As a workplace psychologist with over a decade of experience, I specialize in helping organizations create great experiences for their employees and job candidates.
I speak with hundreds of executives and HR professionals every year about what is most important to them. While they occasionally have concerns about how to deal with trends like “quiet quitting,” hiring good talent is always at the top of their priority lists.
Conscientiousness is the top trait that employers always look for in new hires. Here’s what that means, and why it’s in demand.
The personality trait employers prize the most: Conscientiousness
You may be familiar with the five factor model, also known as the set of Big Five personality traits.
- Openness to experience: Huge capacity for curiosity and imagination
- Conscientiousness: Organized, responsible and hard working
- Extraversion: Gregarious and energized by social interactions
- Agreeableness: Cooperative and unselfish
- Emotional stability: Secure and has predictable emotional reactions
While each of these personality traits can be important for certain positions, conscientiousness predicts performance across many jobs. That makes it universally valuable for employers.
Conscientiousness transcends specific job tasks. Very often, the initial role that someone is hired for will change as the needs of the organization evolve. So employees who have this trait are more likely to find success, regardless of the job.
How you can demonstrate conscientiousness
During the hiring process, there are a few simple ways you can show potential employers that you possess this key trait.
Many pre-hire personality assessments are rooted in the Big Five, and employers use them to better understand candidates’ knowledge, skills, abilities and characteristics.
Then there is the interview itself. Effective interview questions will often ask about a time you engaged in a specific behavior that is relevant to the job as a way to better gauge your organizational skills and
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