What is a key characteristic of the trait rating method?

The trait rating method is characterized by its emphasis on subjective performance descriptions. This approach involves assessing employees based on specific traits or characteristics, such as reliability, initiative, and creativity, rather than their actual behaviors or outcomes. In this method, supervisors or evaluators provide ratings that reflect their perceptions of an employee's qualities, which can lead to varying interpretations and biases.

This method contrasts with approaches that focus on direct observations or specific behaviors, such as the focus on behavioral incidents or measuring frequency of observed behaviors, both of which aim for a more objective assessment based on concrete examples. Additionally, while goal achievement is a critical metric in performance evaluations, it is not the central focus of the trait rating method, which primarily revolves around individual traits rather than specific achievements.