Help with the Personality Questionnaire

This section is designed to help you understand more about the Personality Questionnaire and help you prepare for completing it.

Personality Questionnaires typically explore the broad range of personality characteristics which are generally relevant to the world of work. When questionnaires are used with other methods of assessment they can help to ensure a more thorough exploration of how well a person is suited to a particular job.

Personality Questionnaires, (or inventories), are concerned with people's typical or preferred ways of behaving, such as the way they relate to others, or the way they approach and solve problems. The benefit of a questionnaire is that the same carefully designed and fully researched questions are asked of all people and their answers are captured and interpreted in a fair, consistent and objective way.

Why do the Defence Forces use Personality Questionnaires?

• They make our procedures fairer and more objective
• We can learn more about which jobs might be suitable for you
• They help show us who is right for a job
  

How do I complete a questionnaire?

The Personality Questionnaire is completed using paper and pencil. You will be asked to fill in circles to indicate your answers as in the examples. Everything you have to do will be explained at the session.

Advice on completing Personality Questionnaires?

• The questions are concerned with how you typically behave. Thinking about a typical work situation may help you answer. If you have no formal work experience, think about how you behave in similar situations such as voluntary work, school, college or when doing other tasks, for example, housework and hobbies.
• Although there is no time limit, you should work quickly rather than pondering at length over any one question. This helps you give your most natural answer, the one which best reflects how you are.
• Make sure you answer all the questions.
• People who try to guess what is wanted are often incorrect and may give an impression of themselves which doesn't fit in with other information. Questionnaires contain questions which help to check whether someone is describing themselves honestly and consistently, so try to be as accurate as possible when answering the questions.
• The questionnaire is about your personality style, that is, the way you go about things. It is not about ability and there are no right or wrong answers. Just answer as you are.
• Don't worry if some questions do not seem relevant. We will focus on those areas most relevant to your situation.
• The results will form only part of an assessment and will be interpreted alongside other information about you.

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