Does Your Personality Match Your Career?

How Your Personality Clues You In to Your Perfect Career

Whether you're contemplating degree programs, fresh out of school or have years of work experience under your belt, everyone faces the same nagging questions about their future—is this profession the right fit? Am I ready for a career change? Am I fulfilling my career potential? These questions offer the opportunity to explore yourself and determine your life course.

By addressing critical questions like "Am I extroverted or introverted? Do I like working with my hands or my mind? Am I a creative thinker or a logical one?," you can begin to narrow down your options and find a career that suits you. Remember, no one can pick a dream career for you, but by carefully considering your personality, you can start to discover the perfect fit.

The well-known and respected Myers-Briggs personality type indicator identifies basic personality types with insights into human interests, reactions, values, motivations and skills. Here we explore some of the main personality types and suggest careers that might suit each. For more information about how to evaluate your personality, visit meyerbriggs.org.

Extrovert or Introvert

Do you prefer to dwell in the bustling "outer world" of people and things, or are you more comfortable in your private "inner world" filled with your own thoughts and ideas?

Extroverts derive energy and inspiration from their surroundings, and likewise, they energize and inspire the people around them. Martin Luther King Jr. is a famous example of a classic extrovert - he put his time, energy, and love into a cause he believed in and his passion helped inspire others and affect change. Extroverts make things happen. They are involved. They inspire.

Introverts also inspire people and make things happen—they're just subtler about it. These people feel most comfortable when working on their own, or with one or two people. Unlike their counterparts, they avoid the spotlight and spend most of their time working with ideas instead of people. Famous authors such as Jane Austen and C.S. Lewis are good examples of classic introverts. They have influenced thousands of people with their cleverness, wit and imagination, but they did so with pens, not voices.

If you, like Martin Luther King Jr., are a people-person who possesses patience, passion and great leadership skills, you might consider a career in education, criminal justice or counseling psychology. However, if you classify yourself as an introvert like Austen or Lewis, you might explore careers in the culinary arts, graphic design or massage therapy.

Judger or Perceiver

Would your friends and family describe you as orderly and methodical, or more spontaneous and flexible? This is the key difference between judgers and perceivers.

Judgers like making decisions; they are most comfortable when life is settled and organized. Former presidents such as Thomas Jefferson and John F. Kennedy are good examples of judgers—they are people who like to make decisions and get life under control.

Perceivers, on the other hand, leave themselves open for new experiences, and readily process new information. They are seen as experiencing and adapting to their surroundings. Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi were strong perceivers—they were able to affect great change within their respective countries by being flexible and adaptive, while remaining strong-willed.

If you relate to Jefferson and Kennedy's desire for control and organization, you should look into a career in business management, law enforcement, network security or technology management. But if you relate better to Mandela and Gandhi's perceptive craftiness, and prefer to think on your feet and adapt to your surroundings, you might consider a career in law, human resources or education.

Sensing or Intuition

Are you more comfortable examining the facts in front of you, or do you pay closer attention to impressions and inferred meanings? This is the main difference that separates sensors—those who prefer to deal with information they gather from their senses—and intuitors—people who think with their guts.

Sensors pay attention to their physical reality, and what is present, current and real. They are practical people, like Thomas Edison and the fictional Sherlock Holmes—they invent light bulbs and solve inexplicable crimes by examining the facts.

Intuitors, on the other hand, learn by mulling problems over until they arrive at a solution. These people are more concerned with possibilities and the future, rather than "just the facts." Andy Warhol and Jimi Hendrix fit the description of intuitors.

If you're a sensory individual like Edison or Holmes and feel most comfortable solving problems using your senses, perhaps you should become a registered nurse or medical assistant, or enroll in a vocational automotive, electronics or welding program. However, if you identify more with Warhol or Hendrix, maybe you should consider a career in psychology, special education or cosmetology.

Thinker or Feeler

Do people naturally turn to you for guidance because of your levelheaded logic and steady examination of the facts? Or do you try to see different points of view in a conflict and make a decision that promotes harmony and what is best for all parties?

Thinkers, like the famous logician Aristotle, are methodical and meticulous. When confronted with a problem, they examine all possibilities before settling on the "correct" solution—diplomacy be darned.

Feelers, such as the uber-famous talk show host and humanitarian Oprah, weigh the cares of others when making decisions. They are tactful, diplomatic, and care more about resolving conflict than finding the "right" answer to a problem.

If you think more like Aristotle, you might want to consider a highly technical career that exercises the brain, such as engineering or web development, or a career that utilizes bluntness, such as restaurant management or paralegal. However, if you relate more to feelers like Oprah, try exploring careers such as physical therapy assistant, rehabilitative counselor, registered nurse or interior designer.

Choosing Your Career

These are just samples of the great career choices that lie ahead. Finding the right profession is a challenging task, but is ultimately one of the most satisfying things you can do. With tools like AllCareerSchools.com at your disposal, launching yourself out of a rut and onto the right career path is easier than you think.

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