Which personality trait from the Big Five has the highest criterion-related validity with job performance across all jobs?
Multiple Choice
Openness to Experience
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Neuroticism
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is Conscientiousness.
Explanation:
Conscientiousness, one of the Big Five personality traits, consistently shows the highest criterion-related validity with job performance across all types of jobs. This means that individuals who score high in conscientiousness tend to perform better in their jobs compared to those who score lower in this trait.
Conscientiousness refers to a person’s level of dependability, responsibility, organization, self-discipline, and achievement orientation. People high in conscientiousness are generally reliable, detail-oriented, and persistent. These traits make them well-suited to performing well in a variety of professional settings because they are more likely to be motivated, follow through with tasks, and pay attention to the details that lead to success in job roles. Their ability to manage their time effectively, set goals, and follow through on commitments makes them valuable assets to employers.
Research supports that conscientiousness has one of the strongest links to job performance, particularly in roles that require a high degree of responsibility, organization, and task completion. This connection holds true across diverse job types, including those that are highly specialized (like engineering or medicine) and those that involve more routine tasks (like customer service or administrative work).
Other Big Five traits, such as extraversion or agreeableness, can influence job performance but do not have as consistently strong a correlation with overall performance as conscientiousness. For example, while extraversion can be beneficial in jobs that require interaction with others, such as sales or management, it does not predict job performance as robustly across all occupations. Likewise, while agreeableness is helpful for teamwork and cooperation, it doesn’t always translate into superior individual performance.
In sum, conscientiousness stands out as the personality trait most consistently linked to higher job performance across a wide range of professions.