The approach taken by the Hire Success System is that each person is a unique combination of all Four Personality Types. Rather than put descriptive "labels" on people, we chose to keep it simple and refer to the various personalities as "A", "B", "C" and "D". Because the Applicant is instructed to respond to the Personality Profile Form based on how they are "At Work", the result will indicate which of the 4 types they draw from most, and in varying degrees to the least.
On the Summary Report, a bar chart is provided similar to the example at the right, along with a Percentage "Strength" of each of the 4 Personality types. The higher the percentage, the "stronger", or more dominant that personality type. When two or more personality types are close, or the same, in strength, the Applicant may be characteristic of each of the types that are close. We refer to this as the "X" personality. (See below)
The "A" personality likes to be in charge and be in control of their environment and their lives. They are normally not very detail oriented, choosing to delegate details to others. They are usually very goal oriented and practical in their solutions. However, arriving at their solutions and goals will entail a no-nonsense, "bottom-line" approach.
"A" personalities don't like a lot of restraints or restrictions placed on them preferring instead to work independently and set their own schedules. Since they often tend to be a workaholic, it is not unusual to see them put in whatever time and effort it takes to accomplish their goal. They may seem impatient at times especially if they believe someone is spending too much time going over details with them or are impeding their successful completion of whatever goal or project they are focusing on at the moment.
Don't be surprised to see this personality type in a supervisory position or management. Having an entrepreneurial streak, they may be a business owner or strive to own their own business someday. The "A" personality is not easily discouraged and will normally exude confidence.
If their job is "routine" or repetitive day by day, they will get bored easily and not enjoy the work. They will want it to appear they are "tough" in these situations but internally may be miserable if the job is too routine. The "A" personality will do whatever is necessary to prevent themselves from falling into a pattern or routine and seek freedom and independence instead. They will also be very dissatisfied if they believe someone is trying to take advantage of them or hold them back.
The "A" personality may not be very good at recognizing co-worker's feelings and needs; not because they don't care, but because they are so focused on achieving their goals. If you're looking for someone who works well under pressure and seems to excel in high stress situations, the "A" personality is probably what you're looking for.
The "B" personality is a very outgoing, energetic and fast paced individual who likes to be around people and enjoys being the center of attention. They are good relationship builders and most people like them right away. Their driving need for approval, they try and like everyone in hopes everyone will in turn reciprocate and like them too. Compliments, acknowledgement of their achievements, words of admiration and even applause from groups will be the most important thing you can do for them.
The "B" personality loves to talk about themselves and some may view them as self centered, but their real motivation is to be liked. An extreme example was the character played by Bette Midler in the movie "Beaches" when she invited an old friend up to see her lavish apartment and told her friend about her own success. Then she said to the friend: "Enough about me, let's talk about you. So what do you think of me?"
Their biggest fear is being humiliated in public, since it might make many people disapprove of them and the thought of that would be devastating. The "B" personality doesn't want to appear unattractive or unsuccessful either, so they will make sure their appearance is impeccable and will always give the impressing of being very successful at whatever they do, whether they are or not.
Some of the strengths you can count on from the "B" personality are their enthusiasm, outgoing behavior, friendliness towards others and their ability to persuade even the most skeptical of people. They tend to be "dreamers" and can often turn those dreams into very practical ideas in the workplace. "B" personalities are normally spontaneous and use their quick wit and humor to make people like them. They aren't too good about hiding their own feelings either, so if they are hurt or disappointed, you'll probably be able to read it in their mannerisms and overall disposition.
Some of the natural weaknesses that are associated with the "B" personality include being impatient, having a relatively short attention span and are not very detail oriented. In business, "B" personalities may tend to socialize at work and not spend as much time doing their work because they strive for the social interaction. Although this is their natural tendency, many have learned to control themselves and keep their social nature in perspective.
The "C" personality is a very detail oriented individual that likes to be involved in things that are controlled and stable. They are interested in accuracy, rationality and logic. People who can't seem to control their emotions will bother them because they believe being emotional makes objectivity difficult or perhaps impossible. They will also dislike being around people who are full of "hype", since they desire facts, accurate and logical, but just the facts. Other people's emotions may not be a priority for them as they tend to strive for the facts and "let the chips fall where they may".
