Exploring Employees' Personality Attributes in Relation to Their Employability Attributes in the Business Management Field

Abstract

This study explored early career employee's personality preferences in a South African work setting. Participants were a non-probability sample business management employees (N = 304; female = 64%, ethnicity = 81% Black, supervisory = 53%, age range = 25 and 40 years). The participants completed measures of personality type, self-esteem and emotional intelligence as a composite set of their personality attributes, in relation to their employability attributes. A canonical analysis indicated that the participants' personality attributes were significantly and positively related to their employability attributes. Structural equation modeling indicated a moderate fit between the personality and employability canonical variate constructs. The findings provided thus evidence that a person's personality attributes are related to their employability attributes and should their personality attributes be developed, their employability attributes would be enhanced.

Keywords:

• career meta-competencies
• personality preferences
• self-esteem
• emotional intelligence
• employability
• business management
• early career
• career development