Finding a job that matches your personality
Who hasn’t at one point felt like they were lost in a sea of choices? An ocean of possibilities! Of course we all have. Especially when choosing a career. As a child, it’s hard to decide on what we want to be when we grow up. And as adults, it can be even harder! We, as a society, rush one another to decide at younger and younger ages what to do for the rest of our lives. Actor, Biologist, Curator, Dermatologist, Ethics Professor. The options are endless. The most we can do is to make an educated guess on what we’ll grow into and try it out.
So! If you’re making an educated guess, whether that guess is made at 5 or 50, how do you go about deciding? There’s a lot that goes into picking a future career. Personality, financial expectations, quality of life within that position, etc. they're all factors. The best we can do is try and narrow our selection of opportunities. That’s where personality tests come into play!
The more you learn about yourself, the more you can see how you might interact with a certain career. For instance, if you know you don’t function well without detailed directions, then a career with low supervision will probably stress you out and make you anxious.
So, first, you need to learn about yourself. You've got to be honest here. If you don’t answer the questions honestly or you haven’t taken a second to critically think about your own preferences and personality, then your results aren't likely to be accurate!
Personality Tests
There are several free tests to help narrow your job search by matching your personality and preferences. Here are just a few of the ones I thought did a good job. Try a few and see what you learn about yourself and the kinds of careers you might excel in.
This one is an extensive personality test that uses multiple rounds of questions. It categorizes different parts of your personality to develop a snapshot and then pairs you with perspective jobs.
My next move is a short personality test that measures preferences. It displays your results in a RIASEC format. RIASEC is a fairly common personality format separating characteristics by fields of Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional components. Looking at your results here will help you determine what fields you may prefer to work in.
Truity.com/test/type-finder-careers
This is a medium-length personality test that uses Myers and Briggs’s theory of 16 personality types combined with the Holland Code system of career typing to match your personality with complementary career choices. If you’re already a fan of Myers Brigg’s personality tests you will enjoy taking this one.
123Test is another short personality test measuring preference. It displays your results in a RIASEC format but in a layout that reads more clearly for visual people than the test on mynextmove.org.
Job Satisfaction
Even after careful deliberation, it’s hard to land a job that’s satisfying. Just because a personality test says that you’d be great at something doesn’t mean it’ll be your dream job. Nor the opposite. Sometimes the only way to learn that a job doesn’t fit is to try it out. Maybe you're already in the right field for you, but your management is making you dissatisfied. Who knows! All you can do is what you can, so take it bit by bit.
A Side Note to Keep in Mind
Keep in mind that employers are trying to reduce turnover now more than ever. One of the ways they endeavor to do so is through the use of personality tests. During the screening and pre-interview process, it’s becoming more common to take a personality test to determine capability as well as compatibility. This means it’s even more of a good idea to be familiar with personality tests in advance. If you know yourself, it’ll be quick and easy for you to answer the questions!
Here’s a link listing the tests that are more likely to be used:
indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/types-of-personality-test