An Investigation of Personality Traits in Relation to Career Satisfaction

Abstract

We examined personality traits in relation to career satisfaction and job satisfaction for 5,932 individuals in career transition. Personality traits were related to career satisfaction and job satisfaction in the total sample and 14 separate occupational groups. Regression analyses revealed three personality traits consistently related to career satisfaction: emotional resilience, optimism, and work drive in initial and holdout samples as well as in all 14 occupational groups, accounting for an average of 17% of career satisfaction variance. Personality traits correlated with career satisfaction included the Big Five traits of conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness and other, narrower traits, such as assertiveness, customer service orientation, and human managerial relations orientation. Results were discussed in terms of Holland's general personal competence factor, Goleman's emotional intelligence, career adaptation, and the nomothetic span of personality constructs. Also discussed were study limitations, suggestions for future research, and practical implications for career counseling.

Sistema de Evaluación Informatizado de la Satisfacción Académica para Estudiantes Universitarios de Primer Año

“…Según Lent y Brown (2008) involucra el bienestar y disfrute que los alumnos perciben al llevar a cabo experiencias vinculadas a su rol estudiantil. Asimismo se relaciona negativamente con retrasos en el inicio de la carrera, fracaso académico, estrés durante las transiciones educativas y comportamientos disfuncionales durante el transcurso académico (Lounsbury et al, 2003). Por otra parte se observa que la satisfacción académica se relaciona positivamente con el ajuste académico (Lent, Taveira, Sheu y Single, 2009), la integración social (Suldo, Riley y Shaffer, 2008), la persistencia en los estudios (Fernandes Sisto et al, 2008), el éxito académico (Suldo et al, 2006) y la satisfacción general con la vida (Lounsbury et al, 2004).…”

Can personality predict retirement behaviour? A longitudinal analysis combining survey and register data from Norway

“…Personality is also correlated with career choice (Page et al 2008), career satisfaction (Judge et al 2002), and how individuals adjust to career transitions (Lounsbury et al 2003). Neuroticism and an absence of conscientiousness and extraversion are correlated with indecision regarding career choices (Page et al 2008).…”

Distinctive Personality Traits of Information Technology Professionals

“…More recently, researchers have contended that the Big Five taxonomy is too broad, and that more narrow-scope personality constructs can enhance their validity in both work and academic domains (Paunonen & Ashton, 2001). For example, Lounsbury, Loveland, Sundstrom, Gibson, Drost, and Hamrick (2003) found several narrow traits (including assertiveness, customer service orientation, optimism, and work drive) positively related to career satisfaction for individuals in a wide range of occupational fields, above and beyond the variance accounted for by the big five personality traits. In the present study we investigated the Big Five personality traits and five traits which are narrower in conceptualization than the Big Five, and have been found important in diverse work domains : Assertiveness, Customer Service Orientation, Optimism, Tough-mindedness, and Work Drive.…”