Employers love them because they believe that it better assesses a candidate’s suitability. This may or may not be true, either way you’ll need to be prepared.

Real Assessment Questions & Breakdowns:

When you get a question; ask yourself, why would they want to know this?

Here are some real questions from the popular Caliper Personality Assessment. You need to check the statement that Most AND Least represents your world view.

Question 1:

Let’s break down this question and see it from an employer’s perspective.

“I don’t let day-to-day difficulties affect me” – This would be my choice for “Most”. Obviously employers don’t want people who go on emotional rollercoasters every day.

“I look forward to a good party with lots of people” – For a Sales job this would be a good “Most” option. For tech jobs I wouldn’t choose this option.

“Most people are trustworthy” – This one you should either not use at all or use as “Most”. My reasoning: This is an “optimistic” vs “pessimistic” mindset answer. Which type of person would you rather be around?

“I will risk untried but promising ways rather than follow safe proven ways.” I think this is the only possible option for “Least”. It’s very tricky because you DO have to take risks sometimes, but in the context of looking after a company’s data you should err on the conservative side.

Question 2:

“When I’m with people whom I don’t know, making small talk is quite difficult” – I wouldn’t choose this option for anything. It’s a loaded option. If it were a sales job you could choose “Least” but for a data job it’s not as relevant.

“People who act too slowly are an annoyance to me.” – This would be my choice for “Least”. Imagine saying that out loud in an interview, you’d instantly lose any chance.

“I have no regrets about things that I’ve done” – This could be an option for “Most”. I think this is an overall positive statement.

“Even if something new sounds good, I tend to prefer what’s already established” – Company data should be treated conservatively, so this could be a “Most” option.

Question 3:

This question really is a doozie, a lot of hidden complexity.

“I’m willing to risk making mistakes in order to make it big” – For an entrepreneur this would be the correct mindset. For a data analyst or data engineer I would leave this option.

“I don’t always do what’s expected of me” – A good choice for “Least”. This is literally saying, you may not actually do your job.

“It’s important to me to plan my own work and time” – A good option for “Most”, as it shows independence and organization.

“You accomplish more by maintaining a slow but steady pace then by rushing things to get done early”. I would probably leave this one, I just don’t like that “slow” is in the text. There is certainly a time and place for a “slow but steady” pace. But in this context, I just don’t want to be saying I’m “slow” at anything.

Now you try these 2 questions on your own:

Summing Up

Use these questions and breakdowns as a guide on how to think about the psychology of the questions, and how these options would be interpreted by an employer.

With this mindset you’ll place yourself in the best light.

Cheers Shano.