JOB-RELATED SKILLS AND ITS RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE BIG-5 PERSONALITY TRAITS IN THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 4.0: A STUDY FOCUSED ON ARTS AND SCIENCE STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES
Abstract
This study focuses on the relationship between seven job-related skills (intrapersonal, interpersonal, computing, entrepreneurship, management, personal organization & leadership) with the big-five traits personality (i.e., openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness & emotional stability) and the four job-related skills (creativity, communication, critical thinking & collaboration) suggested in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The study also explored the difference between Arts and Science university students in perceiving the importance of the 13 interview attributes. A questionnaire which consists of five parts; Part A; Demographic variables, Part B: seven job-related skills by adapting the Employability questionnaires from Goldsmith’s soft skills inventory; Part C; Job-related skills of the 4IR; Part D: the Big-5 traits personality and Part E: The 13 interview attributes were used. Altogether 386 (Arts=251 and Science=135) final year university students from various faculties took part in this study. The results showed positive and significant relationships between the two personality traits i.e. Openness and conscientiousness with each of seven job-related skills and four elements of job-related skills in the 4IR. Agreeableness as a personality trait only showed a positive correlation with the four job-related skills (i.e., interpersonal, intrapersonal, computing & management) and four job-skills in the 4IR. While the extraversion personality traits correlated positively with three elements in job-related skills (i.e., intrapersonal, management & personal organization) and one element in the 4R (i.e., critical thinking). For the emotional stability personality trait, it correlated positively with intrapersonal, management and personal organization and three job-related skills in 4IR (i.e., critical thinking, communication & collaboration). As for interview attributes, Arts students perceived individual attitude, attitude towards work, behavioural aspects and verbal skills, while Science students perceived personal engagement, value addition to company and entrepreneurship skills as most important. Apart from giving insights about employability challenges in 4IR, the research findings can also help to enhance understanding among university students and organizations regarding the relationships between job-related skills and students’ personality traits as well as the difference in perception among Arts and Science students with regard to 13 interview attributes.
References
Akhtar, M.(2008). What is self-efficacy? Bandura’s 4 sources of efficacy beliefs, Retrieved from positivepsychology.org.uk/self-efficacy-definition-bandura-meaning/
Barrick, M.R. and Mount, M.K. (1991) The Big Five personality dimensions and job performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44, 1–24.
Barrick, M. R., Mount, M. K., & Judge, T. A. (2001). Personality and performance at the beginning of the new millennium: What do we know and where do we go next? International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 9, 9-30.
Beaumont, E., Gedye, S., Richardson, S. (2016). ‘Am I employable?’: Understanding students' employability confidence on and their perceived barriers to gaining employment, Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 19,1–9
Bektheshi, E.(2017). The ‘Four Cs’ – Collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity at the faculty of Arts (FLUP), University of Porto, Portugal, The Journal of International Social Research,50(10), 56- 62.
Bui B., & Porter B. (2010). Th e Expectation-Performance Gap in Accounting Education: An Exploratory Study”. Accounting Education, 19, 1-2, 23-50.
Borneo Post (August 18, 2017).54,103 unemployed six months after graduating, https://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/the-borneo-post-Sabah/20170818/281724089662788
Cai Y. (2012). Graduate Employability: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Employers’Perceptions”, Higher Education, 1-13.
Chamorro-Premuzic, T, Arteche, A., Bremner, A.J., Greven, C., & Furnham, A. (2010). Soft skills in higher education: importance and improvement ratings as a function of individual differences and academic performance, Educational Psychology,30, (2), 221–241, doi:10.1080/01443410903560278
Chinotti, O. (November 2015). Hiring and Inspiring Graduates in the New Work Environment. Speech at “Soft Skills and their role in employability – New perspectives in teaching, assessment, and certification”, workshop in Bertinoro, FC, Italy.
