A friend just got the invite. He asked for prep pointers, but I was hired back when they didn’t do ANY personality assessments (that’s how I got in!)

Any recommendations, or advice to avoid? Same with interview prep. I know a couple, but I think there’s one specifically for United.

Thanks for your insight.

 

Tell him to google “MMPI” and start doing research. Lots of information available online.

I would (and did) use it more as a way of getting into the mindset of taking the test, rather than as a straight up study guy. The gouge out there can explain why they are asking the questions they are, which can help you understand what they are looking for (and what they are NOT looking for).

Cage for interview prep.

 

Remember to tell him its not assessing his tolerance for risk. AKA - "Would you like to drive fast cars or be a deep sea diver" has nothing to do with risk tolerance. Those questions assess the "experience seeking" personality trait.

Also...be consistent and understand that words have meaning. When the test asks questions with extremes such as "ALWAYS" - "NEVER" etc...they mean exactly that...

All too often people overthink this thing and answer the way they think the company WANTS you to answer. Just sit down...be honest...be accurate and most people will do just fine.

The test is supposed to evaluate your "bright side" personality which is the one that shows when you are highly self monitoring to be your best self.

 

When you take the Hogan, go with your first answer. Don't overthink it and try to give the answer you think they want. Be consistent. It also might help if you add the words "at work" at the end of every question.

 

Great advice...will pass it along!

 

What other airlines use Hogan besides UA and DAL?

 

Not 100% sure, but UPS uses an HPI. DAL is an MMPI.

 

I remember one old MMPI question: “I am sometimes possessed by evil spirits” (T/F).

It was never made clear whether they were checking for stupidity or dishonesty.

 

I’ve got a neighbor who does hiring and background checks for the local police department. He says as part of the process he has applicants answer a generic 100 question personal history questionnaire that he found on the internet. He said when he first went through it, he was somewhat taken aback by the weirdness of some of the questions, but...

He said that as a result of some of the answers flagged on that test and follow up questions, several applicants have admitted to having sexual relationships with A) their pets, and/or B) their biological siblings. He said it’s totaled about a half dozen out of the couple hundred applications he’s processed over the years, both male and female.

He theorized that it was something about the alleged scientific appearance of the test and the formal nature of the interview led people to open up about things they otherwise would not have, either directly or by answering related questions in an “odd” manner that were flagged and later pursued.

The crazy thing is, he said there was nothing formal or scientific about the questionnaire at all. It was literally something random he found on a google search.

 

Evil spirits like, boo!?

Or evil spirits like Wild Turkey?

Because the second isn’t always false.