Dave is getting a promotion. His boss is impressed with his hard work. But could Dave’s work success be related to his wife’s conscientious personality?

Possibly! Your spouse might influence your career.

Conscientious, hard-working, agreeable….are these traits you list on your THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN A SPOUSE? Most of us probably don’t consider these traits when it comes to our own work success. After all, our spouse doesn’t go to work with us. What could he or she possibly have to do with our success?

More than you might think because what happens behind those closed doors at home matters!

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis published a study in Psychological Science that looked at the influence of a spouse on career success. They found that spouses who were conscientious and created a satisfying home life influenced their partner’s future job satisfaction, promotion and income.

In other words, home life affects your job performance. You might be thinking, “Well, yes, we all sort of know that,” but your intimate relationship shapes you in ways that you might not think about. For example, researchers are thinking that if you have a spouse who models hard work,  it rub off on you.

Or how about the idea that when your conscientious other gets a lot accomplished at the home front, he/she frees up more time for you to couple and do other things?

Or maybe marrying someone who is conscientious means you have better overall relationships.

Whatever the case, spouses who are agreeable, open, extraverted and conscientious help their partners at work despite their lack of physical presence.

So when you look for a spouse, find a conscientious one. It just might propel your career in a more positive direction.