What Are Job Filters?

Job Filters are research-based target profiles that describe which combination of general mental ability (GMA) and personality traits (Big Five + subscales) typically provide good conditions for success in a specific type of role—such as sales, service, leadership, or analysis.

Instead of manually examining individual scales, these profiles combine multiple relevant traits and cognitive ability into an overall match score against job requirements.

How Do Job Filters Work?

In HI Assessments' job filters, each subscale (for example: goal orientation, social drive, empathy, GMA) is weighted with a percentage and an optimal range (for example, 7–9 on a 0–10 scale).

Match Calculation

• Within the optimal range: 100% match
• Outside the range: Match decreases gradually (80% → 60% → 40% → 20% → 0%)

There are no hard cut-offs—the system uses gradual tapering for more nuanced results.

Weighting Principles

Profiles are built on subscales to get closer to concrete job behaviors.

Research Foundation

Why GMA?

Research is clear that GMA is the most robust and broad predictor of job performance. Classic meta-analyses by Schmidt & Hunter (1998) show that GMA strongly predicts both job performance and learning ability across a wide range of occupations, especially in complex roles.

Newer analyses (Sackett, Borneman & Connelly, 2008; Sackett, Zhang, Berry & Lievens, 2022) confirm the relationship with refined validity estimates using modern statistical corrections.

Key insight: The more complex a role, the more important GMA becomes—but GMA has predictive value in all types of occupations.

Why Big Five Personality?

Large meta-analyses show that personality traits predict job performance differently depending on role type:

Together, these meta-analyses show that personality predicts not just performance, but different aspects of performance—problem-solving, customer service, teamwork, leadership, creativity, and stress tolerance.

Optimal Levels, Not Maximum

Several studies show that the relationship between personality traits and performance is often curvilinear. Too-high levels of conscientiousness (perfectionism) or extraversion (dominance) can become counterproductive.

This supports the use of optimal ranges in profiles, rather than "more is always better" logic.

Sources: Le et al., 2011; Carter et al., 2014; Smith et al., 2018; Pierce & Aguinis, 2013; Grant & Schwartz, 2011

Role-Specific Profiles Are Real

A comprehensive study by Anni, Vainik & Mõttus (2025) shows that 263 occupations display clear and systematic personality profiles. Different occupational roles are consistently characterized by recognizable Big Five patterns rather than random individual variations.

For example:

• Sales roles: Higher extraversion
• Service occupations: Higher agreeableness
• Creative/analytical roles: Higher openness

This provides strong support for working with role-specific job profiles where GMA and Big Five traits are weighted based on the behaviors and requirements that typically characterize each role.

System Job Filters

Each profile below is built on combinations of GMA + Big Five scales that are well-established in research (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998; Sackett et al., 2022; Barrick & Mount, 1991), as well as patterns found in occupational profiles across 263 occupations (Anni, Vainik & Mõttus, 2025).

Deal Maker

Best for: Sales, recruitment, business development

Profile characteristics:

• High Extraversion (Social Drive, Sociability)
• High Conscientiousness (Goal Orientation, Persistence)
• High Emotional Stability (Optimism)
• Moderate Agreeableness (Empathy)
• Relatively high GMA

This profile reflects the traits that meta-analyses show predict sales success and influence in customer-driven roles.

Service Champion

Best for: Customer service, nursing, HR generalists, social workers

Profile characteristics:

• High Agreeableness (Empathy, Cooperation, Trust)
• High Emotional Stability (Resilience, Stress Tolerance)
• High Conscientiousness (Dutifulness, Persistence)
• Moderate Extraversion (Social Drive)
• Medium-high GMA

This combination is what research links to service quality, customer satisfaction, and high organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).

Problem Solver

Best for: Engineers, IT developers, analysts, economists

Profile characteristics:

• High GMA
• High Conscientiousness (Structure, Persistence, Goal Orientation)
• High Emotional Stability (Composure)
• Moderate Openness (Creativity, Change Orientation)

This reflects the traits research connects to analytical problem-solving, accuracy, and effective performance in complex technical and cognitive roles.

Team Leader

Best for: Operational leadership, project management

Profile characteristics:

• High Extraversion (Social Drive, Energy)
• High Agreeableness (Cooperation, Empathy)
• High Emotional Stability (Optimism, Resilience, Composure)
• High Conscientiousness (Goal Orientation)
• Stable GMA

Aligned with research on effective, relationship-oriented leadership.

Strategic Driver

Best for: Strategy, management, executive roles

Profile characteristics:

• High GMA
• High Openness (Curiosity, Change Orientation)
• High Conscientiousness (Structure, Goal Orientation)

Found in research on strategic decision-making, learning, and innovation-driven performance.

