@classyashley: Sure – obviously it depends on the test, but ours send back results of different factors – how assertive someone is, how confident they are, how proactive they are in social situations, how good they are at problem solving, etc. Our IQ test is what gives us the problem solving score (so it’s not a true IQ test, but it certainly seems like it!).
Generally, these things are helpful. If we’re filling a position with a lot of visitor interaction in a high stress area (I work at a zoo), assertiveness and confidence need to be high. On the other hand, if it’s a more office-type job like basic data entery, someone who is good at problem solving and is very social wouldn’t be the best fit, even if there background indicates they might be. That person just wouldn’t be very happy.
Now, on the other hand, we will get applicants who try to “fix” the results (I interned in my office before I applied/was hired, so I was one of those people, ha!). When this happens, results are ALL over the board. I’ve looked at my results – and they don’t match me at all – but that’s because I was trying to beat the system.
We also hire for a lot of positions that require highly educated or experienced people – these people tend to not do as “well” on these tests, probably because they try to fix the results. They tend to score higher in the problem solving area, though.
Something else to note: for these personality profiles, doing “well” is all relative. Like I mentioned above, some personality traits are great for certain jobs, but not great for other jobs. Also, just because test results show a person would be good in a position, I’ll often meet candidates and after talking to them for a moment, realize that’s not so true.
I realize this is confusing, but I hope I explained it a bit more 🙂