My BP Internship: P is for Personality (Day 14)

I love personality tests. I know they don’t really have any validity, but that doesn’t stop me from taking them. I guess I’m curious as to how close their descriptions of me compare to the mental one I keep of myself. I’ve taken about five of them now. It seems that every organization has its own personality test that it champions, and BP is no different. The one I keep hearing about is Insights, which I believe is a short-hand way of describing “DISC.”

I figured it would be nice to take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the characteristics I was given on past assessments. It'll be interesting to see if any of these change by the end of the summer. I’m hopeful that I’ll exhibit more of the “persuasive”-like traits and shed some of the more “passive”-like ones. (Fingers crossed...this is the plan.)

DISC

Ironically enough, I took this assessment when I was a senior in college. (Unfortunately, I don’t remember my results.) Recently, by the luck of the draw in a card game, I was assigned the “dominant” personality style. Ds are known to be risk takers, problem solvers, and self starters--all great things (I might add). Although I think I come off as more of an S type or “steady” in my personal life, perhaps, I exhibit different characteristics at work. If I’m truly a “D,” I’d definitely be okay with that. Who doesn’t need a self-starter on their team?

CliftonStrengths

Back in my day, CliftonStrengths was called “StrengthsQuest.” I think I’ve taken this assessment about five times. For the most part, my results are the same. My original top strengths are focus, intellection, deliberative, achiever, and disciplined. (These describe me to the tee.) After taking it a couple of times, learner, futuristic, and strategic also found their way in my top list of strengths. This assessment is my favorite. Looking back, I kind of wished I had purchased the full report with all 34 themes. It would have been interesting to see what CS considered a weakness.

MBTI

My second favorite assessment would have to be MBTI. After learning that I was an INFJ, a lot of things just started to click. I began to understand why I always felt drained after networking, hated engaging in small talk, and felt so awkward all the time. Although this assessment isn't the end-all, be-all, I’d recommend seeing where you fall among the 16 buckets. It could very well inform you on how to manage certain traits that may surface at work or in your personal life.

Enneagram

Now, the enneagram assessment was a new one for me. I just found out about this one maybe six months ago. Despite not being able to spell enneagram, I’d recommend taking this personality test, too. I’m a “1” or a “reformer.” I like this assessment because it in some ways goes beyond MBTI and describes in detail your fears, desires, motivations, stressors, and extremes. The first time I read my results, I was spooked. It’s crazy how spot-on my results were at the time.

Birkman

Last, but certainly not least is the Birkman assessment. I took this one last year upon entering my Master of Human Resources program. I like this personality test because it’s more geared to your professional life, mostly shedding light on how certain traits can help or hinder your career. Similar to DISC Insights, it uses colors to portray different dimensions of your personality. I love how this particular assessment reveals your personality type in relation to your team, what your usual and stress behaviors look like, what you need (specifically) to thrive, and career interests that would best suit your strengths. If you’re looking for an assessment with more practical value or with a professional lens, the Birkman may be your best bet.

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