Gallup test - is it worth doing? I would not like to spend my money without any sense. Is it really helpful for career planning?

If you've never done this kind of research before, the results may be a clue. However, do not count on specifics - this is not a professional aptitude test, it will not show you professions in which you have a chance to fulfill yourself. The Gallup test is the colloquial name of a tool that allows you to determine the intensity of traits called talents. It is not about talent in the sense of e.g. artistic abilities, but about certain personality traits. Researchers have distinguished 34 features that every person has, but arranged in a specific order - from the most important to the least important. It is assumed that the first 10 talents best define your personality, way of acting and predispositions. The test itself looks like you answer 177 questions. In each of them, you have to choose the sentence that suits you more. There is no time for long thoughts - you have a maximum of 20 seconds to answer. After the examination, you will receive a detailed description of individual talents by e-mail. Specific qualities fall into one of 4 areas: Strategic Thinking, Relationship Building, Influence, and Execution. It may be that the talents from the first place will be located in one area, or they may be scattered over all 4 and it will be difficult to identify a dominant area. The important thing is that discovered talent can become your forte, but it takes some work. You will find sites on the Internet where the results of the Gallup test are analyzed, so you can get tips in which professions certain characteristics are desirable. There are groups on Facebook where people look for their "twins", i.e. people with a similar set of dominant talents. I personally did this test, but without buying full access. The basic version, i.e. a description of the first 5 features, currently costs PLN 105, and the extended version PLN 255. You can buy a cheaper version first, and later buy a full report. This will not require repeating the test.

If you have never done a Gallup test, it is worth taking it to know your potential and develop it in your future professional life. Now let me tell you about the test itself. The Gallup test examines 34 features and identifies five dominant features. In it you answer 177 questions.

In each of them you will have a five-point axis and sentences verifying other talents. You will move the slider according to your feelings. The Gallup test is worth taking because you'll discover your best ways to solve problems, interact with people, influence and think critically.

In my opinion, the price of PLN 255 is not so high. If you don't want to pay, you can take an alternative Gallup test, which includes, among others: HIGH5 Test, Truity, 16personalities, or ViaCharacter.

The current version of the Gallup test has been divided into 4 domains:

Strategic Thinking Domain - How do you take in and analyze information?

Analytical - cause and effect thinking; Context - understanding the present by analyzing the past; Visionary (Futuristic) - creating a vision of the future; Inventiveness (Ideation) - fascination with an idea, searching for connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena; Collecting (Input) - collecting ideas, information and even relationships; Intellection - conducting intelligent discussions, introspection; Learning (Learner) - being passionate about the process of learning and learning new things; Strategic - searching for alternative solutions, methodical action.

Influencing Domain - How do you influence other people?

Activator (Activator) - specific actions instead of talking; Command - control over the situation, making decisions, marking your presence; Communication - the ability to express one's own thoughts, speak and present; Competition - comparing and competing with others; Maximizer - seeing the advantages of other people and using their potential; Self-assurance - belief in the rightness of one's own choices and the ability to manage one's life; Significance - making an impression on others; Czar (Woo) - breaking the ice, meeting new people and convincing them to you.

Relationship Building Domain - How do you build and nurture relationships?

Flexibility (Adaptability) - living in the moment, spontaneity; Interdependence (Connectedness) - belief in the non-randomness of events and belonging to a larger order; Developing others (Developer) - discovering the potential of other people and supporting them in their development; Empathy - the ability to put oneself in the shoes of other people and empathize with them; Harmony - avoiding conflicts, looking for compromises; Integrator (Includer) - acceptance for other people and the ability to include them in the group; Individualization - the ability to see the characteristics of individuals and create productive teams; Optimist (Positivity) - infecting others with enthusiasm; Proximity (Relator) - building close relationships, achieving common goals with friends.

Executing Domain - How do you bring plans, ideas and dreams to life? How do you implement them?

Achiever - diligence, high endurance; Arranger - appropriate management to achieve maximum productivity, flexibility; Belief - faithfulness to goals and values; Consistency - equal treatment of other people, consistency in behavior, adherence to clear rules; Deliberative - caution, anticipation of potential obstacles; Discipline - order and routine; Focus - first planning, then action; fidelity to a specific course of action; Responsibility - loyalty, honesty, faithfulness to one's word; Restorative - efficient identification of problems and solving them.

You know what, you can find similar but free research on the net. I'm just not sure if they have Polish language available, I haven't had a chance to check it out. If you are good at English, you can try the free tests first and then decide if it's worth paying for Gallup. The advantage of Gallup is that it can certainly be done in Polish, which makes it much easier with limited time to answer.

Definitely worth it! I did it myself recently and was pleasantly surprised at what I got. I discussed my results with someone who is a professional Galloup trainer and I came up with a few things that explained to me why I am who I am and what I should focus on.

First of all, Galloup will give you clarity about what your strengths are and how you should approach problems. We often try to force the solutions that we have learned from our family or our authorities, but the fact is that often it simply does not suit us.

For example, if you don't have naturally high energy and you don't enjoy chatting up friends at a party then... just don't do it. There's nothing wrong with "sitting in the kitchen and talking about life." You just have different preferences on how to relate and enjoy other things.

Puenta - Yes, it's definitely worth doing Gallup and it will help you in planning your career :)