How the Big Five Personality Traits Can Boost Your Career Success

First developed by psychologists in the 1950s, the Big Five Personality Traits test seeks to deepen our understanding of ourselves as unique individuals. This is similar to the Myers-Briggs test, which categorizes people into 16 personality types. However, the Big Five Personality Traits focus only on five personality dimensions, indicated by the acronym OCEAN.

What are the Big Five Personality Traits?

• Openness
• Conscientiousness
• Extroversion
• Agreeableness
• Neuroticism

To learn more about them, we tackle each personality trait, and find out which are the best traits to become successful at work!

How Personality Traits Can Affect Your Work

This personality test is available online, and can enlighten you on your tendencies and default responses to various situations. Jobstreet focuses on how these can impact your work habits and beliefs. By being aware of your strengths and weaknesses, you can take steps for self-improvement!

1. Openness

Individuals with this dominant personality trait are highly artistic and curious, and are comfortable going out of their comfort zone.

Typical Traits: open to novel ideas and experiences, inquisitive, willing to take risks, have diverse interests, flexible

Likes: the pursuit of knowledge, imagining, creativity, thinking out of the box

Dislikes: strict routines, conventional ideas

Work Strengths: strong job satisfaction, can easily adapt to different situations, has leadership qualities

Work Drawbacks: prone to making impulsive decisions, may forget practicality, may find it difficult to stay the course to meet goals and finish tasks

Recommended Jobs: Artist, Pilot, Entrepreneur, Events Coordinator

Also read: Career Switch With Your Niche Role: Still Possible?

2. Conscientiousness

If you have a high degree of conscientiousness, you always aim to complete your work with care and diligence.

Typical Traits: organized, focused, dependable, goal-oriented

Likes: meeting and exceeding others’ expectations, security, schedules and routines

Dislikes: sudden changes, disorganized processes

Work Strengths: self-disciplined, highly responsible, strong leadership skills

Work Drawbacks: doesn’t work well under pressure, prone to inflexibility and burnout

Recommended Jobs: Freelance Writer, Doctor, Politician, Marketing Consultant

3. Extroversion

People who mostly possess this personality trait gain energy from socializing.

Typical Traits: talkative, outgoing, assertive, confident

Likes: social situations, discussing ideas with other people, new experiences, helping others

Dislikes: silence, solitary situations

Work Strengths: excel in collaboration, strong communication and leadership skills, willing to share ideas and feedback, action-oriented

Work Drawbacks: low concentration, may lack objectivity, may be perceived as dominant and aggressive

Recommended Jobs: Sales Representative, Teacher, Lawyer, Public Relations Officer

Also read: Career Cheat Codes: A Career in Sales

4. Agreeableness

Compassion, friendliness, and sympathy are some of the trademark characteristics of people who score high in this personality trait.

Typical Traits: polite, cooperative, considerate

Likes: helping others, accomplishing good deeds

Dislikes: conflict, making tough decisions, being the center of attention

Work Strengths: tends to follow rules, likable, willing to compromise, excellent conduct

Work Drawbacks: may hesitate speaking up to avoid conflict, puts other needs before their own, tendency to people-please

Recommended Jobs: Social Worker, Counselor, Nurse, Veterinarian

5. Neuroticism

The opposite of emotional stability, this personality trait refers to how one keeps their anxiety and sadness in check.

Typical Traits: temperamental, pessimistic, low self-esteem

Likes: being prepared for possible risks

Dislikes: stressful and overwhelming situations

Work Strengths: high awareness of risks and threats, works hard to avoid potential dangers

Work Drawbacks: lack of focus and resilience, employee burnout, dramatic emotional shifts, low self-esteem

Recommended Jobs: Accountant, Writer, Artist, Yoga Instructor

How Knowing Your Dominant Personality Trait Can Help You

Awareness leads to action. Increasing self-knowledge is an important tool in leading a healthier and happier life. Here are the benefits of taking the Big Five Personality Traits test:

Balance out your personality. 

Knowing your prevailing trait can help you address your weak points and cultivate your strengths. This is useful not just at work but also in your daily life.

Plan a career.

Knowing how you interact and behave at work helps you plot out a long-term career. This also lets you better understand your reasons for job fulfillment. By choosing roles that answer your emotional needs, you have a higher chance of job satisfaction.

Need help? Download our Career Development Planner.

Boost workplace relationships.

Employers are always assessing how the staff interact with each other. By assessing your collaborative behavior, you can improve interactions with co-workers, which can increase your productivity.

Also read: These In-Demand Skills Can Help You Get Ahead in Your Career

Is Conscientiousness the Best Trait for Workplace Success?

According to several experts, the one important personality trait that consistently leads to both personal and professional success is conscientiousness.

Orderliness, self-control, industriousness, responsibility and traditionality are just some of the more specific traits that fall under conscientiousness. Dependability, punctuality and decisiveness also fall under this personality trait.

Conscientiousness rules your personality if you:

• Constantly practice care and efficiency in your tasks.
• Have a strong “moral” compass that lets you process things systematically before you act.
• Avoid acting impulsively.
• Make decisions based on logic and deliberation.

Here are the reasons why conscientious people are more likely to be successful in their career:

Better success in job-hunting

Conscientiousness involves constant effort, which, when applied to job-hunting, can lead to positive results. Being organized helps, too, allowing those with this personality trait to better scour job ads and referrals, exploring all employment possibilities.

Better workplace productivity

Conscientious workers know how to practice persistence, allowing them to hit targets even in the face of failures and setbacks. They are also less likely to commit “organizational deviance'' (as opposed to those with high levels of neuroticism). They have lower rates of absenteeism, tardiness and counterproductive work behavior, like instigating conflict, which makes them more productive.

Higher incomes

If you value work excellence and consistently turn in quality work, your superiors will notice. Because of your reliability, you may be considered for higher positions, which also increases your salary.

Job satisfaction

Studies show a positive correlation between being conscientious and job satisfaction. Conscientious workers are happier with their jobs because they are often agreeable and less likely to complain about work. Since they are more productive, they’re often recognized for their good work, which leads to emotional fulfillment.

Less likely to leave

Conscientious people often enjoy longer durations of employment. They all add up—job satisfaction, work fulfillment, increasing salaries—all these are powerful incentives for workers to stay in an organization.

Also read: Find Professional Growth in These 10 Best Companies in the Philippines This 2022!

Ways to Improve Conscientiousness

If you’re low on conscientiousness, you have the power to turn things around. After all, personality traits don’t dictate your fate; they merely provide a guide for self-development. All of us possess the Big Five Personality Traits, but to varying degrees. Here are some ways to improve your conscientiousness:

Set a schedule and stick to it.

Avoid procrastination by writing a to-do list. Prioritize tasks according to their deadlines, and reward yourself after ticking all the items.

Make careful decisions.

Try not to give into impulse. Take the time to look at a problem from all angles, and consider your decision’s repercussions. This gives you a chance to discover other options that have better results.

Organize your workspace.

Get rid of anything that doesn’t help you in your work. At the end of each work day, classify files, clean your desk, and arrange your drawers’ contents. This helps you to approach the next day with a fresh mindset.

Set goals.

Conscientious people focus on goals and create strategies to meet them. This will help you complete more tasks while seeing the bigger picture of your work.

Let Your Personality Trait Shine in the Workplace!

Self-development is a lifetime process. But if you exert some time and effort in bettering yourself, job contentment is within your reach.

Looking for a fulfilling job? #SEEKBetter opportunities on Jobstreet. Begin by creating or updating your profile. For more jobs, visit Jobstreet or download the Jobstreet app on Google Play or the App Store.