How Can Personality Affect One's Career Pathway? Find Out the Best Jobs for You

How can personality affect one's career pathway?

Everyone has different talents and strengths, and many of us are unsure of the best way to go about finding the right job. You may be interested in a certain field, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be successful or even enjoy it. To help people understand themselves better and take the right career steps, a personality test can be a useful tool.

What is a Personality Test?

Personality tests are designed to help a person identify their key abilities, behaviors, and preferences. The test results can be used to match the individual’s skill set and interests to a range of potential career paths and provide insights into the key skills that need to be developed for success in the chosen path.

If you're looking to jumpstart your career and need a little guidance, one of the best-known personality tests is the Briggs-Myers Test, also referred to as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) or the 16-Types Personality Test.

The MBTI test is among the assessment tools that companies may use to determine the personality type of an applicant to see if they will be a good fit for the position. Knowing in advance what your type is could help you apply for the roles that will let your strengths shine.

What is the Importance of a Personality Test?

Taking a personality test can help you increase your chances of finding a job that matches your natural tendencies, aptitude, and preferences.

This can improve your level of job satisfaction and improve your chances of long-term career success by helping you find your ideal job.

Personality tests can help you determine your preferred work environment and type of employer or workplace.

Using the results of a personality test, the job seeker can narrow down the employers who offer jobs which suit their character. For example, a person who prefers independence can search out employers who value autonomy in the workplace.

The results of a personality test may also help you search for roles and organizations that align with your personal values and beliefs.

In addition, they can steer you toward discovering career paths that might not have been readily apparent.

How Can a Personality Test Help You Find Your Career Path?

Personality tests help you understand your personality, values, interests, skills, abilities, and aptitudes, and compare them to the desired qualities of a certain job.

It’s a great way to assess your “fit” for a given role. Knowing this helps you focus your job prospects and make the job-search process much more manageable and effective.

Also read: 5 Reasons To Work At A Company With The Right Cultural Fit

A personality test may also help you identify your skills in areas such as problem-solving, decision-making, communication, and creativity.

By assessing your capabilities in these areas, you can begin to hone in on job positions that align with your strengths and help you pinpoint the areas where you can further develop yourself.

What is the 16-Personality Test or MBTI Test?

The Myers-Briggs Test, developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and  Katharine Briggs, is a personality survey developed to help people identify their strengths and weaknesses while understanding how they may interact with others.

By taking the test, you can gain insight into your personality and use the information to make career decisions and plan a career path best suited to you and that will give you job satisfaction.

The test is based on psychiatrist Carl Jung's theory of psychological types. Jung believed that people experience the world differently based upon their individual personalities. The test identifies where you fall into the spectrum of personality types as defined by Jung.

The test provides you with an understanding of yourself by showing how you assess the world, make decisions, and prioritize tasks. With this understanding of your predominant personality traits, you can start to identify your ideal career path.

For example, if the test reveals that you are a person who is highly organized and likes structure, you may do best in a job that requires planning, such as project management or office administration.

Or if the test shows that you are a risk-taker who values autonomy and creativity, you may find success in a job that allows you to express yourself, such as freelance writing or graphic design.

Also read: 10 Great High-Paying Jobs for Creative Minds (With Salaries)

However, the test is simply one tool to use when considering a career path. In order to get the most out of any personality test, use its results in conjunction with realistic expectations and goals.

Once you have identified your personality traits, you can start researching for industries and jobs that align with who you are. Consider networking with people in those fields and do research on the average salary and job opportunities in that field.

Now, take the Myers-Briggs Test to help plan your career path. Use our infographics below to discover your personality type.

What are the Types of Personality?

According to the MBTI test, there are 16 different types of personality. Use our handy infographics below to guide you toward finding out your Meyers-Briggs type.

Now that you’ve determined your personality type, explore the suggested paths. Do not be limited by them, but feel free to think outside the box about possible careers that would suit your particular personality type, preferences, skills, and values.

Also read: Looking For Your Next Opportunity? Here Are The Best Jobs For Introverts

A personality test is just one of the many tools available to individuals to help gain insight into their personality type and understand the types of careers that may be best suited for them.

By using the test with realistic expectations and in combination with other research, you can achieve a much better understanding of yourself and the career path that will bring you the most success and satisfaction.

Find the Job That Sets You on Your Best Career Path!

Start updating your resume now and find the job that suits your personality and sets you on the career path to fulfillment and success.