R&D Innovator

Best for: Research, product development, engineering, entrepreneurship

Profile characteristics:

• High GMA
• High Openness (Creativity, Curiosity, Change Orientation)
• High Conscientiousness (Persistence, Structure)
• High Emotional Stability (Composure)

Reflects research models for technical innovation, creativity, and problem-solving under complex conditions.

Creative Designer

Best for: Graphic designers, art directors, UI/UX designers

Profile characteristics:

• High Openness (Imagination, Creativity, Curiosity)
• High Extraversion (Enthusiasm)
• Moderate Conscientiousness (Goal Orientation)
• Medium-high GMA

Consistent with meta-analyses where creative performance requires both ideation and execution ability.

Precision Expert

Best for: Finance, law, administration, quality control

Profile characteristics:

• High Conscientiousness (Structure, Dutifulness, Persistence)
• High Emotional Stability (Stress Tolerance)
• High GMA

Reflects research where orderliness and accuracy are strong predictors in rule-governed and quality-critical occupations.

Resilient Performer

Best for: Police, military, emergency healthcare, high-pressure roles

Profile characteristics:

• High Emotional Stability (Stress Tolerance, Resilience, Composure, Optimism)
• High Conscientiousness (Persistence, Goal Orientation)
• Moderate Agreeableness (Cooperation)
• High GMA

Aligned with research on performance in pressured and high-risk environments.

Responsible Citizen

Best for: Production, transport, safety, and service roles

Profile characteristics:

• High Conscientiousness (Dutifulness, Structure, Persistence)
• High Agreeableness (Cooperation, Trust)
• High Emotional Stability (Stress Tolerance, Composure)
• Medium-high GMA

Reflects research on increased organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and reduced counterproductive work behavior (CWB).

Growth Seeker

Best for: Trainee programs, development roles, startups, learning-focused positions

Profile characteristics:

• High GMA
• High Openness (Curiosity, Change Orientation, Creativity)
• High Emotional Stability (Optimism)
• High Conscientiousness (Goal Orientation, Persistence)
• Moderate Agreeableness (Cooperation)

Reflects research on learning, development potential, and adaptability.

Social Connector

Best for: PR, events, partnerships, community management

Profile characteristics:

• High Extraversion (Sociability, Social Drive, Enthusiasm)
• High Agreeableness (Trust, Empathy)
• Moderate Conscientiousness (Structure)
• Medium-high GMA

Aligned with research on networking, relationships, and social capital.

Operations Orchestrator

Best for: Operations, logistics, supply chain, coordination roles

Profile characteristics:

• High GMA
• High Conscientiousness (Structure, Persistence, Dutifulness)
• High Emotional Stability (Stress Tolerance)
• High Agreeableness (Cooperation)

Aligned with research on planning, process control, and structured work.

Compliance Guardian

Best for: Compliance, risk, data protection, health & safety (HSE)

Profile characteristics:

• High Conscientiousness (Dutifulness, Structure, Persistence)
• High Emotional Stability (Stress Tolerance, Resilience)
• Lower Agreeableness (Vigilance/skepticism)
• High GMA

Reflects research on risk assessment, rule compliance, and reduced CWB.

Customer Success Partner

Best for: Customer Success Managers, Account Managers, consultants

Profile characteristics:

• High Agreeableness (Empathy, Cooperation)
• High Extraversion (Social Drive)
• High Conscientiousness (Structure, Goal Orientation)
• High Emotional Stability (Resilience)
• High GMA

Reflects research on long-term customer relationships and retention.

References

• Anni, K., Vainik, U., & Mõttus, R. (2025). Occupational personality profiles: Systematic differences across 263 occupations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 110(4), 481–511.
• Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (1991). The Big Five personality dimensions and job performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44(1), 1–26.
• Barrick, M. R., Stewart, G. L., & Piotrowski, M. (2002). Personality and job performance: Test of the mediating effects of motivation among sales representatives. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(1), 43–51.
• Carter, N. T., et al. (2014). Curvilinear relationships between Conscientiousness and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(4), 564–586.
• Grant, A. M., & Schwartz, B. (2011). Too much of a good thing: The challenge and opportunity of the inverted U. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(1), 61–76.
• Hurtz, G. M., & Donovan, J. J. (2000). Personality and job performance: The Big Five revisited. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(6), 869–879.
• Judge, T. A., et al. (2002). Personality and leadership: A qualitative and quantitative review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 765–780.
• Le, H., et al. (2011). Too much of a good thing: Curvilinear relationships between personality traits and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(1), 113–133.
• Sackett, P. R., et al. (2022). Revisiting meta-analytic estimates of validity in personnel selection. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(12), 2140–2155.
• Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology. Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 262–274.

Updated on: 19/12/2025