JobMatch Talent – Theoretical Background

Scientific Foundation

JobMatch Talent (JMT) is an occupational personality assessment aligned with the Five-Factor Model (Big Five).

JMT has been developed using a multi-theoretical approach in which the Five-Factor Model serves as a central reference framework alongside other established psychological models. In its current form, JobMatch Talent applies both a five-factor and a ten-factor perspective, clarifying its relationship to the Five-Factor Model.

The Five-Factor Model represents an international standard for describing individual differences in personality and has, through extensive research, demonstrated stable relationships with job performance.

At the time of JMT’s original development, the Five-Factor Model was primarily established within academic research, with limited direct application in occupational psychology. Against this background, a structure was developed focusing on traits relevant to the work role, resulting in the test’s ten-factor perspective. As the Five-Factor Model has increasingly been applied within occupational psychology, JMT has been further developed to include a five-factor perspective, based on the same underlying measurement data.

The test has been reviewed and certified by DNV in accordance with established guidelines for psychometric evaluation (EFPA).

Theoretical Framework

JobMatch Talent is based on an underlying structure consisting of 30 work-related facets identified through empirical analyses and occupational psychological application. The facets are defined with a focus on observable behaviors in the work role and have been developed to represent key aspects of the Five-Factor Model in a work-related context.

Empirical analyses based on correlational and model-based methods show that JMT’s facets exhibit systematic and theoretically grounded relationships with established Big Five instruments. This implies that the facet structure can be related to the dimensions of the Five-Factor Model in line with empirical research.

At the same time, research indicates that broad personality dimensions, in certain contexts, need to be complemented by more specific traits to enable a more direct analysis of work-related behaviors (e.g., Paunonen & Ashton, 2001; DeYoung et al., 2007). JMT therefore combines a theoretically grounded personality model with an applied occupational psychology perspective.

The test’s facet structure is presented in two complementary perspectives:

• The Five-Factor perspective (JM5): The facets are organized into five overarching personality dimensions in line with the Five-Factor Model (Big Five). Each dimension is represented by four central facets and provides a structured and theoretically grounded description of the individual’s personality.
• The Ten-Factor perspective (JM10): The facets are organized into ten dimensions describing key work styles and behaviors in the occupational role. Each dimension is represented by three facets and enables a more nuanced analysis of how traits are expressed in practical work.

The two perspectives are based on the same underlying measurement data but structure these data according to different levels of analysis and areas of application. This enables both comparability with established personality models and a more direct analysis of work-related behaviors.

Overall, this means that JMT can be used both for a general personality description in line with the Five-Factor Model (JM5) and for a more differentiated analysis of work-related behaviors (JM10), where the combination of broad dimensions and specific facets contributes to explaining variation in job performance.

Relation to the Five-Factor Model (Big Five)

Empirical studies show that JMT’s facets exhibit systematic and consistent relationships with the Five-Factor Model (Big Five). At an overall level, JMT’s dimensions relate to the Five-Factor Model as follows:

• Conscientiousness relates primarily to dimensions associated with order, deliberation, dutifulness, and persistence.
• Extraversion relates to dimensions associated with drive, activity, action, and communication.
• Agreeableness relates to dimensions associated with cooperation, consideration, and social interaction.
• Emotional Stability relates to dimensions associated with stress tolerance, self-control, and emotional balance.
• Openness to Experience relates to dimensions associated with development orientation, future focus, and flexibility.

In the JM5 perspective, results are interpreted in relation to the Five-Factor Model, enabling a standardized and theoretically grounded description of the individual’s personality. In the JM10 perspective, corresponding traits are analyzed as more specific and work-related behaviors, providing a more applied understanding of how personality is expressed in the occupational role. This means that predictive validity can be analyzed both at an overall level (JM5) and at a more applied level (JM10).

Overall, these results show that JMT’s facets are systematically related to the dimensions of the Five-Factor Model in line with expected theoretical patterns, providing support for the test’s convergent validity in relation to established personality measures (e.g., NEO PI-R and IPIP).

Work-Related Constructs

In addition to the facets organized within the Five-Factor Model, JMT includes behavioral constructs that are analyzed within the ten-factor perspective.

These constructs represent specific and well-defined ways of functioning in the work role and enable a more direct analysis of work-related behaviors.

Examples of such constructs include:

• Concentration ability
• Self-realism
• Adaptability
• Sphere of influence
• Development motivation
• Initiative

Empirical analyses show that several of these constructs exhibit significant relationships with job performance.

Predictive Validity and Job Performance

JobMatch Talent is designed not only to describe personality but also to predict job performance.

Predictive validity refers to the extent to which a test can predict future job performance and is a central quality indicator for occupational psychological assessments. International research shows that personality tests based on the Five-Factor Model (Big Five) typically demonstrate predictive validity in the range of r ≈ 0.20–0.30 (e.g., Barrick & Mount, 1991; Barrick et al., 2001).

Studies of JobMatch Talent consistently show higher levels than those typically reported in international meta-analyses. Predictive validity has been evaluated in two supervisor-rating studies in which test results were related to actual job performance. The studies were conducted with different samples and approximately five years apart.

The results show that JobMatch Talent’s predictive validity is approximately r ≈ 0.37–0.40.

Complementary analyses based on structural equation modeling indicate that latent predictive validity is higher, with relationships at levels around R ≈ 0.50–0.70.

Further analyses show that predictive validity is primarily explained by the dimensions corresponding to Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness within the Five-Factor Model, while other dimensions contribute indirectly through relationships with work-related traits.

This implies that predictive validity can be analyzed both at an overall level (JM5) and at a more applied level (JM10).

Summary and Further Reading

In summary, JobMatch Talent is based on a theoretically grounded model with a clear connection to the Five-Factor Model (Big Five), combined with occupationally defined traits that enable a more direct analysis of behavior in the work role. The combination of a Five-Factor perspective (JM5) and a Ten-Factor perspective (JM10) provides the conditions to both describe personality and analyze factors relevant to job performance.

Key psychometric indicators, including internal structure, construct validity, and predictive validity, are summarized in an integrated evidence overview.

Further details are provided in the Evidence at a Glance summary for JobMatch Talent