Workers that hate their jobs have one thing in common: They all overlooked their personalities when choosing careers. Don’t make the same mistake when deciding your next career move. A career that’s compatible with your personality- your identity– can enhance the meaning and fulfillment you find in your line of work. Such a career easily aligns with your sources of happiness and motivation, doesn’t conflict with your emotions and behaviors, and organically yields a stable work-life balance. That’s why you should make any other career considerations, including the earning potential and other material benefits of a career option, after sieving out the options that aren’t compatible with your personality.
This reality begs the question: How can you find a career that matches your personality? We will explain that by focusing on 4 common personalities:
1. Altruistic personality
You are altruistic if you are always happy to put the wellbeing of other people before your own; if you are selfless and genuinely care about others, regardless of whether you know them or not. Which careers match this personality?
i. Any career in elementary education
This is a sector that demands a deep passion for helping young minds find their purpose in life. Good elementary school teachers, for example, understand that a community cannot grow unless its children are healthy and happy. They make sacrifices, in and outside the classroom, to ensure that the children of today make great adults of tomorrow. That is a career path any altruistic person would find fulfilling.
ii. Career in medicine
The healthcare sector requires people who are deeply committed both in terms of emotional feelings and time. People who are empathic and patient enough to treat not only the disease but also to walk emotionally with the people they treat. That is why people who choose careers in this field have to take the RN exams – these exams assess a candidate’s readiness to practice medicine safely and competently. The exam weeds out candidates that- despite understanding the concepts of therapy, health, and disease- don’t really comprehend the scientific principles needed on the field for lifelong maintenance of competency. These are principles that come naturally to altruistic people.
iii. Career in public safety
Think of firefighters, paramedics, and diligent police officers who work long hours every day to ensure that our communities are safe. They selflessly work under often challenging conditions and put their lives on the line every day to protect the lives of people who rarely appreciate their service. You will not excel in this line of work if you aren’t altruistic.
2. Extraversion personalities
If you are an extrovert, you feel more at home when surrounded by other people. You don’t shy away from airing your opinions in social situations and actually enjoy when you are the center of attention. The careers that you can easily thrive in include:
- Politics. Your charismatic charm and ability to influence other people can bring you immense success in politics.
- Public relations. You will succeed here because of your ability to attract attention and build relationships with people, both online and offline. With a little practice, you can excel at pitching stories and conducting high-voltage interviews.
- Customer service management. This is pretty obvious. If you are comfortable handling the concerns of the public, you will easily appeal to customers and your support staff.
3. Neuroticism
Neuroticism is bipolar: It can be either high or low. People with high neuroticism have low emotional stability and self-confidence. They are easily upset and stressed. People with low neuroticism, on the other hand, are composed, don’t panic, and are confident even in unfamiliar territories.
If your personality can be defined as high neuroticism, you will thrive in careers that don’t require too many public appearances. Think in the line of online jobs, drawing artists, accounts, florists, and truck driving, etc.
If you have low neuroticism, you can thrive as a lawyer, diplomat, psychiatrist, or social worker. Any career that requires you to show confidence and high self-esteem (especially in what would be considered to be not-so-friendly environments) will be great for you.
4. Conscientious personality
People with conscientious personalities thrive in careers that demand top-shelf organization, methodic planning, big-picture strategies, and goal-setting skills. These people are self-disciplined and hardworking too. They make good corporate leaders/business executives, social and community service managers, program coordinators, and event planners, etc. You can basically thrive in any career that involves methodic organization and close attention to the fine print.
Conclusion
If you don’t really put a finger on your personality, there are online tools and personality tests that can help you identify your personality type. It would also be great if you’d check out the 16-type model created by Isabel Briggs Myers to help people find suitable careers based on their personalities. There is more to careers and personalities than what one article can discuss.