Pre-employment personality assessments

Nurses Career Support

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I am currently looking to relocate to Tampa and applied to Tampa General Hospital. Despite my qualifications I received the automatic email that I wasn't what they were looking for. I think it has to do with the personality assessment that one has to fill out after the traditional application. I have been a nurse for almost 2 years in the ICU. I have my CCRN and my bachelors degree. All of my current and previous employers love me and I get along really well with all of my co-workers. Does anyone have advice on how to beat the assessment so I can get an interview and show them how awesome I am?

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Oh Good Grief! [Full disclosure - I have education & work experience in IO Psych so I'm familiar with the development and use of these instruments] Warning - this is going to be a mini-rant.

The underlying issue - WHY is the organization basing employment decisions on a personality assessment rather than measurement of nursing competency? Are they trying to create a "Stepford" staff composed entirely of nurses who have the same type of personality? If so,why??? I'd be willing to bet that it's probably because an 'expert' told them that nurses high in XYZ characteristics will drive up their patient sat scores. UGH!

Today's workforce is diverse - and getting more so. We should be celebrating diversity rather than trying to stamp it out. Recent neuro-biological research has revealed that one's personality is very dependent upon their genetic legacy... so, in essence, workplaces that only hire people with specific personality characteristics are engaged in eugenics. We know how that turns out, don't we?

Rather than trying to game that stupid assessment, I would advise OP to run fast and far away from any organization that is engaged in this practice. Their intolerance for diversity stamps them as a bad place to work.

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Specializes in LTC, Agency, HHC.
Oh Good Grief! [Full disclosure - I have education & work experience in IO Psych so I'm familiar with the development and use of these instruments] Warning - this is going to be a mini-rant.

The underlying issue - WHY is the organization basing employment decisions on a personality assessment rather than measurement of nursing competency? Are they trying to create a "Stepford" staff composed entirely of nurses who have the same type of personality? If so,why??? I'd be willing to bet that it's probably because an 'expert' told them that nurses high in XYZ characteristics will drive up their patient sat scores. UGH!

Today's workforce is diverse - and getting more so. We should be celebrating diversity rather than trying to stamp it out. Recent neuro-biological research has revealed that one's personality is very dependent upon their genetic legacy... so, in essence, workplaces that only hire people with specific personality characteristics are engaged in eugenics. We know how that turns out, don't we?

Rather than trying to game that stupid assessment, I would advise OP to run fast and far away from any organization that is engaged in this practice. Their intolerance for diversity stamps them as a bad place to work.

I applied for a job at a hospital that did this...they sent me the link to their "assessment" and said for each job I apply for within their organization, I would have to take their assessment...this hospital is the one I did my last med/surg rotation at, and the staff (most of them.....especially the CNA's) treated us awful. It was so bad, our clinical instructor said she would never do clinicals there again.

Why did I apply there? They had a job posting for the specialty I wanted that hires new grads.

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Wow. Really? I am suffering cause of a bully boss. I. Called her on some of the tje waus she treats staff. Caught me slipping. Now out of job. At first part it was a question. Then interview amd tried her favorite. Attendance. Nope I had papers for that. Tried to say well. I called her on different labor laws. What should have been clarification is now turning bigger tham she thought. I heard recently other are also being let go. Just glad I am not there. Because we all know if we play nicw together it works better for patient staff and management.

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