Abstract
Several pieces of information about 500 people engaged in sales occupations in nine companies were used to examine (1) the relation between the Diamond Sales Aptitude Test score and criteria, i.e., job performance rating and overall rating by their superiors, and (2) the effects of tenure in sales occupation on the test score. Results indicated that personality traits in this test appear to have a predictive value for success in sales occupations. Job performance rating was positively correlated with Motivation (p<.01), Self-Confidence (p<.01), Sociability (p<.01), Circumspectness (p<.05), and Social Adaptability (p<.01). The only subtest not significantly correlated with the performance rating was Emotional Control. Overall rating was significantly correlated with all of the subtexts: Motivation (p<.01), Self-Confidence (p<.01), Sociability (p<.01), Circumspectness (p<.01), Emotional Control (p<.05), and Social Adaptability (p<.01). Tenure seemed to have certain effect on the personality traits except for Sociability. Several possible explanations for these results were discussed.
