SurveyMars: Smart Hiring for Small Business Teams

As the owner of a small café in Portland, Oregon, I wear many hats: barista, accountant, and yes—HR manager. For years, I struggled with two big challenges: hiring people who stuck around (turnover in the food industry is brutal!) and getting my team to work together smoothly. Then a fellow small business owner told me about SurveyMars, a quiz maker that’s designed for businesses like mine—no big budget or HR team required. With tools like the free personality test, pre employment personality assessment, and team building personality quiz, we’ve cut turnover by 35% and made our shifts way less stressful. Here’s how SurveyMars changed our business.

Stop Wasting Time on Bad Hires with the Pre Employment Personality Assessment In the café world, hiring the wrong person can derail a whole week. A barista who hates fastpaced mornings or a cashier who doesn’t connect with customers can ruin the vibe for everyone—staff and guests alike. Before SurveyMars, I hired based on resumes and gut feelings, but that led to people quitting after a month. Now, I use the pre employment personality assessment to make sure candidates fit our café’s culture: friendly, flexible, and customerfocused. Last month, I interviewed two baristas. Both had experience, but the pre employment personality assessment told me one was an “ESFJ” (warm, peoplepleasing) and the other an “ISTP” (independent, taskfocused).

Our café thrives on chatting with regulars and helping each other during rushes, so I chose the ESFJ. They’ve been here three months now—they remember customers’ orders and jump in to help when someone’s swamped. The best part? I customized the Personality Quiz Questions to ask things like, “How do you handle a long line of customers?” so the results were specific to our work. No more guessing—just data that helps me hire right.

Use the Free Personality Test to Help New Hires Settle In

Starting a new job is nervewracking, especially in a small team where everyone relies on each other. Now, when we hire someone new, I have them take SurveyMars’ free personality test on their first day. It’s a fun, lowpressure way to help them (and the team) understand how they work. For example, our new baker took the test and learned she’s an “INFJ” (creative, quiet). The team realized she’d do her best work if we gave her space in the morning to prep, instead of asking her to jump into customer service right away.

Sharing the test results in our weekly team huddle also breaks the ice. The baker said it made her feel “seen” on day one, and the rest of the team knew how to support her. The free personality test isn’t just a tool—it’s a way to welcome people and set them up for success.

Fix Team Tension with the Team Building Personality Quiz

Small teams mean small conflicts can blow up fast. A few months ago, our two shift leads were constantly bickering: one wanted strict schedules, and the other wanted to switch shifts last minute. I had both take the team building personality quiz, and the issue became clear: the first shift lead was a “Judger” (loves structure), and the second was a “Perceiver” (likes flexibility).

We used the quiz results to compromise: we set a “noswitching after 5 PM” rule (for the Judger) but let people trade shifts up until then (for the Perceiver). Now, they work together like a dream—no more eyerolling during meetings. The team building personality quiz didn’t just fix a conflict; it taught us how to respect each other’s differences.

Dive Deeper with the MBTI Cognitive Functions Test for Customer Service

Our café’s biggest selling point is our customer service, so I wanted to make sure our frontofhouse team was set up to connect with guests. We used SurveyMars’ MBTI cognitive functions test to learn how each team member interacts with people. For example, our cashier’s strength was “Extraverted Feeling”—she could tell when a customer had a bad day and turn it around with a kind word. Our server’s strength was “Introverted Sensing”—he remembered small details, like a regular’s allergy to oat milk. I paired them during busy weekends, and guests started commenting on how “attentive” and “friendly” the team was.

The MBTI cognitive functions test showed us that great customer service isn’t just about being nice—it’s about using each person’s unique strengths to make guests feel special. It’s way more effective than just telling everyone to “smile more.”

Why SurveyMars Is Better Than Other Quiz Makers for Small Businesses

There are other quiz maker tools out there, but they’re often made for big corporations with huge HR teams. SurveyMars is different: it’s simple, affordable, and focused on real small business problems. You don’t need a psychology degree to understand the results—they’re written in plain English, with actionable tips. And with the 16 personalities quiz, we can even plan team outings! We learned half the team loves hiking, so we did a group hike last month—it brought us closer together outside of work.

As a small business owner, I don’t have time for complicated tools. SurveyMars gives me exactly what I need: clear insights to hire better, build a stronger team, and keep my café running smoothly. It’s one of the best investments I’ve made in my business. Ready to stop wasting time on bad hires and fix team tension?