Cimatti, B. (2016). Definition, development, assessment of soft skills and their role in the quality of organizations and enterprises, International Journal for Quality Research,10(1), 97–130
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. (2nd Ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum
Chung, R.F., Ching, Y., Cheok, C.K., & Hill, C. (2015). Employability of graduates in Malaysia: The perception of selected students and parents, Retrieved from https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/phase_ii_employability_of_graduates_in_malaysia_student_parent_perceptio.pdf Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). The five-factor model of personality and its relevance to personality disorders. Journal of Personality Disorders, 6(4), 343–359. Doyle, A. (2019). About job-specific skills, retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/ what-are-job-specific-skills-2063755
Envick, B.R., & M. Langford. (2000). The five-factor model of personality: Assessing enterprenuers and managers, Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal,6(1),6-17 Griest, D.L. (2012). Entrepreneurs and personality, Retrieved from managementpsychology.com/articles/entrepreneurs-and-personality Gosling, S.D., Rentfrow, P.J., & Swann, W.B., Jr. (2003). A very brief measure of the Big Five Personality Domains, Journal of Research in Personality,37,504-528 Goldberg, L.R. (1990). An alternative of personality description: The big five factor structure, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59,1216-1229
Guo, Z. (2016). The Cultivation of 4C’s in China—Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity, International Conference on Education, Management and Applied Social Science Hanapi, Z., & Nordin, M.S.(2014).Unemployment among Malaysia Graduates: Graduates’ attributes, lecturers’ competency and quality of education,Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,112,105601063 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1269
Heinstrom.J.(2010). From fear to flow, Personality and Information Interaction, Chandos Publishing
Higdon, R., D. (2016). Employability: The missing voice: How student and graduate views could be used to develop future higher education policy and inform curricula. Power and Education, 8(2), 176–195, DOI: 10.1177/1757743816653151
Hornberg, J., & Reiter-Palmon, R. (2017). Creativity and the big five personality traits: Is the relationship dependent on the creativity measure? doi: 10.1017/9781316228036.015
Hossain, M. I., Yagamaran, K. S. A., Afrin, T., Limon, N., Nasiruzzaman, M., & Karim, A. M. (2018). Factors Influencing Unemployment among Fresh Graduates: A Case Study in Klang Valley, Malaysia.International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(9), 1494 – 1507.
Institute for Youth Research Malaysia. (2018). Executive summary Malaysian Youth Index, Putrajaya: IYRES Kember, D; Leung, D.Y.P & Rosa S.F (2007) Charactizing learning environments capable of nurturing generic capabilities in higher education. Research in Higher Education, 48, 5,609 Kerr, S.P., Kerr, W.R., & Xu, T. (2018). Personality traits of Entrepreneurs: A review of recent literature, Foundations and Trends, In Enterpreneurship, Working Paper 18-04714,3,279-356, Doi:10.1561/0300000080
Kuan Heong, W., & Kee Tuan, T. (2019). Public sector or private sector employment? Perspectives of students of a private college in Penang, Kajian Malaysia, 37(1),1-25
Lamb, S., & Doecke, Q.M. (2017). Key skills for the 21ST century: An evidence-based review, Future Frontiers Analytical Report, New South Wales State of New South Wales (Department of Education), Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ 723e/c36a531227a534d2cec629487bbc3d1ca428.pdf Lebowitz, S. (2016). The ‘Big 5’ personality traits could predict who will and won’t become a leader. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/big-five-personality-traits-predict-leadership-2016-12 Markman, A. (2014). The five personality types you have to work with. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/3028806/the-five-personality-types-youll-have-to-work-with Matthews, G. (2015). Personality, cognitive models of, International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (2nd Ed.) Mohd Emran, N., & Abdul Rahman, R. (2013). Science Stream Education: What the future holds? Consumerism, a change of pace, Malaysia Foresight Industry, Retrieved from https://www.myforesight.my/2013/03/15/science-stream-education-what-the-future-holds/
National Education Association. (2012). Preparing 21st-century students for a global society: An educator’s guide to the fourCs, Retrieved from oSThttp://www.nea.org/assets/docs/A-Guide-to-Four-Cs.pdf
Nikitina, L., & Furuoka, F. (2012). Sharp focus on soft skills: a case study of Malaysian university students’ educational expectations, Educ Res Policy Prac,11,207-224
Paljug, K.(2018).Should you hire for personality or skill?, Derived from https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/11165-hire-personality-or-skill.html Pappas, S. (2017). Personality Traits & Personality Types: What is Personality? Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/41313-personality-traits.html
Qenani, E., MacDougall, N., and Sexton, C. (2014). An empirical study of self-perceived employability: Improving the prospects for student employment success in an uncertain environment. Active Learning in Higher Education. 15(3),199-213.
