How to find a Career that fits your Personality
How would you describe your personality? Our personalities make up so much of our experiences, especially at work where some tasks will have us leaping out of bed in the morning, while others see us doing anything to avoid them. This is something we can apply to our relationships with those we work with too, not just what we enjoy doing. Personality feeds into everything - how we choose our careers, businesses, how well supported we need to feel and how we approach challenges. When we understand the traits and behaviours of those around us, we start to understand what creates cohesion and positive work.
Over the years as I've become more tuned in to my personality and my preferences, it's made decision making much easier and provided real insights into what energises or drains me in my work life. I use a range of tools to create personalised profiles for each of my 1:1 clients (want more info? keep reading!) and they help inform our sessions and see the people I work with understand themselves and their needs a whole lot more. For those that lead teams, they find them invaluable in understanding what makes people click and how to avoid anything that will hold individuals and teams back from success. Don't get me wrong, I am not about putting people into boxes or categorising them, but often these tools can offer us great insights.
The reason personality profiles are so effective is because they raise your self awareness. Often, when clients reach out to me it's because they're desperate for a change but feel overwhelmed by the prospect of figuring out what they 'should' do next and have no idea where to start. I love bringing about clarity for my clients and supporting them as they un-muddle their thoughts to reach a sound conclusion for their next steps. The more you know yourself, the more insight you have to inform and enable your plans for the future. So, that's where I always start in my Coaching Programmes with my clients - it always starts with finding out all about you.
As a DISC Personality Profiler, I’m a big fan of the DISC tool (I would say that though wouldn’t I?! But I was first introduced to it as a client before then going on to train in it). If you’re not familiar with it, do check out Sarah Gibson’s Talk where she explains the 4 different DISC communication styles (it’s just 3 minutes long). When I was working as part of a small team within a local charity, a consultant came to do some team-building activities with us which involved introducing us to DISC. I found that there were so many ‘ah-ha’ moments where I deepened my understanding of my colleagues and it provided context to the ways in which they would see and respond to a situation so differently from myself.
As a coach, I now use this as a tool for when I work with my clients, to provide them with greater insights into their needs and preferences in a work context but also to help me tailor my coaching style to best meet their needs as we work together through the programme. In addition to DISC, I also encourage my clients to access the well-known Myers Briggs Personality Test which provides them with even further insights. The MBTI test is used by 79% of the FTSE 100 and is often referred to specifically within a career and professional development context. I find that drawing upon a whole range of resources can be so helpful as you begin to identify commonalities across the different tools.
Over the years, from having completed a number of assessments myself, reflecting on the feedback of others and considering my greatest strengths and weaknesses, has all really helped me to pinpoint what I need in my career to be at my very best. I’ve learned that I’m an (outgoing) introvert, so I love being with people on a 1:1 basis or in small group settings where I can build deep relationships but need to balance my energy levels, so this needs to be coupled with other less forward-facing types of work throughout the week (like administration, marketing, finance etc).
I’m relationally driven but also task focused, so I love doing practical work that is of real benefit to others. I love to understand how things fit together, so I love to work from the big picture and then understand the smaller components that sit within it. I greatly value autonomy, independence and high trust relationships, so if someone tries to micro-manage me, I can find this stifling. I’m both creative and methodical, so I’m a big fan of flexible processes in which you can weave through a range of options and approaches! Roles that have brought variety and diversity have stimulated me and kept me on my toes. I’m happiest and most energised when I’m being challenged, stretched and learning something new (I get bored doing the same thing over time and time again!)..
I could go on..!
But it’s these numerous insights that I’ve gained about myself that have helped to inform my career decisions and I’m now, by far, the happiest in my work life to date.
How well do you know yourself? What do you need to know that you don't know to inform what comes next?
To what extent does your current situation provide a good fit to your personality and preferences?
Here’s a few of my top tips on how to find a career informed by your personality:
Complete a personality profile (I’d recommend DISC and/or MBTI)
Get feedback from friends, family & colleagues
Read articles & blogs on personality to see what resonates
Keep a journal with your own insights and reflections
Consider when you’re at your best
If you'd like to receive your own personality profile to help inform your work preferences, get in touch to find out more. I can provide a stand-alone report or with coaching support to implement the findings.
