Journal of Health, Medicine and Nursing www.iiste.org ISSN 2422-8419 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.24, 2016 28 Impact of Holland’s Personality Typology on Job Performance Among Selected Nurses in the South – West of Nigeria *Bayo L.A AJIBADE 1 Patience, O. AMO 1 Rafaef, A. Ayeni 2 Wale, AKINPELU 2 Mabel, IOMOTORIOGUN 2 Oluwaseun, O. ABIODUN 2 1.Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomoso, college of Health Science, Department of Nursing, Osogbo 2.Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Personality has been considered as important factors for predicting job performance; therefore this study examined the personality types on job performance of nurses in South - West of Nigeria. The research was anchored on Holland's theory of personality typology in which he identified six personality types with six congruent occupational environments. METHODOLOGY: Respondents consisted of four hundred and forty nurses (440) randomly selected at the geopolitical areas of the country during the period of Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme between February and September, 2015. Selected respondents were administered with two standardized instruments which were, modified form of the Holland self directed search (SDS), and the performance evaluation checklist by the University of Fraser Valley Employee Services. RESULTS: Results showed that personality type impacted positively on job performance of nurses as depicted in the analyses. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the recruitment into nursing practice should be carried out by adopting Holland's personality rating scale. Key words: Impact, Personality types, MCPDP, Job performance, South West. INTRODUCTION Personality has been considered as an important factor in the personality related studies, specifically for predicting the job performance. It is a behavior which differentiates one person from another (1) and provides acumen whether a person will do some specific job, in comparison to others (2) . Moreover, the traits relevant to personality, are considered to be stable and steady throughout the work life in a personality behavior model (3,4,5) . Some authors pointed out that the personality theories examine the variance and similarities in a person. The similarities can be used to provide the collective attributes of human nature. Whereas the variances provide the measure of individuals’ performance and are used to describe human performances and behaviors. (6) Experts in the field of personality are of the view that individuals in fact have a stable and long term traits that affect behaviors at work. With reference it research on performance (7,8) . Studies on personality and organizational outcomes have received enormous attention by researchers in the organizational behavior research stream. Previous researches illustrate that personality effects the environments in which individuals are living (9,1011,12) and plays a significant role to select the situation in which individuals decide to stay in. according to some authorities, the preference for organizational environments, the cycle of individual choose to interact with the kind of activities one employs strongly relies on one’s personality values of this type also related strongly with person organization (13) . Townsend (14) Personality traits determines a person’s variance in the trend to develop a steady pattern of feelings, thoughts and actions (15) The issue of finding a fit between personality type and occupational environment has been well researched. Holland in his theory of personality typology, opines that we have six personality types; Realistic, investigative, Artistic, social, Enterprising and convention, with corresponding six occupational environments known by the same names. He stressed that it is only when there is a proper match between a person’s personality type and a congruent occupational environmental that job satisfaction and optimal performance will be achieved (16) . It should be noted, however that there is an over lap between personality types. So if one does not find a congruent occupational environment, he chooses the next in the hierarchy of orientation. In some quarters, nurses are believed not to perform their professional duties as expected, they are believed to be involved in altercation with their patients who are expected to be received with empathy. It was equally believed that some of them would not attend associational meetings unless it has something to do with money or salary increment. However, in this part of the country, no research has been carried out to access the relationship between personality types and job performance of nurses but researches have been carried out on that of police men (22,23,24) for instance, members of police force are observed to be people who do not perform their duties wholeheartedly. They are either characterized by inefficiency or brutality or corruption. They are mostly interested in their pay and frequent promotions without an urge for positive contribution to the society (22,23,24) psychologically, it was stated that there is a lot of dissatisfaction with work honors, with feeling of depression and inevitability experienced by shift workers. Socially specking, shift workers are not always at home with members of their families. They are away when the rest of the families are at home. (25,26) . It was stated that the