Facebook Assessments—can we really rely on them?

I love taking the fun assessments on Facebook - What Your Hate Says About You (to try the quiz click here). I’m a Stubborn Intellectual based on how I answered questions about the time I go to bed or wake up, the type of housework I hate, whether I loathe Kanye or Kim more and despise cats or goldfish.

Also, What is your Disney Personality Type? This is based on your Meyers Briggs Type.

I’m Belle “Quick to see the best in people, you are good-natured and compassionate. You have a knack for finding the possibilities in your surroundings and are creative and idealistic. You’re a bit of a dreamer and can see outside of your proverbial provincial town.” While these assessments are fun—they are not grounded in normative data, where reliability and validity are established.

When selecting assessments for the workplace, ask your consultant/provider for the scientific normative data behind the assessment. Be wary of assessments that don’t have these type data. Also make sure the assessment is measuring what you want it to measure. There are hundreds assessments available that claim to measure personality, leadership skills, work style, etc... Make sure they are grounded in research. In the meantime, have fun with the Facebook assessments - just don’t make any life altering decisions based on the results.