Affiliations: Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, TN, USA | eCareerfit.com, Knoxville, TN, USA | Resource Associates, Knoxville, TN, USA | Experimental Psychology, University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, TN, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Jacob J. Levy, Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, 410E Austin Peay,
Knoxville, TN 37996-0900, USA. Tel.: +1 865 974 4866; E-mail: jlevy4@utk.edu
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Sales managers are crucial for producing positive sales
outcomes for companies. However, there has been a relative dearth of scholarly
investigations into the personal attributes of sales managers. Such information
could prove important in the recruitment, selection, training needs
identification, career planning, counseling, and development of sales
managers. OBJECTIVE: Drawing on Holland's [32] vocational theory, we sought to
identify key personality traits that distinguish sales managers from other
occupations and are related to their career satisfaction. PARTICIPANTS: The main sample was comprised of a total of 978 sales
managers employed in a large number of companies across the United States
(along with a comparison sample drawn from 79,512 individuals from other
professional occupations). METHODS: Participants completed an online version of Resource
Associates' Personal Style Inventory as well a measure of career satisfaction.
RESULTS: Our sample of 978 sales managers had higher levels of
Assertiveness, Customer Service Orientation, Extraversion, Image Management,
Optimism, and Visionary Style; and lower levels of Conscientiousness,
Agreeableness, Intrinsic Motivation, Openness, and Tough-Mindedness than a
sample of 79,512 individuals in a variety of other occupations. Nine of these
traits were significantly correlated with sales managers' career satisfaction.
CONCLUSION: Based on the results, a psychological profile of sales
managers was presented as were implications for their recruitment, selection,
training, development, and mentoring.
Keywords: Big five, career satisfaction, business, person-environment fit
