We surveyed 293 private detectives to learn what personality traits and interests make them unique. Here are the results.


Holland Codes

Private detectives are enterprising and investigative

Private detectives tend to be predominantly enterprising individuals, which means that they are usually quite natural leaders who thrive at influencing and persuading others. They also tend to be investigative, which means that they are quite inquisitive and curious people that often like to spend time alone with their thoughts.

If you are one or both of these archetypes, you may be well suited to be a private detective. However, if you are artistic, this is probably not a good career for you. Unsure of where you fit in? Take the career test now.

Here’s how the Holland codes of the average private detective break down:


Big Five

The top personality traits of private detectives are openness and extraversion

Private detectives score highly on openness, which means they are usually curious, imaginative, and value variety. They also tend to be high on the measure of extraversion, meaning that they rely on external stimuli to be happy, such as people or exciting surroundings.

Once again, let’s break down the components of the personality of an average private detective: