A Personality-Based Measure of Employability

Abstract. Hogan et al. (2013) proposed a personality-based model of employability that describes individual differences in (1) being rewarding to deal with, (2) being able to learn the job, and (3) being willing to work hard. In this study, we evaluated the model by selecting subscales from the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI; Hogan & Hogan, 2007 ) that best predicted supervisor ratings of competencies related to these three constructs. The psychometric properties of those scales were examined in independent samples. Results indicated that the scales converged with similar scales from other instruments, covaried in meaningful ways with observer descriptions, and predicted supervisor ratings of job performance. The measure – which is 64% shorter than the full HPI – includes personality characteristics applicable to most jobs across multiple job families that can be used to identify successful candidates.