Personality and job performance may be relevant in some professions, but cognitive abilities are often more important. Agreeableness may not make the best candidate for a supervisor, while extraversion could be linked to job performance in sales or marketing. Conscientiousness is linked to job performance in most studies. Critics argue that personality tests can be faked, and other tools such as intensive interviewing and aptitude tests may be more effective. Some employers use a combination of personality tests and emotional intelligence tests to evaluate prospective employees.
Some psychologists and researchers agree that personality and job performance might be relevant in certain professions, but the connection might be less important in other jobs. Studies have examined the relationship between agreeableness, consciousness, openness to experience, self-esteem, and emotional stability to determine whether the two are related. The results showed high correlations in some areas, but found that cognitive abilities – memory, adaptability, thinking ahead, concentration, etc. – have often been a more important factor.
A person with the personality trait of agreeableness may not make the best candidate for the job of a supervisor, according to research. Your personality and job performance may collide if your agreeableness makes it difficult to delegate tasks and enforce company policies regarding attendance and productivity. A supervisor who lacks this trait, however, could make unreasonable demands on employees and lose their respect.
Job performance in sales or marketing could be linked to extraversion. An extrovert commonly gets excited around other people, especially in social situations. These social skills could provide job performance indicators when hiring candidates in these professions. Conversely, if a job requires solitary work, cognitive skills may be more important to completing the job.
When looking at conscience — being principled, disciplined, and observant — most studies have linked the trait to personality and job performance. A person who acts conscientiously in all aspects of life may be more likely to finish work and complete tasks to the best of his ability. In some companies, finishing assigned work is a more important quality than getting along with colleagues.
Critics of these models believe that testing for personality traits should be about a specific job opening. They also argue that tests developed to analyze personality can easily be faked by an applicant. Some psychologists say there is only a tenuous link between personality and job performance because the standard tests used by employers are limited. They propose to improve testing procedures by asking open-ended questions to gain more insight into a candidate’s personality.
Other psychologists believe there are more effective tools for hiring and promoting employees. Intensive interviewing tactics may uncover more valuable information about a person’s experience and ability than personality tests. Aptitude tests could also provide relevant information, as well as asking candidates for samples of their work.
Some employers use a combination of personality tests and emotional intelligence tests to evaluate prospective employees. Emotional intelligence tests could indicate how an applicant handles anger and their degree of self-control. It may also reveal traits that indicate resilience, confidence, and optimism.
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