personality assessments is that they can help individuals better understand their strengths in the workplace. For example, if an individual scores high in conscientiousness, they may excel in roles that require attention to detail and organization, such as accounting, project management, or administrative work. They may be highly dependable and able to work independently, which can be an asset to any team.

Alternately, if an individual scores high in openness to experience, they may be well-suited to a creative field, such as advertising, marketing, or design. They may be highly imaginative and willing to take risks, which can lead to innovative solutions and breakthrough ideas.
By understanding their strengths, individuals can make more informed decisions about their career path. For example, if an individual is highly conscientious, they may want to pursue a career that requires attention to detail and organization, rather than a job that is more flexible and unstructured. On the other hand, if an individual is highly creative, they may want to seek out roles that allow them to use their imagination and think outside the box.

Understanding Your Weaknesses

In addition to identifying an individual’s strengths, personality assessments can also help individuals identify their weaknesses. For example, an individual who scores low in emotional stability may struggle with stress and anxiety, which can impact their ability to perform in high-pressure situations.

Similarly, an individual who scores low in agreeableness may struggle with interpersonal relationships and conflict resolution, which can make it challenging to work effectively in a team setting. By understanding their weaknesses, individuals can work to improve their performance in these areas.

Improving Your Weaknesses

Once an individual has identified their weaknesses, they can take steps to improve their professional performance. For example, an individual who struggles with stress and anxiety may benefit from learning stress management techniques, such as meditation or deep breathing exercises. Coaching is an effective tool for customizing stress management techniques for individuals based on the other facets of their lives.

Similarly, an individual who struggles with conflict resolution may benefit from taking courses or workshops on communication and conflict resolution skills. With practice and dedication, individuals can improve their weaknesses and become more effective in the workplace. Here too, coaching helps people develop greater self-awareness about, and modify their behaviors to communicate better.

Developing Self-Awareness

Admittedly, the greatest benefit of personality assessments is that they help individuals develop greater self-awareness. By understanding their personality traits, individuals can better understand their own motivations, values, and behaviors. They can identify areas where they excel and areas where they need improvement, and use this information to make informed decisions about their career path.
Moreover, self-awareness can help individuals better understand their interactions with others. For example, if an individual is highly extroverted, they may find it easier to work in group settings and may thrive in a collaborative environment. Conversely, if an individual is highly introverted, they may prefer to work independently and may be more comfortable in a quieter, less stimulating environment.

By understanding their own personality traits, individuals can also better understand the personality traits of others. This can lead to more effective communication, collaboration, and teamwork, as individuals learn to appreciate and work with the strengths and weaknesses of others.

Further Your Understanding of Yourself

Personality assessments can provide valuable insights into an individual’s strengths and weaknesses in the workplace. By understanding their own personality traits, individuals can make more informed decisions about their career path, identify areas for improvement, and develop self-awareness that can lead to more effective communication and collaboration with others.

Whether you’re a young professional looking to advance your career, a mid-career professional looking to make a change, an employer seeking to build a strong team, or a parent helping your young adult to reach their full potential, personality assessments are an effective first step in developing a better understanding of ourselves. What assessments are telling us about ourselves is all the more effective when we can work with a coach – even if just for an hour – to interpret and understand assessment results.

For more information about various assessments and which ones to take, check out our article on personality assessments such as MBTI and CliftonStrengths.