Use our resume templates to help you get your dream job!

#SEEKBetterby creating or updating your profile at JobStreet.  Job-hunting on the go? Download the JobStreet app on Google Play or the App Store.

4-Step Test for Better Career Path

Pick one of the two letter choices for each question, then write down your answer. If you are unsure which one to pick, choose the one that corresponds more to your thoughts and actions. After answering all four questions, you will have the four letters of your personality type.

Find your personality type in the second infographic below and discover the types of jobs that best suit your interests, skills, and values.

Energy Direction

EXTRAVERSION (E)

You direct your energy towards people and things. You give preference to external constructs and situations

INTROVERSION (I)

Your inner thoughts and ideas take precedence over outer stimuli. You direct energy towards your “inner world.”

Information Processing

SENSING (S)

You prefer to look at the hard facts,. You want clear and describable ideas.

INTUITION (N)

You are inclined to delve into the unknown.  Big Ideas are your preference. You are willing to explore possibilities.

Decision Making

THINKING (T)

You prefer to make decisions based on objective logic.

FEELING (F)

Your decisions are based on your personal perception, values, and belief system.

Organizing

JUDGMENT (J)

You lean towards a stable, organized, planned, and well-structured life. This is not to be mistaken as being judgmental.

PERCEPTION (P)

You are flexible. You respond as things come and do not anticipate situations.

Once you are done with the four questions of the personality test, put the four letters together and find your match among the 16 personality types.

ISTJ

Clarity and knowledge are most important. Facts and Information are key to how you understand situations.

Suitable Jobs: Accountants, Administrators and Managers, Business Executives, Detectives, Police

ISFJ

Knowledge and experience play a vital role in your life. You listen intently and get to know people through your observation.

Suitable Jobs: Counselors, Nurses, Curators, Social Workers, Librarians

INFJ

You have a unique vision of things that usually remains unknown to many.  You use insights and imagination, especially in relating to people and circumstances.

Suitable Jobs: Counselors, Psychologists, Dentists, Doctors, Writers

INTJ

You have a strategic vision of the future and how to go about it.

Suitable Jobs: Lawyers, Professors, Judges, System Analysts, Researchers

ISTP

You like solving problems that are tangible and verifiable. You try to understand how things work, love to investigate, and fix things that are broken.

Suitable Jobs: Detectives, Computer Programmers, Pilots, Paramedics, Firefighters

ISFP

You are caring towards others and you have a set of values that navigate your somewhat unstructured life.

Suitable Jobs: Artists, Composers, Designers, Musicians, Teachers

INFP

You value your privacy. You are not expressive of your thoughts and feelings, even if you consider yourself a people person.

Suitable Jobs: Artists, Fine Arts Teachers, Journalists, Scientists, Writers

INTP

You are an intellectual.  Your interests lie in theoretical models and you try to seek the real truth behind every situation.

Suitable Jobs: Biologists, Chemists, Photographers, Physicists, Surveyors

ESTP

You are action-oriented. You are a problem solver and are reliable under pressure.

Suitable Jobs: Comedians, Entrepreneurs, Marketers, Sales Representatives, Technical Support Providers

ESFP

You are action- and performance-oriented, and live life to the fullest. It is important for you to look into benefits for others.

Suitable Jobs: Actors, Comedians, HR Managers, Musicians, Painters

ENFP

You like to stimulate others. You enjoy new ideas and encourage personal growth.

Suitable Jobs: Actors, Journalists, Marketers, Television Reporters, Writers

ENTP

You are a trailblazer. More than anything, new possibilities and ideas excite you.

Suitable Jobs: Engineers, Scientists, Computer Programmers, Designers, Journalists

ESTJ

You like things organized. You draw up roles and responsibilities clearly and facilitate structure and planning.

Suitable Jobs: Business Administrators, Managers, Military, Financial Officers, Judges

ESFJ

Relationships, harmony, and cooperation are key. You often put other people ahead of yourself.

Suitable Jobs: Nurses, Teachers, Child-Care Providers, Secretaries, ReceptionistsENFJ

You concern yourself with the growth of others. You have the uncanny ability to see their potential and encourage them to harness it.

Suitable Jobs: Teachers, Consultants, Politicians, Event Coordinators, Designers

ENTJ

You like to look for a better system to accomplish things. You want a structure that is progressive and efficient.

Suitable Jobs: Business Executives, CEOs, Entrepreneurs, Lawyers, Politicians