As an agriculture business owner or hiring manager, you understand the importance of hiring candidates who have the right skillset for the job. However, the most successful hires who will drive continued success to your organization will not just fit the job requirements – but also be strong cultural and personality fits.
For some positions within your farm or agribusiness, especially ones that are not customer facing, you may wonder why hiring someone with the right personality matters. If they have the skills to do the job, what else do they need? Hiring candidates whose natural traits align with the job and your business will:
- Allow your team to work more coherently
- Promote a stronger work culture
- Drive operational efficiency and success
- Reduce employee turnover
That said, hiring team members with the right personality fit can make a big difference in your organization. One way that you can help do this is by utilizing personality assessments as part of the hiring process. Personality tests or assessments are supplemental tools that employers can use to make better informed hiring decisions. Let’s dive into how personality assessments can enhance your agriculture recruitment process and some tips for implementing them.
How Personality Assessments Can Help Your Hiring Decisions
1. Predicting Job Performance
Each individual personality thrives and performs differently in the workplace, and often, certain personality types tend to be a better fit for some jobs than others.
For example, an Agricultural Lab Technician may be analytical, methodical, precise, and thrive on routine and structure. A well-rounded Agronomy Salesperson on the other hand will likely be outgoing, persuasive, relationship-driven, and goal-oriented. A lab technician’s natural personality may not make the most ideal salesperson, and vice versa.
Personality assessments can help identify (or confirm) a candidate’s natural fit for the job and its demands, especially if they do not have prior experience in the same type of role that proves their abilities.
Assessments can also help pinpoint a candidate’s growth areas, a benefit for both the candidate and the employer to have awareness of.
2. Strengthening Team Performance & Dynamic
Personality assessments can help analyze whether a candidate’s work style complements your existing team, which can limit conflict and improve workplace harmony. Even one bad hire can cause turmoil to a strong team’s culture.
The better your team works together, the more efficiently and smoothly your business will operate.
3. Identifying Red Flags & Reducing Turnover
Candidate red flags aren’t always revealed during interviews, unfortunately. That's why taking every step possible to learn more about a candidate before hiring them is a good idea.
A personality assessment may help reveal characteristics that may not align with your organization or the position. For example, you may be hesitant to hire a Farm Manager candidate who scored low in adaptability and problem solving, or a candidate who is aggressive or difficult to manage.
Limiting turnover in your ag business starts with having the right people in the right roles. When employees are placed in roles that suit their natural strengths and characteristics, they are more likely to be engaged, productive, and satisfied at work.
Personality assessments are one additional step that you can take to improve the chances of a successful, long-term hire.
Best Practices for Using Personality Assessments in the Hiring Process
Use assessments as one piece of the puzzle - not the sole decision-maker when hiring. Pair results with multiple interview rounds, reference and background checks, and hands-on skill evaluations. Personality assessments should be used as an extension of the hiring process to aid in decision making.
Timing is key – Only you can identify which stage of your hiring process is best suited for personality assessments, depending on your goal for using them. However, we recommend these assessments to take place in later stages of the process, such as after the second or third round interview. This allows you to get to know the candidate first, rather than formulating your first impression based on an assessment.
Be consistent – If you decide to utilize assessments, don’t pick and choose which candidates you will use them on. Assign each candidate the same personality test at the same stage of the interview process.
Avoid bias – Analyze results of personality tests fairly, avoiding biased opinions as best you can. Think about how the results align with the job itself and your current team, rather than favoring candidates with a similar personality to you. (In many cases, personality assessments can help reduce bias in hiring, serving as a more objective look at characteristics than our personal viewpoints).
Recommended Personality Assessments
If you’re considering incorporating personality assessments into your ag organization's hiring process, we recommend these widely used tools:
- The DiSC Profile – Great for understanding communication and work styles.
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) – Helps identify problem-solving approaches and teamwork preferences.
- Big Five Personality Traits (OCEAN Model) – Evaluates openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.
- Predictive Index (PI Behavioral Assessment) – Assesses workplace behavior and motivation factors.
Conclusion
Personality assessments can be an effective addition to your recruitment process, equipping you to hire individuals who are better aligned with the job and your ag organization. Just remember, assessments should not be used as a sole way to vet candidates, but instead a supplemental tool to make more informed hiring decisions.
At AgHires, we know that hiring not just any candidates, but the right candidates for your farm or agriculture business is crucial to its success. Whether you’re looking to hire an equipment operator, salesperson, or c-suite level position, our expert ag recruiters are ready to help you find your next great hire and serve as your advisor throughout the entire process.
Serving small farms to Fortune 500 companies, we offer a range of recruitment and job advertising solutions that will fit your unique hiring needs.
Learn more about our agriculture recruitment services or contact us today.
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