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Career AssessmentUnsatisfied with your
Career? Try Choosing a Job that Matches your Personality Style.
To those around him, Bill appeared to be the picture of competence and success. He had been a manager for ten years. His department was the most profitable in the company. His employees respected him. As a testament to his managerial skills, his department had the lowest turnover rate in the company. Yet, despite his success, Bill felt unfulfilled. Many of us, like Bill, have felt unfulfilled in our careers despite being successful in them. There are many reasons why we may not feel happy or satisfied in our jobs. We may not have the skills or training to perform them competently. We may not feel supported by our peers or superiors. Or perhaps a job may not be a good fit to our personality or interests. Research has shown that matching your personality and interests to a job increases the chances of feeling satisfied in your career. But how do you determine your job-related interests and personality? One method is to look at the way you typically behave outside of the work environment. Look at your hobbies, the type of person with whom you socialize, and the activities that really energize you. These are likely to be the types of activities, associates, and working styles that will make you happy on the job as well. For example, if you love working alone in your garden in your spare time, you may be happier in a job that allows you to work independently. If your hobby is painting, then you may need a job with a creative component in it in order to feel fulfilled. Although there are different theories of how to match your interests and personality to a job, there are several factors which are likely to be important if you are to choose a job that best suits you. Ask yourself these questions. First, do I prefer to work independently or collaborate with others? Second, do I prefer to work with ideas or to work with things and objects? And third, am I more sensitive and inward-looking or assertive and forceful? Depending on your answers to these questions, certain jobs are likely to be a better fit for you than others. Many self-help books are available to help you determine your career interests and job-related personality. One of the best known is Richard Bolles' What Color is Your Parachute. This book is an A to Z guide to finding a new job and includes chapters on finding jobs that match your working style. Another helpful book is 50 Best Jobs for Your Personality, by Michael Farr and Laurence Shatkin. This book can help you determine your personality style and lists sample jobs tailored to different interests and personality styles. So to increase the likelihood of choosing a job which provides you with a sense of satisfaction, follow these simple steps: Know yourself – learn about your personality interests, and working style. Learn what jobs are best suited to your personality and interests. Choose a job where there are more likely to be people like you – individuals with your interests and personality style. You may also consult with a career assessment professional who can do a formal assessment of your career interests, working styles, and abilities. A formal career assessment typically involves a face to face interview as well as the completion of a battery of career tests. You are also provided with a report that can be a helpful guide to finding a job that matches your personal makeup. For more information about career assessments, you may contact Stephen Sinclair, PhD. He can be reached at (813) 818-0150 or email@wilson-and-associates.com. Dr. Sinclair is a licensed psychologist who has over 20 years of experience in managed care, psychological service delivery, and management of psychiatric treatment programs. He obtained his doctorate at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. One of his primary interests is career assessment - helping individuals to discover their interests and preferred working style to assist them in selecting jobs that better match their needs and personality. Licensed psychologist PY5192. |
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