This Element is an excerpt from The Truth About Managing People (9780132346030), by Stephen P. Robbins. Available in print and digital formats. Why your applicants' personality traits won't tell you how they'll perform-and what they will tell you. What are you looking for in your job applicants? If you're like many managers, you'll answer with terms such as hardworking, persistent, confident, and dependable. After all, how can you go wrong trying to hire people with traits such as these? Well, you can! The problem is that traits aren't necessarily good predictors of future job performance.