Rahmah et al. (2011). Employer perceptions of graduates in Malaysian Services Sector, Medwell Journals,5(3),184-193
Ramisetty, J., & Desai, K. (2017). Measurement of Employability Skills and Job Readiness Perception of Post – graduate Management students: Results from A Pilot Study, International Journal in Management and Social Science,5(8),
Regier, J.(2011). Why is academic success important? Retrieved from https://saskschoolboards.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2011SIAST.pdf
Sabah Daily Express. (Oct,5,2017). Half the people in Sabah have something to do.www. daily express.com.my/news.cfm? NewsID=120297 Sani, R. (February 20, 2019). Demand for soft skills in the workplace, News Straits Times, Retrieved from https://www.nst.com.my/education/2019/02/461884/demand-soft-skills-workplace
Schweizer, S.T. (2006). The Psychology of Novelty-Seeking, Creativity and Innovation: Neurocognitive Aspects Within a Work-Psychological, Creativity and Innovation Management, 15,2,164-172.Doi:10.1111/j.1467-8691.2006. 00383.x
Schwarzer, R. (1994) Optimistische Kompetenzerwartung ZurErfassung einer personellen Bewa¨ltigungsresource [Generalized self-efficacy: assessment of a personal coping resource]. Diagnostica 40, 105–123.
Stoner, G & Milner, M 2010, ‘Embedding generic employability skills in an accounting degree: Development and impediments’, Accounting Education: An International Journal, 19,1-2,123-138.
Silvia, P.J., Nusbaum, E.C., Berg, C., Martin, C., & O ‘Connor. (2009). Openness to experience, plasticity, creativity: Exploring lower-order, high-order and interactive effects, Journal of Research Personality, 1087-1090, doi: 10.1019./j.jrp.2009.04.015
Star online (Nov 27, 2017). How are our Sabah graduates doing? https://www.thestar.com.my/business/smebiz/2017/11/27 Striclin, C. (2014). The personal courage required for a leader, Business Matters, Retrieved from https://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/opinion/personal-courage-required-leader/
Sung, S.Y., &. Choi, J.M. (2009). Do Big Five Personality Factors Affect Individual Creativity? The Moderating Role Of Extrinsic Motivation, Social Behavior and Personality an International Journal,37(7). 941-956.DOI: 10.2224/sbp.2009.37.7.941 Takeuchi, H. et al. (2015). Brain structures in the sciences and humanities, Brain Structure Functioning, 220,6,3295-3305, Doi:10.1007/s00429-014-0857-y
Tanius, E. (2018). Employability skills-A study on the perception of Business students graduate and employers in Malaysia, Asia Pacific Journal of Research in Business Management, 9 (1),88-99
Thomson, S. (October 14, 2016). The most important skills of tomorrow according to five global leaders, World Economic Forum, Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/the-most-important-skills-of-tomorrow-according-to-five-global-leaders/
Thoms, P. Moore, K.S., & Scott, K.S. (1996). The relationship between self-efficacy for participating in self-managed work groups and the big five personality dimensions, Journal of Organizational Behavior,17,4,349-362
Yorke, M. (2006). Formative assessment and employability: some implications for higher education practices In Beyond mass higher education (pp. 105-118). Maidenhead Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press
Youshan, B., & Hassan, Z. (2015). The Effect of Employees Personality on Organizational Performance: Study on Insurance Company, International Journal of Accounting & Business Management,3, 1, DOI: 10.24924/ijabm/2015.04/v3.iss1/187.196
Zhang et al. (2019). The relationship between big five and self-control in boxers: A mediating model, Front Psychology,10,1690-
Zhao, H., & Seibert, S.E. (2006). The big five personality dimensions and entrepreneurial status: A meta-analytical review,91,2,259-271.Doi:10.1037/0021-9010.91.2.259