I am certified in personality tools based on Big Five and HEXACO — and use them regularly in recruitment and leadership contexts. That means I get a lot of questions about them. And that I have strong views on how they should be used.
The strongest: they are powerful when used correctly. They can be actively harmful when used incorrectly.
What they actually measure
Big Five beskriver personlighet längs fem dimensioner: Öppenhet, Samvetsgrannhet, Extraversion, Vänlighet och Neuroticism – ofta förkortat OCEAN. HEXACO lägger till en sjätte: Ärlighet-Ödmjukhet. En dimension som forskning visar tillför ett viktigt perspektiv, särskilt när det gäller etiskt beteende och integritet i en yrkesroll.
These models measure stable behavioral patterns over time. Not mood, not how someone is feeling on a given day — but how a person tends to function and respond across different situations. That is well-researched knowledge, which is why it is worth using.
But well-researched knowledge is not the same as all-encompassing knowledge.
What they do not measure — and that matters
They do not measure intelligence or cognitive ability. They do not measure experience, competence or specific knowledge. And they do not answer the question of whether a person fits this particular role, in this particular organization, with this particular manager.
That last one is what people most often want answered. And a personality tool does not answer it — that requires interpretation, context and judgment.
They are also not diagnostic tools. They should never be used to label someone as suitable or unsuitable. Anyone who does that is misusing them.
How they are used correctly
As a complement to interviews and reference checks — not a replacement for them. As a basis for an open conversation with the candidate about what the results mean in relation to the role — not as a confidential decision-making tool the candidate never gets to see.
And always by someone who understands what they measure, in which context they are relevant and — equally important — what they cannot tell you.
A personality tool gives you a better question. Not an answer.
If you have thoughts, questions, or simply want to talk something through — feel free to get in touch. I am happy to have an initial conversation with no agenda.
Right person. Right place. Everything changes.