(Oriental Express interview with Gabor Nagy, Managing Director of Shanghai HRO Consulting)

Getting or being the right person for a job takes more than just the right diplomas and experience. Personality says a lot too. Yet testing it for when recruiting or job-hunting is still rather uncommon in China. Gabor Nagy, managing director of Shanghai HRO Consulting, wants to change that, and developed a personality test especially for the Chinese market.

How important is personality anyway?
As important as the fact that you are different from others. Personality effects how we work and interact with others. Finding the right career is not easy for the individual, and finding the right person for the job is not easy for companies either. Currently these decisions are mostly made intuitively, and there is a high risk of disappointment on both sides.

Why do employers need the personality test?
Most hiring mistakes are related to the effects of personality traits. A lot of conflicts also have their roots in personality differences. Knowing more about people's personality enables companies to better predict if somebody fits a job. Changing personality takes time and lots of energy, so it's better to know "what you can expect".

Why do employees need the personality test?
The personality profile helps in self-understanding. It provides a structured view, stimulates thinking and raises self-awareness. Especially when you make your development decisions - it's better to know which way is suitable.

How did your company get the idea of developing the test?
By accident: a friend of mine mentioned personality testing in general, and I immediately cried out: "That's it!". I have always been interested in psychology, and after 10 years in China, I had the feeling there would be a market here for this. I spent some time researching both available tests and market need - and it was very positive. Then we spent 1.5 years developing the test.

How widely used are personality tests in China now?
Except for a few multinationals, most companies haven't started using them yet. Psychology, including occupational psychology, is still very underdeveloped here. For many reasons, like cultural issues: Chinese traditions ascribe high importance to age, sex, experience, credentials and guanxi rather than talent and job match. But management thinking is changing very fast, and the new generation of managers is very interested in the latest theories.

How stressful is doing the test?
It takes about 30-50 minutes of focus and hard work. The process itself is not stressful, unless someone knows that he/she actually is not suitable for the position in question. One of our clients told us that one candidate, after having finished the test, told them that he/she was not suitable, and walked away from the interview.

How reliable are these kind of tests? Can people easily cheat?
This is a long topic, but I can give a short answer. Yes, people can cheat the test - however getting close to the target profile is not easy at all. The best strategy is to give honest responses. There is a consistency indicator that can detect manipulation of the results. And trained, experienced test leaders will find out 'cheating' quickly.

What gives more chance of success: the right personality without proper education, or the proper education but wrong personality for a job?
For sales and leadership, I would say personality is more important than education. Of course, on a higher level you need a certain education. But many people are well educated. The competition is driven and decided mainly by personality-related factors, how well you are able to apply your knowledge in a given surrounding.

By Babs Verblackt