{"id":11510,"date":"2024-06-28T16:12:19","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T16:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/?p=11510"},"modified":"2026-04-20T08:59:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T08:59:03","slug":"why-i-dont-use-personality-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I don’t use personality tests"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many companies use personality tests not only in recruitment, but also in personnel development. Career coaches do the same in personal and professional assessments. Does it make sense to entrust people’s self-knowledge to a test? In recent years, I have noticed that my clients have become increasingly sceptical about personality tests – a positive development, especially as artificial intelligence is likely to give the testing industry a new boost.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Peter N\u00e4f<\/em><\/a><\/strong>
\nZurich, August 2024<\/em><\/p>\n

Personality tests achieve good validity in studies and seem to make quite reliable statements about a person’s personality. However, what al-ways scares me is how incorrectly they are interpreted. Even as a headhunter, I often heard statements such as: \u00abThe candidate is a typical blue one\u00bb. I find such stereotyping absolutely inadmissible.<\/p>\n

Long live the individual<\/h5>\n

The tests are more difficult to evaluate than the playful, full-colour presentation and the catchily described character types would suggest. A weekend seminar on certification is unlikely to be sufficient for a credible interpretation.<\/p>\n

The tests categorise test subjects into a manageable number of types, which do not do justice to the individuality of people and their ability to develop. Unfortunately, the different types are often also assigned to certain professional fields in the manner of: \u00abRed – and only red – belongs in management\u00bb.<\/p>\n

I experienced the pitfalls of external evaluations for a career<\/a> assessment myself when I was young. My career had reached a dead end, and I didn’t know what to do next. For my professional reorientation, I had a graphological report drawn up on my inclinations and talents. This was a common tool at the time before it was replaced by personality tests.<\/p>\n

Self-knowledge cannot be delegated<\/h5>\n

The results of the assessment surprised me, and I could only recognise myself to a limited extent. I was aware of some of the characterisation and therefore did not gain any insight. However, many of the statements were new and I couldn’t reconcile them with myself. So, what now? It was out of the question for me to steer my professional development in a direction that was recommend-ed to me by a third-party personality analysis.<\/p>\n

So, I checked the statements in discussions with family and friends. It wasn’t their feedback that convinced me – after all, these were again external images – but the concrete examples they gave me to illustrate this. In the end, I was able to recognise my inclinations and talents in these personal experiences.<\/p>\n

Why take an expensive personality test if I must validate the results through my own observation and reflection anyway? I therefore skip the tests and go straight to self-observation because self-knowledge cannot be delegated anyway.<\/p>\n

#personalbranding<\/a> #career<\/a> #selfconfidence<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many companies use personality tests not only in recruitment, but also in personnel development. Career coaches do the same in personal and professional assessments. Does it make sense to entrust people’s self-knowledge to a test? In recent years, I have noticed that my clients have become increasingly sceptical about personality tests – a positive development, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artikel-2"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy I don't use personality tests - Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Personality tests for professional reorientation are an external assessment. However, self-knowledge cannot be delegated.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why I don't use personality tests - Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Personality tests for professional reorientation are an external assessment. However, self-knowledge cannot be delegated.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-28T16:12:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-20T08:59:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"karrier\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"karrier\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"karrier\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/519a04be943d3f6c4fb243f6a0f7f3ae\"},\"headline\":\"Why I don’t use personality tests\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-28T16:12:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-20T08:59:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/\"},\"wordCount\":459,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Artikel\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/\",\"name\":\"Why I don't use personality tests - Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-28T16:12:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-20T08:59:03+00:00\",\"description\":\"Personality tests for professional reorientation are an external assessment. However, self-knowledge cannot be delegated.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why I don’t use personality tests\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f\",\"description\":\"| Outplacement | Coaching | Standortbestimmung | Bewerbungs- und Interviewcoaching\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"karrierecoaching Peter N\u00e4f\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/logo_small.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/logo_small.png\",\"width\":421,\"height\":113,\"caption\":\"karrierecoaching Peter N\u00e4f\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/519a04be943d3f6c4fb243f6a0f7f3ae\",\"name\":\"karrier\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/336f6993b2b0fc83a3fd708a462124239f9081f85eb32b063f80317d2afc7799?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/336f6993b2b0fc83a3fd708a462124239f9081f85eb32b063f80317d2afc7799?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"karrier\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/author\/karrier\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why I don't use personality tests - Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f","description":"Personality tests for professional reorientation are an external assessment. However, self-knowledge cannot be delegated.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why I don't use personality tests - Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f","og_description":"Personality tests for professional reorientation are an external assessment. However, self-knowledge cannot be delegated.","og_url":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/","og_site_name":"Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f","article_published_time":"2024-06-28T16:12:19+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-20T08:59:03+00:00","author":"karrier","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"karrier","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/"},"author":{"name":"karrier","@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/519a04be943d3f6c4fb243f6a0f7f3ae"},"headline":"Why I don’t use personality tests","datePublished":"2024-06-28T16:12:19+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-20T08:59:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/"},"wordCount":459,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Artikel"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/","url":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/","name":"Why I don't use personality tests - Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-06-28T16:12:19+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-20T08:59:03+00:00","description":"Personality tests for professional reorientation are an external assessment. However, self-knowledge cannot be delegated.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-i-dont-use-personality-tests\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why I don’t use personality tests"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/","name":"Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f","description":"| Outplacement | Coaching | Standortbestimmung | Bewerbungs- und Interviewcoaching","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#organization","name":"karrierecoaching Peter N\u00e4f","url":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/logo_small.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/logo_small.png","width":421,"height":113,"caption":"karrierecoaching Peter N\u00e4f"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/519a04be943d3f6c4fb243f6a0f7f3ae","name":"karrier","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/336f6993b2b0fc83a3fd708a462124239f9081f85eb32b063f80317d2afc7799?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/336f6993b2b0fc83a3fd708a462124239f9081f85eb32b063f80317d2afc7799?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"karrier"},"url":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/author\/karrier\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11510"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15583,"href":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11510\/revisions\/15583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}