Career changes can be tough. Finding the right career based on your personality can be even tougher. Check out some tips to help you do it.

How to Find the Right Career Based on Your Personality

Contrary to popular belief, we can have the career we want and work at something we’re happy with. Are you interested in investing? For example, do you research and understand the best airline stocks, oil stocks, and entertainment stocks? You might want to consider a career in the investment world.

The trouble with finding a career we love is that we were never taught that our career should match our personality. There are two key steps we need to follow to get a career that’s a good fit for us. 

One, ask pertinent questions about your preferences; and two, research. Make sure you research the job and answer all the questions you need to have answered before you make a transition.

How to find a career based on your personality

Keep in mind that society has always given us the impression that you’re lucky if you like your job. This can’t be further from the truth. Most people aren’t aware of their own traits or why they may be unhappy in their current career and career moves of the past. 

Think of it this way. You may have thought you needed to go to college, choose a specific career, and then have every move you make based around that choice. This is a trap. As people change and grow, their preferences also change. 

If we shift other things in our lives, then why not a career? The answer is fear. Making a change that is connected to our money can be overwhelming.  Don’t let this rule what you do. What you’ll learn here is valuable and easy to do.

 

Questions to ask yourself

Grab a clean notebook or computer document. Answer these questions below. There are no right or wrong answers. This is just for you to see who you are and help you make an educated choice.

Do I like to work from home or out in the world?

I like to work supervised or unsupervised, even if it’s by a remote supervisor.

Do I  prefer the structure of corporate-style management or freelance?

I enjoy working with people. 

Do I want to find my own clients and write my paycheck? 

I want someone else to find clients for me.

Are you a loner or introvert?

Are you very outgoing?

Were you ever attracted to helping people one-on-one?

Are you scientifically minded?

Are you an explorer of new ideas?

Do you love creating new things or systems?

Once you’ve answered the questions, check how many answers are similar in the majority. You should see a trend toward a particular environment or circumstance. For example, you’ll see if you’re better suited to working for yourself or not and whether you’re better off in a company setting or freelance.

The next step is to create a list of keywords from your answers. For example: 

Loner

Free

Corporate

Helping Others

There can be more, but you get the picture. Once you’re clear about the style of work you like, you can then begin the steps to research.

Steps to research in the cycles

Cycle One: Initially going to job sites that will tell you what you want to know. Some will even have reviews from past employees. 

Cycle Two: Once you have one or more companies chosen, tweak your resume to suit the company culture. You can research their website for this and even pretend to be a customer. Sneaky, we know, but it can really give you the real lowdown on what to expect.

Cycle Three: If you have no clue who to choose and you’re really confused, you can Google “best companies to work for in the current year.” Then repeat the first two research cycles with your choices. 

Another forgotten step: investing your money

You need to choose a career that’s best for your stage in life and your money. Thoughts of investing should ideally come at the same time as you’re looking for a new career path. After all, if you find a great job but it can’t give you a salary that you can invest with, then it may not be for you. 

A salary should be enough for you to invest in your future. If you find a job you really love, you can seek a financial advisor to guide you in making investments with what you have and advance you as you grow in your career pathway. Either way, for this last step, consider your investments seriously.