The beauty of any work environment is often the wide range of personality types and work styles. But according to recent research, some personality traits are better than others when it comes to getting a promotion.
Specifically, extroverted people are more likely to move up the career ladder quickly, and neurotic people are more likely to stay exactly where they are. a Report Published by job search site Joblist last month that included 1,011 American workers about their personalities and work experience, it found that 25% of those surveyed with outgoing personalities had received promotions last year — the highest percentage of any personality group studied.
On the flip side, 30% of participants with high levels of neuroticism — people who may be easily overwhelmed and express feelings like anger, anxiety, self-consciousness or irritability at work — said they had never received a promotion. This was similarly the highest percentage of any subject group studied.
Survey participants were asked to rate themselves on the “big five” personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. These traits come from the five factor model, which is widely used among Psychologists today. The report noted that its findings have “certain limitations”, as the data are based on participants’ self-reports.
However, many fast foods are interesting. For example, your personality – or at least your personal assessment of who you are – may affect your annual salary. Those who self-identified as conscientious were most likely to earn at least $75,000 per year, while “highly neurotic people” were most likely to earn $34,999 or less per year.
Neurotic people were least likely to hold high or executive positions. This may be because this personality trait is associated with higher susceptibility to negative emotions, irritability, and general dissatisfaction—making them less likely to be the best leaders,” the report’s authors wrote.
The survey noted high associations between personality traits and fulfillment of occupational choices: 83% of respondents who scored high on compatibility said their job aligns with their intended career path, while 70% of neurotic people said their job did not.
Perhaps, then, it is not surprising that the neural group includes most people who have left at least one job in the past two years, and most people who intend to look for a new job in the next three to six months. “Individuals with high neuroticism generally do well in environments that provide security, safety, and an outlet for self-expression,” the report noted, citing areas such as “writing, art, and design” as ideal.
High scores on other personality traits also point to potential flaws in the workplace: People who self-identified as very extroverted, for example, were “prone to poor job satisfaction, work-life balance issues, and mental health due to their tendency to have higher levels of Emotionally sensitive than other personality types,” the report’s authors wrote.
The report defined openness as “creative, imaginative, and adventurous,” noting that people with high levels of these personality traits often have a “tendency to make decisions based on gut feeling rather than reason.”
do not miss:
From Growing in Poverty to Fighting the Covid Pandemic: How Northwell Health’s CEO Succeed
