Do personality traits matter for employability? The mediating role of grit and hope for success among university students

Purpose The study aims to investigate how personality traits (conscientiousness, emotional stability and extraversion) influence self-perceived employability (SPE) among university students, examining hope and grit as potential mediating factors. Design/methodology/approach The study collected data from 504 first-year undergraduate students in Poland using validated measures of personality (ten-item personality inventory), hope (adult hope scale), grit (short grit scale) and SPE (Polish Self-Perceived Employability Scale). Path analyses and parallel mediation analyses were conducted to test direct and indirect relationships between variables. Findings Conscientiousness emerged as the strongest personality predictor of SPE, while emotional stability and extraversion showed primarily indirect effects. Significant parallel mediation effects were found through both hope and grit for all three personality traits. Hope for success demonstrated the strongest mediating effect, followed by conscientiousness. The final model explained 20% of the variance in SPE scores. Practical implications Results suggest universities can enhance student employability through targeted interventions focusing on hope and grit development. Career services should implement dual-focus programs that cultivate both strategic thinking (hope) and perseverance (grit), with interventions tailored to students' personality profiles. This approach offers practical pathways for developing employability despite the relative stability of personality traits. Originality/value The study advances understanding of employability development by identifying specific psychological mechanisms through which personality traits influence SPE. It uniquely examines the dual mediating roles of hope and grit, offering new insights into how stable personality traits operate through developable psychological resources.