Why use personality type to find a best-fit career?
Personality plays a pivotal role in job satisfaction and overall well-being, particularly since many experts believe personality is set from birth and does not change over time. Personality is central to how you view, approach, and experience life. Fighting against this core part of you is a losing battle leading to unhappiness, frustration, and stunted potential. Fight this battle too long and you might find yourself in a crisis of purpose, unable to discern a clear pathway in life.
Fortunately, there are tools available to avoid this outcome and uncover the depths of your unique personality. Here are three personality assessments I’ve found useful for helping individuals find their way in life:
Myers-Briggs
First on my list is Myers-Briggs. Myers-Briggs is my go-to personality assessment due to the tool’s universal acceptance and utility. Once you know your Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® the world opens up to you. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® labels your personality using four dichotomies: Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I), Sensing (S) or Intuition (N), Thinking (T) or Feeling (F), and Judging (J) or Perceiving (P). You can match your type to jobs, career paths, and even famous people. Regarding this last point, I would encourage you to read biographies of famous people who share your type. It’s a powerful reflective exercise. There are free resources available online to help you discover your Myers-Briggs, like 16 Personalities.
StrengthsFinder® 2.0
StrengthsFinder® 2.0 is another fantastic assessment to align your career with your personality and strengths. I recommend the book for ease of use and reference. Make sure to get the code, as you need it to take the test online. StrengthsFinder® uses 34 talent themes to identify your 5 key talents. For instance, mine are significance, restorative, competition, futuristic, and strategic.
True Colors®
My personal favorite personality assessment is True Colors®. You can take this test via a facilitator; in my experience it is harder to find a good free version. True Colors® is amazing in both its simplicity and accuracy. True Colors® splits individuals into four colors – Green, Orange, Gold, and Blue. Greens are curious and intuitive, Oranges are adventurous and skillful, Golds are responsible and feel a sense of duty, and Blues are harmonious and authentic. I recently reviewed my results and I felt like I was reading a personal journal or horoscope (from strongest to weakest I’m Green, Orange, Gold, and Blue). Like the other two, this personality assessment can successfully match individuals to career paths.
Looking for more resources on finding a right-fit career? Check out the books Start With Why by Simon Sinek and What You’re Really Meant to Do by Robert Steven Kaplan. Also, check out these TED talks to help you find your purpose.
