What Is Self-Promoting on a Personality Inventory Analysis?

Companies can rely on a wide variety of personality inventories to gain insight into staff strengths and weaknesses. Several personality tests judge a test taker's tendency to self-promote, and a few tests establish this trait as a key component of personality possessed by personality types. Self-promotion has both benefits and risks, so you'll need to decide whether you can benefit from an employee with this tendency.

Self-promotion is the tendency to speak positively about oneself by highlighting achievements and minimizing weaknesses. A person who regularly posts her latest blog entries on Facebook is engaging in self-promotion, as is an employee who compiles a list of reasons she deserves a promotion. Self-promotion isn't a good gauge of self-esteem. Some people engage in the practice because they feel badly about themselves and need external validation, while others do so because of high self-esteem and pride in accomplishments.

People who self-promote tend to be extroverted and comfortable talking about themselves. While extreme versions of this personality can come across as overbearing, more moderate versions are often perceived as friendly and sociable. Self-promoters are adept at turning conversations into discussions of their own achievements, and doing this requires a significant degree of social intelligence and conversational competence.

Because self-promoters are focused on their own achievements, they can come across as self-involved. There is a correlation between high self-promotion and high narcissism. While small degrees of narcissism might not be problematic, highly narcissistic people care little about others' feelings and may be willing to breach laws and ethical norms to achieve their personal goals.

A person who self-promotes can draw attention to your business's achievements and drum up interest in new projects. However, he might also take all of the credit for work that was a group undertaking and may struggle to admit to his own weaknesses. He may also prioritize projects that gain him visibility and acclaim over projects that directly benefit your company.