OCEAN Guide for Tech Teams: Ideal Profiles by Role
The personality profiles that work best for each technical role, based on data from 20,000+ developers.
Dr. María González
Head of People Science
After analyzing more than 20,000 tech professionals in LATAM, we have enough data to answer a question every Engineering Manager asks:
What personality profile works best for each role?
This isn’t an opinion piece. It’s data.
Important note: At Talen.to we assess 6 OCEAN dimensions (O, C, E, A, EE, ER), extending the standard Big Five with Relational Engagement (ER) to better capture behavior in organizational contexts.
Methodology
We analyzed correlations between OCEAN scores (6 dimensions) and multiple outcomes:
- Performance ratings (1-5)
- 12-month retention
- Onboarding speed
- Peer feedback
- Promotions in 24 months
We only included statistically significant correlations (p < 0.05).
Software Engineer (Individual Contributor)
Software Engineer (IC)
Sweet spot: High C + Moderate High O. Quality + Innovation balanced.
Openness: The sweet spot is 72-85. Too low (<65) correlates with resistance to new frameworks. Too high (>90) correlates with 'shiny object syndrome'.
Conscientiousness: It's the strongest predictor for engineers. 78-88 is ideal. Below 70, we see code quality and deadline issues.
Extraversion: Doesn't need to be high. 48-68 is the sweet spot. Enough to collaborate, not so much that it interrupts deep work.
Relational Engagement: 65-80 is ideal. Needs to collaborate effectively but doesn't require constant interaction.
Senior/Staff Engineer
Senior/Staff Engineer
Sweet spot: E and ER go up (influence and relationships), C drops slightly (strategy > pure execution).
Extraversion goes up: Seniors need to influence without authority, present architecture, mentor. Requires more social comfort.
Conscientiousness drops slightly: Staff engineers need to think strategically, not just execute. Too much C can generate micromanagement.
Agreeableness drops slightly: Seniors need to give direct feedback in code reviews and defend unpopular technical decisions.
Relational Engagement goes up: Seniors must build trust relationships with the team and stakeholders.
Engineering Manager
Engineering Manager
Sweet spot: Balance. E, A, and ER go up for people leadership.
Extraversion goes up significantly: Managers spend 60%+ of their time in communication. Extreme introverts suffer in this role.
Agreeableness goes up: Empathy is core for management. But careful: A > 85 correlates with avoiding difficult conversations.
Emotional Stability is critical: Managers are the team's 'shock absorbers'. They must stay calm during crises.
Relational Engagement very high: Building and maintaining trust relationships is the core of the management role.
Product Manager
Product Manager
Sweet spot: High O (vision), Moderate A (can say no), Very high ER (relationships).
High Openness: PMs must be open to new ideas, change direction, constantly question assumptions.
Moderate Agreeableness: PMs need to say 'no' frequently. Too high A generates products 'designed by committee'.
High Extraversion: The role requires constant communication with stakeholders, users, engineering.
Very high Relational Engagement: PMs must build trust relationships with multiple stakeholders simultaneously.
Data Scientist / ML Engineer
Data Scientist / ML Engineer
Sweet spot: High O (exploration), E and ER can be moderate (more independent work).
Higher Openness: Data Science is exploration. Requires extreme curiosity.
Extraversion can be lower: More independent work, less constant collaboration.
Moderate Relational Engagement: Needs to collaborate to understand business needs, but doesn't require constant networking.
DevOps / SRE
DevOps / SRE
Sweet spot: Very high C and EE (reliability + calm under pressure), Moderate-high ER (crisis collaboration).
Very high Conscientiousness: An SRE error can bring down production. Attention to detail is critical.
Very high Emotional Stability: On-call at 3am requires staying calm under extreme pressure.
Moderate-high Relational Engagement: Needs to collaborate with multiple teams during incidents, but doesn't require constant networking.
UX Designer
UX Designer
Sweet spot: Very high O (creativity), Moderate C (creative flexibility), High ER (empathy and relationships).
Very high Openness: Creativity is the core of the role.
Moderate Conscientiousness: Too high can limit creative exploration.
High Agreeableness: User empathy is central.
High Relational Engagement: Must build trust relationships with users and stakeholders to understand real needs.
How to Use This Data
Practical Advice
1. Define Profiles in Talen.to
Configure ideal ranges for each role in your account. The system will automatically calculate fit.
2. Don’t Discard for 1 Dimension
These are optimals, not absolute requirements. A candidate with O=68 for PM can work if the rest is strong.
3. Consider the Current Team
If your engineering team is all high-C, maybe you need someone with moderate C for balance.
4. Validate with Your Own Data
These benchmarks are from our entire base. Your specific correlations may vary.
15 Detailed OCEAN Profiles
Downloadable PDF with complete ranges, role-specific interview questions, red flags and green flags for each profile.
- Detailed ranges for each dimension
- Role-specific interview questions
- Red flags and green flags
- Notes on industry variation
Try Talen.to
Start free — Automatically evaluate candidates against ideal profiles.
Dr. María González
Head of People Science
Passionate about transforming how companies build exceptional teams through science and technology.
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