"C" personalities tend to be quite controlling, both of themselves and others. They don't like things to get out of hand and may not appear very expressive at times because they don't really want themselves to display a lot of emotion. They are very outcome driven and will be sticklers for following procedures and protocol in getting the job done. They are careful, resourceful, and above all, are excellent thinkers who will look at all aspects of an issue before taking a stand. Once they take a stand on an issue, they will have the facts to back it up so anyone who challenges them, better be prepared.
They like their jobs clearly defined and want to know exactly what is expected of them. Knowing those facts, they will be able to prioritize their tasks and see them through to completion.
When in decision making roles, they are cautious, logical and require many details and facts before they make a decision. People who try to sell them something by trying to get them emotionally involved usually fail to get them to buy because the "C" personality will consider them a "hype artist" and wonder what facts they are trying to hide with all that hype.
In more public roles, the "C" personality will strive for originality, cleverness and uniqueness in whatever they happen to be doing. Because of their detail orientation, they are meticulously prepared with all the details so nothing is left for anyone to disagree with. Many accountants and lawyers, for example, are "C" personalities. They are excellent for any job that requires creative thinking based on patience, facts and accuracy.
The "D" personality takes a slower, easy pace toward their job and life in general. They seek security and longevity on the job and are very happy doing a repetitive task, day in and day out as the repetition allows them to become very skilled in what the do. They won't like it, however, if the rules change a lot as that is contrary to their desire to minimize change and stick with what they know works. Some extreme examples we've all seen or heard of are bookkeepers who refuse to computerize because they can count on the old way and don't want to change. The "D" will resist change out of concern that, even though the current way may be unpleasant, the unknown may be even more unpleasant.
They seek the respect, sincere admiration and acceptance of others and will willingly work hard to please the people they work for as long as they feel appreciated and receive plenty of reassurance that they are needed, thus providing a sense of security that they need. They often think the "A" personality type is crazy for taking so many risks and not showing much concern for security and longevity.
"D" personalities are usually very organized and being around a messy environment or disorganization will bother them. They are also good at playing a very supportive role with others and are normally very caring, thoughtful and compassionate. They are patient, good listeners and will persevere when all others have given up. They especially like working in a group or on a team and will be a stabilizing force within that group or team.
Although they may not be as fast as others, they are accurate and thorough. They will usually keep their feelings to themselves and are reluctant to express themselves, even if a more assertive type seems to be taking advantage of them. They will probably choose to "go along to get along".
To attract the "D" type personality, be sure and talk about the company benefit package and the long-term growth potential within the company. Having a secure, stable environment will be very important to the "D" personality.
Whenever two or more Personality types are equal in strength, the Hire Success System will add an "X" to those personality types. For example, if an Applicant’s two highest strength Personality Types were "A" and "B", the System would report them as "AX" and "BX". In the extremely rare event that all four types were identical, the Applicant would be considered an "X" personality type by Hire Success.
The "X" indicates a "cross" between two or more types. It is not unusual to see the "X" between two of the 4 personality types, and it does not necessarily have to include the Primary (or strongest) Personality. However, when it does include the Primary Personality, the Applicant may have a tendency to be like one type in one situation and the other type in yet another situation. Even when all 4 types are very close in strength, the Applicant may seem like a "chameleon" of Personalities. In many instances, this can be beneficial for many jobs, especially when it is important that they be able to get along with almost everybody, such as consultative sales people for example. The "X" type tends to change Personality "colors" as needed based on who they may be with. Although somewhat unpredictable at times, this rare combination could be an important asset if utilized fully.
The descriptions above are the same, or similar to what you will see printed on the Hire Success Overview Report. The System automatically provides a description of the Primary Personality at the beginning of the Overview Report. Variations of the above will be printed if the personality is an "X" personality combined with another type.
These descriptions are "classical" descriptions designed to provide you with some "background" information about this particular Personality. The Hire Success System uses this "classical" description for "contrast" for the specific descriptions and values found in the Traits Section of the Report. In many cases, the Applicant’s individual traits may differ, at least to some degree, from what you may see described in the overall Personality Description.
The Hire Success System determines the Traits INDEPENDENTLY of the Personality calculation and does not base Trait information on what might be "expected" from a particular Personality type. This opens the door to highlight those differences that make this Applicant a unique individual, not one squeezed into one of 4 boxes. If and when you see a Trait differ from what might be described in the Personality Overview, it is not a mistake. Quite the contrary, it is most likely the true trait you can expect to see from the Applicant on a day-to-day basis and not just an "expectation" based on a Classical Personality Description.