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The Number One Personality Test to Get You the Job You Want

February 12, 2019

Some people say personality assessments keep people stuck where are they are. I say exactly the opposite. For career marketing, this stuff is gold, especially Gallup StrengthsFinder, which is what I use with my clients.

You can find out more about this in my Facebook Live on personality tests and job search, but here’s a rundown of some popular personality assessments and tips on how to show your strengths to get the role or goal you seek.

Personality Assessments

DISC 

The letters stand for: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness

Well respected by and widely used within the corporate world.

Measures how you do in your natural and adapted (or under pressure) states, which is one reason why companies like it. The letters are the shorthand for your type, but it’s not as fun to talk about as some other assessments.

You can definitely use this for career marketing, but not so fun to talk about on a date.

Enneagram

Best for personal development, not for career marketing unless you’re applying at a yoga studio or similar.

It is freakishly accurate and excellent for self-discovery. It’s more spiritual and way more complicated to figure out than some other assessments. I know a lot about my type, but not a lot about others because it requires more in-depth study.

Could be fun to talk about on a date if the other person has taken it. Definitely will help you understand others.

Meyers-Briggs (MBTI)

No longer popular or well-respected in the corporate world. Not recommended for career marketing unless the interviewer brings it up.

Originally introduced in 1943, there are newer and more respected assessments. In fact, some organizational development people disdain Meyers-Briggs and a recent book about it, The Personality Brokers, doesn’t help either.

But it’s fascinating and many find it insightful. Definitely talk about this on a date, unless you’re out with an OD person.

StrengthsFinder

My favorite and the one I recommend for career marketing. Here’s why:

1) Well respected by and widely used within the corporate world.

2) Published by Gallup – this gives it a lot of credibility.

3) Easy to understand – the names of the strengths are pretty intuitive.

I’m strategic, connectedness, activator, relator, belief. Maximizer and ideator also show up once in awhile on my StrengthsFinder.

4) Leadership domains give another layer of where your strengths lie:

Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking

How to Share Your Strengths

1) In Interviews and Networking Conversations

Get beyond your last job title by giving people something more interesting about you. Not just what you did but how you did it. This is where your strengths come in. This is especially important if you want to move in a new direction where you have to move beyond the last job title.

I get great content out of people with this simple question:

How do you use your strengths in your work?

And then: Tell me a story about how you use your strengths.

Remember, the answer to every behavioral interview question is a story, so why not make it a strengths-based story?

2) On Your Resume, LinkedIn, PowerPoint or One-Sheet

Add your strengths to your resume with a short description (one line) pulled from the report. Here’s the description I use for strategic: Sees solutions before others know there is a problem.

Add your strengths to a short PowerPoint deck that sums you up. Devote one page to strengths. Wouldn’t this be a more interesting way to introduce yourself to a new boss? See an example here from a page I use.

My Strengths from the Gallup StrengthsFinder Assessment in PowerPoint format

Find Out More

Listen to the whole video for more details on my Facebook page. And good luck showing your strengths! The world needs what you have to offer.

Who’s Telling Your Story?

Who's Telling Your Story? bluefeet blog post by Lilli Cloud

August 21, 2015

 

When I was in college in the ‘80s, the worst thing a woman could do was start her professional life as a secretary. Once seen in that role, you were going nowhere.

I didn’t really believe this because I knew I was headed for a successful career. I knew who I was. Read the Rest

Easiest Elevator Pitch Ever

Easiest Elevator Pitch Ever bluefeet blog by Lilli Cloud

August 12, 2015

 

What gets you really excited about your work? What projects or clients are really floating your boat right now?

While having a clever elevator pitch is great (as long as it’s clear), the easiest way to answer the question What do you do? is to share something you’re excited about. Read the Rest

Sales – It’s Not Really for Extroverts

Sales - It's Not Really for Extroverts, bluefeet blog post by Lilli Cloud

July 10, 2014

I once had a friend who shuddered and eeewed when I mentioned my father had been a salesman. Sadly, many people have this reaction to sales.

In bluefeet workshops, we say: “it’s not selling, it’s sharing,” because so many people have an aversion to selling themselves. But you have to tell people what you have to offer, otherwise they won’t know.

Read the Rest

Start with Why

Start With Why bluefeet blog post by Lilli Cloud

May 02, 2014

What do you do?
What does your company do?

Simple questions, but that doesn’t mean you should give a simplistic answer.

I’m a banker, lawyer, doctor. My company makes widgets, provides legal services, lobbies for women’s empowerment.

You’ve just shared what you do. Congratulations. You are now the equivalent of a can of peas. You’ve just told the world you are a commodity.

Read the Rest

Rude, Wimpy, Sexist

Rude, Wimpy, Sexist - bluefeet blog post by Lilli Cloud

July 24, 2013

Is that what people think of you after shaking your hand?

The most talked-about topic in my recent round of interview workshops was – the handshake. Who knew this would be such a controversial subject? Not me.

The issue? The proper way for a man to shake a woman’s hand. Just to set the stage, while these groups were primarily men, they worked for a company with a female CEO. Read the Rest

Personal Brand-Building for Introverts

September 06, 2012

I just started reading Quiet, by Susan Cain, and realized with some discomfort that I, as a personal branding expert and presentation coach, am part of our cultural drive towards extroversion.

We weren’t always this way, favoring or even requiring people to be extroverts. The author describes a cultural shift around the turn of the 20th Century from the Culture of Character to the Culture of Personality. A mass movement from farms to cities, from agriculture to industry, drove this change. Rather than working with neighbors, people were now working with strangers. Read the Rest

Career DNA

August 28, 2012

 

What kind of 6-year-old builds a wind tunnel to test his model airplanes? The kind who ends up being the first man to ever step foot on the moon.

I found this gem in Neil Armstrong’s obituary yesterday. Despite all of his many achievements – test pilot, one of our first astronauts and, of course, his famous first step on the moon – the wind tunnel is what fascinated me most. Read the Rest