An individual's personality is an important component of 'what people are like." It is especially important to employers because an individual's personality can have a large impact on their attitudes and behaviors in the workplace. Therefore, many companies pay close attention to personality during their recruitment and hiring process. The following case outlines the importance of personality for Teach for America.

In this exercise, please reed the minkcese and answer the questions that follow.

What are (or were) your plans for the year after college graduation? Going straight into the working world? Moving on to graduate school? Taking a year off to recharge? How about leaching sixth graders In one of America's most troubled and Impoverished school systems? In 2014, more than 35,000 graduating seniors chose the last option by applying to Teach for America (TFA), a Peace Corps-style program that has historically been one of the largest hirers of college seniors. TFA requires its hires to make a two-year commitment to teaching at some of the nation's toughest pubic schools.

TFA uses a rigorous screening process to examine the qualifications of its applicants, eventually hiring about 15 percent of the applicants in 2014, or 5,300 graduates. That process includes hours of interviews and tests to measure a number of traits, including achievement, personal responsibility, critical thinking, organizational skills, motivational skills, respect for others, and commitment to teaching. Those traits are vital, given the challenges faced by TFA recruits. Most work 80 to 90 hours a week, which includes a 7 Am. to 6 p.m. weekday schedule, along with hours of outside tutoring and preparation. One recruit summarized his experiences at a low-income high school in the Bronx. noting. was expecting it to be very hard, but ifs harder than I thought it would be. and in a way I've never experienced before.' The traits possessed by TFA recruits have made them popular enough that between 10.500 teachers in 35 states are currently from the company. As the program's founder, Wendy Kopp. notes, 'We look for people with certain personalities."

Recently. critics have claimed that TFA puts unprepared college graduates in some of the nation's toughest classrooms with little formal training. Despite these claims. it is difficult to argue that certain personality traits will be critical to differentiate potential teachers who will thrive when faced with new experiences and change.

1. Teach for America wants to hire individuals who display personal responsibility, self-motivation and organizational capability, suggesting the desire for what personality trait?

a) Openness

b) Extroversion

c) Agreeableness

d) Neuroticism

e) Conscientiousness

2. Individuals who show respect for others and strive to get along will be more successful with Teach for America in dealing with a variety of people of different ages and backgrounds. These individuals would be displaying the personality trait of:

a) Conscientiousness

b) Agreeableness

c) Neuroticism

d) Openness

e) Extroversion

3. What disposition would not be helpful for a Teach for America teacher due to the tendency to show nervousness and annoyance?

a) Positive Affectivity

b) Extroversion

c) Negative Affectivity

d) Introversion

e) Creativity

4. Because Teach for America employees will have limited training for teaching and little knowledge about dealing with difficult classrooms in tough communities, a desired personality trait would be:

a) Introversion

b) Extroversion

c) Openness

d) Agreeableness

e) Conscientiousnes