Career Management and Job Search for Top Talent Blog

Do you have the right personality for your job?

BusinessWeek.com published an interview with David Keirsey that is enlightening regarding understanding the role one's personality plays not only in one's success but also happiness.

We have many clients that give candidates a personality test prior to hiring the candidate. There are many of these on the market. You probably have taken one yourself, maybe the Myers/Briggs, DISC, 16 PF, Birkman or even one by Keirsey. He wrote one of the most popular books on the subject "Please Understand Me." These tests are valuable and we support them as one step in the process.

In this interview Keirsey discusses how to use the test to your advantage when seeking  a job, your first career or even a career change. It can be valuable for students graduating from college. I wonder how many candidates we interview that just plain don't like what they do would be happier had they pursued a career that fit their personality. I know I am one of those. I selected my major based on what industry was the hottest when I graduated. I majored in accounting and went to work for a public accounting firm. Had I taken a personality test while in college it would have been very clear this is not consistent with my personality. In fact, I recently took a test for the fun of it. The first thing the person that analyzed the results said to me was "it is clear why you did not like accounting. You should never have considered that based on who you are." She was right. I last 4 years in accounting and hated it. I selected a career for the wrong reasons. I was one of the lucky ones to realize this and changed careers early. Too many don't recognize this and stay with it, often blaming the company so they constantly change jobs. Instead of realizing they don't fit the career.

Most of these tests are not about stereotyping people. They are about how we can best interact with others. Knowing how your future boss processes data, their communication style and management style  are very helpful to know when considering a new position.

As you read this interview consider if taking a test yourself or having your company begin to use these as part of the hiring process would be beneficial.

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