The Effect of Personality on EPL Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectations among Graduates in Nigerian Universities

Abstract

The study tests the big five personality traits on entrepreneurial, professional and leadership (EPL) self-efficacies, job and entrepreneurial outcome expectation. It also examined the influence of these efficacies on their corresponding outcome expectations. The study design was crosssectional and used a sample of 363 new graduates from Nigeria's tertiary institutions. We used a regression path analysis to determine the causal model tested in this study. Results showed that extraversion, openness and agreeableness significantly lead to concurrently high EPL selfefficacies, neuroticism inversely related to professional and leadership self-efficacies, but conscientiousness did not relate with any of the self-efficacies. Second, agreeableness, neuroticism, and conscientiousness led to job and entrepreneurial outcome expectations. Third, only leadership self-efficacy led to both job and entrepreneurial outcome expectations. These findings deepen our understanding of how entrepreneurial, professional and career mindset can be achieved in an individual.