In today's competitive job market, both hard skills and soft skills play crucial roles in securing employment. However, research suggests that while hard skills may get you the job, it's your character, particularly a proactive personality, that helps you keep it and thrive in it.
Proactive Personality and Job Tenure
Proactive personality literature has shown that proactive personality is positively associated with job satisfaction (Liao, 2015) and career satisfaction (Jawahar & Liu, 2017) [1]. Proactive individuals are often self-starters who take the initiative to improve their work environment and are not afraid to propose new ideas or challenge the status quo. This proactive behavior can lead to increased job satisfaction and longer job tenure.
Proactive individuals are not just reactive to their environment; they shape it. They anticipate future problems, seek opportunities, and take charge to bring about change. This forward-thinking approach can lead to innovative solutions and improvements in the workplace, contributing to job satisfaction and career success.
The Role of Soft Skills in Career Success
According to a Wall Street Journal survey, 92% of nearly 900 executives stated that soft skills were equally important or more important than technical skills [2]. Soft skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and teamwork, are often more difficult to teach than hard skills, making them highly sought after in the job market. A LinkedIn survey found that 58% of hiring managers believe a lack of soft skills among job candidates is limiting their company's productivity [2].
These soft skills, often referred to as 'people skills', are crucial for building relationships, fostering effective communication, and promoting teamwork in the workplace. They are the skills that enable individuals to navigate their environment, work well with others, perform well, and achieve their goals.
The Importance of Soft Skills in Tech Companies
Even in tech companies, where technical skills are highly valued, soft skills have been found to be critical for success. Google's Project Oxygen shocked everyone by concluding that among the eight most important qualities of Google’s top employees, STEM expertise comes in dead last. The seven top characteristics of success at Google are all soft skills [3]. This finding underscores the importance of these skills in the workplace, even in industries traditionally associated with hard skills.
Proactive Personality Predicts Job Success
Research has shown that proactive personality can predict job success. For instance, Crant and Bateman (2000) found that proactive personality explained an additional 5.7% of variance in charismatic leadership after controlling for the Big 5 traits. In their meta-analysis, Spitzmuller, Sin, Howe, and Fatimah (2015) found that proactive personality explained an extra 5% of variance in job performance, 5.8% of variance in task performance, 2.5% of variance in organization-targeted organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and 4.8% of variance in individual-targeted OCB [4].
These findings suggest that proactive individuals are more likely to take initiative, show leadership, and contribute positively to their organizations, leading to better job performance and success.
Personality Traits and Counterproductive Workplace Behaviors
Personality traits can also predict counterproductive workplace behaviors. A study showed that a bifactor model was able to explain Big Five personality data significantly better than a simple CFA model in predicting counterproductive work behavior. Specifically, after removing the bifactor variance, extraversion became a significant predictor of counterproductive work behavior such as academic dishonesty, even after controlling for cognitive ability and gender [5].
This suggests that understanding an individual's personality traits can help predict not only their potential for success but also their likelihood of engaging in counterproductive behaviors. This information can be invaluable for organizations in making hiring decisions and managing their workforce.
Cognitive Ability and Workplace Behavior
Cognitive ability also plays a role in workplace behavior. In a predictive study, for a large sample of law enforcement job applicants, a standardized psychometric test of cognitive ability predicted counterproductive work behavior, whereas educational attainment did not [6]. This suggests that cognitive ability, which is closely related to problem-solving and critical thinking skills, can be a better predictor of job performance than formal education.
Conclusion
While hard skills are important for landing a job, soft skills and personality traits, particularly a proactive personality, are crucial for long-term career success. Employers value employees who can communicate effectively, take initiative, and work well in a team. As the workplace continues to evolve, these skills will only become more important. Therefore, individuals should focus on developing these skills to increase their job satisfaction, performance, and tenure.
In the end, it's not just about what you know, but who you are and how you apply what you know that truly matters in the workplace. The interplay of hard skills, soft skills, and personality traits shapes an individual's career trajectory and success.
References
[1] Liao, H., & Liu, S. (2017). Proactive Personality and Career Satisfaction: The Mediating Effects of Self-Efficacy and Work Engagement. SAGE Open, 7(3), 215824402110401. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211040118 [2] Weber, L. (2016, August 30). Employers Find ‘Soft Skills’ Like Critical Thinking in Short Supply. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/employers-find-soft-skills-like-critical-thinking-in-short-supply-1472549400 [3] Strauss, V. (2017, December 20). The surprising thing Google learned about its employees — and what it means for today’s students. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/12/20/the-surprising-thing-google-learned-about-its-employees-and-what-it-means-for-todays-students/?outputType=amp [4] Wu, B., & Zheng, X. (2020). Proactive Personality and Creative Behavior: Examining the Role of Thriving at Work and High-Involvement HR Practices. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bingqing-Wu/publication/342646230_Proactive_Personality_and_Creative_Behavior_Examining_the_Role_of_Thriving_at_Work_and_High-Involvement_HR_Practices/links/5eff37ad458515505087b1bf/Proactive-Personality-and-Creative-Behavior-Examining-the-Role-of-Thriving-at-Work-and-High-Involvement-HR-Practices.pdf [5] Kulas, J. T., & Stachowski, A. A. (2013). Middle category endorsement in odd-numbered Likert response scales: Associated item characteristics, cognitive demands, and preferred meanings. Journal of Business and Psychology, 28(3), 281–293. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-012-9273-4 [6] Berry, C. M., Sackett, P. R., & Wiemann, S. (2007). A review of recent developments in integrity test research. Personnel Psychology, 60(2), 271–301. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2007.00074.x