Is the sales personality test ethical? Is it even legal? Some sales managers hesitate to use pre-employment testing, thinking the job interview is much more important than the salesperson profile. Applying information from DISC assessment tests and recruitment management software is sometimes thought of as unnecessary or even crossing a line. We’ve known how to hire salespeople with the right qualities for decades. Or at least that’s what we’ve convinced ourselves is true of our ability to build a strong sales team without extra insight.

So why are so many sales-oriented companies using the sales personality test to find good salesmen for their teams? Because, plain and simple, it really works.

Are Salespeople the Only Applicants Required to Take a Sales Personality Test?

Not at all. In fact, here are some very important roles filled by first analyzing the results of a personality test or other testing requirements.

• Colleges and Military Academies – Applicants are typically tested before allowed entrance.

• Government Jobs – Civil Service Exams are required of most applicants. The higher up in government you go, the more personality testing is desired.

• Public Schools – Even public schools require that students be tested for their abilities before “graduating” to the next education level. Why wouldn’t we ask our sales job applicants to be tested for their important skills and traits, as well?

Good salesmen can be hard to come by. The institutions above have learned what successful sales managers know, too. Testing helps both the potential employer and potential employee recognize strengths and weaknesses that need addressed before the job begins.

A Sales Applicant’s Civil Rights are of the Utmost Importance

Sales personality testing is – and should be – strictly about the sales applicant’s abilities relating to the job itself. An applicant’s religion, race, sex or nationality should have no relevance for job testing or job performance. Any sales personality test that would in any way address or question those factors is a test to be completed avoided.

What you want your sales personality test results to measure is an applicant’s natural and adaptable personality styles regarding sales job performance. Always use the same test for each job applicant, for fair and ethical results. Try recruitment software programs for keeping track of the information you learn, for ease at hiring decision time.

For in-depth details about how to conduct and analyze these tests properly, consult your AHS Sales Hiring Course member information.

To Test or Not To Test?

It’s your choice whether you make sales personality testing part of your sales hiring formula, but we highly recommend it. Knowing how to hire salespeople with the right values and traits depends on having as much information as possible. With the sales personality test, the good salesmen you’ve interviewed will more obviously and accurately rise to the top of your list.