What Happened When We Took a Personality Test at Work

MBTI tests are among the most popular “screening tools” in many HR settings. At GPO, we tried doing these “for fun” — this is what happened.

Since transitioning to being fully remote, GPO has started dabbling in virtual team-building activities. From online baby showers to Zoom painting parties, we’ve experimented with different ways to keep the friendly water cooler banter going (without the water cooler). 

In July, GPO team members took the Myers-Briggs test and received reports with insights on our individual strengths, weaknesses, and communication preferences. Here’s a little look into what “the most popular personality test on the web” taught us about who we are as a company! 

Lessons Learned from Taking Myers-Briggs Tests at Work 

We’re a 50/50 split of extroverts and introverts. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, introverts and extroverts are equally represented within our ranks! However, extroverts dominated one particular team…

The sales team just took a DNA test turns out… they’re 100% extroverts. 

Shocker! Right? Turns out our business dev teammates Cory Cox, John South, and Rachael Parrott, have a natural knack for initiating and nurturing relationships. 

INTJs are overrepresented at GPO — and they’re all completely different. 

According to an estimated frequency table from The Myers & Briggs Foundation, INTJ-types account for 1.5% of the population. However, at GPO, we have more INTJs than any other MBTI (21%). Very Well Mind describes INTJs as “highly analytical, creative, and logical.” 

And though we can’t deny that the individuals in our valued INTJ squad possess these qualities (and many more), they are also very different people who think, communicate, and learn in distinct ways. Plus, they all work in separate areas of the business — from Dev Ops to SEO to Content Marketing! 

We learned how we inspire (and annoy) our colleagues. 

One of the coolest parts about receiving an MBTI report from Typefinder was looking at the bulleted sections — which includes lists covering how we inspire/irritate others, and which actionable steps we can take to be better team members and leaders. Although these suggestions are easier read than done, they’re a fresh reminder that our best selves can always be better. 

We confirmed that personality tests are good conversation starters, but not great hiring tools. 

What started as a team-building experiment quickly resulted in people comparing notes with their “type twins” and polar opposites. Additionally, within a matter of minutes, we were all scouring the internet for celebrities and fictional characters whose personalities matched our own. I, for one, learned that as an INFJ — “I am Groot” (or at least that’s what ScreenRant says). 

And while working with celebs like Nicki Minaj and Isaac Newton or fictional characters like Sirius Black and Michael Scott would be cool, we’ll choose their non-famous personality doubles over them any day! 

After all, the biggest takeaway from our company-wide personality tests is that no four-letter word can provide an accurate picture of who a person is. That’s why we’ll stick to using fun quizzes, games, and 1-1s as team-building tools rather than leveraging them as hiring tools. (But speaking of hiring, check out our careers page for current openings. And don’t worry, you won’t have to tell us which Pokemon character resonates the most with you).