When it comes to hiring, the gap between what candidates think matters and what employers actually look for is growing. In our latest Q2 2025 Hiring Intelligence Report (HIRe), based on over 400,000 assessments, the most in-demand personality traits are clear, and they’re not what you might expect.
Rather than focusing on charisma, creativity, or charm, employers are prioritising behaviour that holds up under pressure. These top traits are not about how candidates perform in ideal conditions, but how they respond when things get difficult.
Below are the top five most-assessed personality traits across job functions, and what their rising popularity tells us about today’s hiring logic.
1) Resilient
Resilience is no longer a desirable extra. It’s a baseline expectation.
This trait saw the biggest rise in the rankings, jumping from 7th to 1st in a single quarter. It is now the most assessed trait across the Clevry assessment platform. Whether it’s Sales, Management, or Customer Support, resilience is being used as a key differentiator.
Why it matters:
Resilient individuals can adapt, recover quickly from setbacks, and keep performing under pressure. In roles that involve uncertainty, tight deadlines, or regular rejection, this trait is proving essential.
Hiring someone who can weather pressure without becoming reactive or disengaged is now considered a smarter investment than someone who simply looks good on paper.
What to look for:
Steady behaviour under strain, willingness to try again after setbacks, and an absence of emotional volatility.
2. Listening
Listening has consistently ranked at or near the top in previous reports. While it has dropped slightly from 1st to 2nd place, its continued presence in the top tier reflects enduring value.
Why it matters:
Listening is a foundational skill for effective collaboration. It underpins clear communication, team alignment, customer understanding, and conflict resolution.
In an environment where roles are increasingly people-oriented, the ability to listen actively and process feedback is more than a soft skill, it’s a performance enabler.
What to look for:
Attentive responses, paraphrasing for clarity, openness to feedback, and non-defensive behaviour during disagreements.
3. Striving
Striving has made a sharp climb this quarter, up from 11th to 3rd. This trait reflects internal drive, ambition, and a discomfort with idleness.
Why it matters:
Striving is a key predictor of goal orientation and productivity. People high in striving set targets, pursue outcomes consistently, and are often self-motivated. In target-driven functions like sales or growth roles, this trait is invaluable.
Unlike enthusiasm or passion, striving isn’t dependent on mood or external validation. It reflects the internal engine that drives someone to achieve.
What to look for:
Proactive energy, habit of setting and tracking goals, preference for structured achievement over passive routine.
4. Stress Management
Stress management has worked its way into the top five after spending years lower down the rankings. It now stands as one of the most in-demand traits across industries.
Why it matters:
Stress is inevitable. How someone handles it can determine how reliable and effective they’ll be, especially in client-facing or high-stakes roles. While resilience refers to recovery after setbacks, stress management is about regulation in real-time.
This trait ensures that individuals maintain performance under pressure without becoming emotionally reactive, erratic, or withdrawn.
What to look for:
Emotional regulation, self-awareness, clarity under time pressure, and a consistent level of productivity regardless of workload.
5. Order
While more dynamic traits are on the rise, Order remains a strong and stable feature in hiring decisions. Dropping slightly from 2nd to 5th place, it still holds relevance, particularly in sectors that value predictability and process.
Why it matters:
Order is linked to conscientiousness and reliability. It’s the trait that ensures people follow procedures, respect deadlines, and maintain high standards.
In environments where compliance, consistency, or accuracy matter, Order is a non-negotiable trait.
What to look for:
Organised work habits, methodical thinking, attention to detail, and preference for structure.
What this means for hiring
These five traits, Resilient, Listening, Striving, Stress Management, and Order are more than buzzwords. They reflect a strategic shift in what organisations value in their workforce.
Where previous hiring cycles may have focused on cultural fit or surface-level enthusiasm, today’s approach is far more measured. Employers are asking: Who will last? Who will adapt? Who will still be effective when things get difficult?
Using psychometric assessments that map to these traits gives recruiters and hiring managers a clearer picture of how candidates are likely to behave in-role. It enables better hiring decisions, reduces turnover, and helps build teams that perform consistently, not just in theory, but in practice.
The bottom line
Hiring based on behavioural traits is not a passing trend. It’s a shift toward precision, where traits that predict success under pressure are given priority.
For recruiters, HR professionals, and business leaders, aligning hiring strategies to focus on these traits isn’t just about keeping up with the data. It’s about reducing guesswork and building teams that can hold their ground when it counts.
To access the full report and explore role-specific trait data, read the Q2 2025 HIRE Report here.
