Strengths and weaknesses play a significant role in shaping who we are as employees and leaders within an organization, but also as individuals. They influence our decisions regarding which career pathways to pursue, the roles we thrive in, and how we ultimately perform in different roles.
Identifying strengths and weaknesses with the use of psychometric tests is the key to unlocking the potential of every person in a team, while also making the potential that resides in all participating members apparent. Leaders can use this data to make better assignment decisions, conduct more effective performance reviews, and ensure every employee an opportunity for growth in their professional life.
When trying to recruit new members, both a resume and a cover letter always help during the recruitment process. However, an aptitude test is the only way to assess their expertise. Similarly, personality tests can provide an overview of a person’s behavioral tendencies.
What is a strength and weakness test?
In a strength and weakness test, participants unveil their assets and lacuna to give an overall perspective on their identity. This helps human resources and management discern if candidates are predisposed, or have the mettle to undertake a certain position in their business operation.
Examining personal strengths and limitations helps test takers know what they can optimize and what they should spend time improving. Depending on the targeted position, certain personality traits or character strengths may be required to perform the duties that come with the role.
Strengths and weaknesses tests are used to give employers a clear picture of what candidates have to offer the firm and where any impediments or areas for progress might be. Since these tests are standardized, it also ensures that this part of the recruitment process be objective.
What are some examples of employee strengths and weaknesses?
Some strengths and weaknesses are clear, while others require a more in-depth review. Being detail-oriented, having advanced communication skills, or demonstrating excellent leadership potential are all examples of strengths. Weaknesses can be the inability to take a criticism or work in teams.
If you’re looking at this from the perspective of an employer, the first step is to assess an employee’s strengths and shortcomings vis-à-vis the job description of the position that is vacant. For instance, if an administrative position requires minutiae and rigor for data entry, an impulsive and easily distracted person should not end up sitting in that chair.
Why is it important to recognize your employees’ strengths and weaknesses?
Recognizing your employees’ strengths and weaknesses is the first phase to improving efficiency at work. Everyone contributes a unique set of soft skills and inherent strengths, and by knowing these, management can delegate tasks to the right team member or professionally groom certain employees for corresponding positions.
The best managers have a flair for putting employees in positions where they can grow professionally. Personality tests make it possible to have more information on the individuals interested in a position, and this limits waste of time and money.
6 ways to effectively determine employee strengths and weaknesses
Here are key ways to determine employee strengths and weaknesses:
- Personal SWOT
- Personal experience
- Online presence
- Listening and observing
- Competition
- Professional psychometric tests
1. Personal SWOT
SWOT stands for Strengths, Opportunities, Threats, Weaknesses and it is a popular evaluation matrix. This personality test owes its popularity to its simplicity and effectiveness. Personal SWOT evaluations are quick and bring lots of substance to the table. When presenting their resume or cover letter, those applying for a job will rarely expand at length on what they are lacking. When conducting this assessment, it is important to use your emotional intelligence and notice how sincere the test taker is in their response.
2. Personal experience
Common interview questions are predictable and candidates for a position will anticipate and prepare for them. As a result, surprising them with an open question such as “what is a personal experience that you regret which happened during your last employment?” can throw them in uncharted lands where they must demonstrate tact, honesty, and wit on the spot.
Recounting a personal experience can tell a lot about a person’s attitude and composure in their professional life. When conducting this assessment, pay close attention to how the potential employee refers to others, their body language, and if their answer sounds genuine.
3. Online presence
One of the amazing things about the social media era is that almost all your workers have publicly available personal and professional profiles. To communicate, interact, and link distributed/large teams, the majority of organizations use social networks or social intranets. Employees create profiles on these platforms as well as on social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. These profiles provide a wealth of information about their interests, likes and dislikes, talents, experiences, and temperament.
Managers may learn about their staff and make decisions based on the information in their profiles. If a member of your sales team, for example, exhibits a significant interest in fashion on Facebook, he would be a suitable person to allocate to a prospective fashion customer.
4. Listening and observing
It can be difficult to view coworkers clearly when you work with them every day. However, if someone on your team is known for being cheerful and friendly all the time, they could be a natural diplomat. When it comes to defusing team tension, finding a partner for a problem employee, or rallying enthusiasm for a new venture, could be effective tools for managers to consider.
Additionally, flaws are not always immediately apparent. An employee who keeps quiet could be apathetic and disengaged. You might notice them acting differently in a specific setting or situation, like a period of volatile stress. Managers must make an additional effort to look at each individual in an objective manner. Taking quick notes daily on your staff’s performance can be an excellent method to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
5. Competition
Competition is a tremendous motivator for employees to bring out their best (or worst) qualities. Holding competitions within and across organizations may be a fun and productive method to find out who is a natural leader and who excels in specific areas. This is also an opportunity for team building and to observe your employees’ behaviour.
6. Professional psychometric tests
Complementarity to your recruitment process, a professional psychometric test can tell you a lot about a person. Depending on the position to fulfill, a battery of tests can be selected to assess various aptitudes required to perform successfully in a position.
For example, if a person is an Excel wizard as they claimed on their resume, but is also a highly disagreeable individual who cannot work with others, pros and cons must be weighed. Their test results should also be compared to those applying for the same position.