Context: personality tests are widely used
In recent years, personality tests such as MBTI, Enneagram, and Holland have become increasingly popular in Vietnam, especially in career guidance for high school students. According to an article on Tuoi Tre Online, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City launched a page called "Hieu ve ban" in March 2022, providing free personality testing and career orientation tools for students nationwide, using the Holland and MBTI methods.
Alongside this, the Enneagram was also introduced in Vietnam through the book "Huong nghiep cung Enneagram" by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson, reviewed by Dr. Le Tham Duong and with media sponsorship from Sinh Vien Viet Nam newspaper, according to Znews.
This popularity raises an important question: how reliable are personality tests, and should employers use them to screen candidates?
What the Enneagram is and how it works
Origin and structure
The Enneagram is a personality classification system with Greek origins, in which "Ennea" means the number 9 and "Gram" means "a drawing of a graph." It is a circular diagram with 9 points corresponding to 9 different personality types, evenly spaced, forming a triangle and a hexagon inside. The circle represents the harmonious unity of the aspects of human nature, while the interwoven triangle and hexagon represent the conflict between them.
According to Enneagram theory, human innate nature is a synthesis of all 9 personality types. However, over time, depending on educational environment and life events and circumstances, each person gradually leans toward one personality type by adulthood. The Enneagram also indicates that each person still retains some traits of the other 8 types, which may be revealed depending on external influences and certain psychological states.
Application in career guidance
According to Dr. Le Tham Duong, the Enneagram book is suitable for all ages, helping readers clearly identify their personal characteristics, careers, interests, passions, strengths, and weaknesses, as a basis for choosing a suitable career. Readers can understand others to build effective relationships, and use the Enneagram tool to set goals, plan their lives, and find motivation and commitment to build their own future.
The tool uses accurate descriptions of the personalities of 9 types, and shows each individual specific ways to overcome old patterns and move toward increasingly refined emotional, thinking, and behavioral development.
What MBTI is and how it works
The structure of 4 personality pairs
According to Tuoi Tre Online, the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) is a method that uses test questions to analyze human personality, showing how people perceive the world around them, with particular emphasis on the natural differences between individuals.
The MBTI assessment helps respondents begin to orient themselves more clearly, learn about their own personality based on MBTI theory, and explain how behavioral traits differ in each person in different situations, leading to different personality types.
The test consists of 4 opposing personality pairs:
- Extraversion versus Introversion
- iNtuition versus Sensing
- Thinking versus Feeling
- Judging versus Perceiving
Through 50 questions, respondents can identify the 4 letters representing their specific personality traits or tendencies in a short time. This result gives respondents additional information to assess how well their personality fits a job as well as a company's work environment, and from there to explore and choose a suitable career.
Application in career guidance
Personality tests have been widely applied around the world, especially for career planning for students at the high school stage. The "Hieu ve ban" page of the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City is a typical example, providing an integrated, comprehensive, and completely free career guidance tool that helps high school students and the younger generation understand themselves to develop their future careers in the right and long-term direction.
After completing the career aptitude assessment using one of the two testing methods, the result identifies which personality group the participant belongs to, provides detailed descriptive information about that group, and offers images and information about notable famous people in the same personality group. Next, the tool suggests careers or career groups that suit that personality group.
Why employers should not use personality tests to screen people out
Limitations of self-assessment tools
Both the Enneagram and MBTI are self-assessment tools, based on the subjective answers of participants. Results depend on the mood, circumstances, and honesty of the respondent at the time of taking the test. Therefore, they cannot measure actual ability, professional skills, or job performance.
Stability of results
According to Enneagram theory, each person may lean toward one personality type but still retains traits of the other 8 types, which may be revealed depending on external circumstances and psychological states. This shows that test results are not fixed but can change over time and circumstances. Similarly, MBTI shows the natural differences between individuals but does not assert that personality is immutable.
Risk of labeling and exclusion
When employers use personality tests as a criterion for screening out candidates, they may overlook candidates who have real ability but do not belong to the desired personality group. This is not only unfair but also reduces diversity in the organization and limits the development opportunities of people with different working styles.
The proper purpose of personality tests
Tools such as the Enneagram and MBTI should be used as reference means to understand oneself, orient careers, and improve interpersonal relationships. They should not be used as rigid screening tools in recruitment.
A comparative perspective between the three regions of North, Central, and South Vietnam
This section should be presented neutrally, describing only the differences in familiarity and application of personality tests in each region, based on what the reference sources mention. However, it should be noted that the available reference sources (Tuoi Tre Online and Znews) mainly mention the general context of Vietnam, focus on some specific locations such as Ho Chi Minh City, and do not provide detailed, complete data to compare each region separately on this topic.
The North
Available reference sources do not yet fully cover information on how personality tests are received and applied in the North. Therefore, this section cannot be described in detail.
The Central region
Similarly, available reference sources do not yet fully cover information on how personality tests are received and applied in the Central region. This section cannot be described in detail.
The South
Reference sources mention some activities related to personality tests in Ho Chi Minh City, such as the "Hieu ve ban" page of the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City launched in 2022, and the book "Huong nghiep cung Enneagram" reviewed by Dr. Le Tham Duong, head of the Finance Faculty at the University of Banking Ho Chi Minh City. However, this information reflects only part of the context in the South and is not enough to generalize for the whole region.
Comparative summary table
| Criterion | The North | The Central region | The South |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information on the popularity of personality tests | No data in reference sources | No data in reference sources | Some activities recorded in Ho Chi Minh City |
| Tools mentioned | No data | No data | MBTI, Holland, Enneagram |
| Application context | No data | No data | Career guidance for high school students, book introduction |
| Reference sources | None | None | Tuoi Tre Online, Znews |
Note: The table above reflects only what the reference sources mention. Information on the North and Central region is incomplete, and there is not enough basis for detailed comparison.
Conclusion
The Enneagram and MBTI are useful reference tools that help with self-understanding and career orientation, but they should not be used as criteria for screening out candidates in recruitment. Employers should focus on the actual ability, skills, and experience of candidates rather than relying on personality test results. Regarding the regional perspective, available reference sources do not provide enough data to fully compare the three regions of North, Central, and South, so further research is needed for a comprehensive picture.
