How to Choose a Career That Matches Your Personality

Selecting the perfect career is one of the most crucial decisions you will have to make. It requires a lot of research. Moreover, self-reflection is important. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help make this decision easier:

What Excites Me? What am I Passionate About?

On what subject could you read numerous books without getting bored? This is the question you should ask yourself.

It’s okay not to have a single passion. A variety of things can be put together to achieve something you’re passionate about.

Say you’re an average artist, with a decent sense of humour. You won’t have much hope with an art degree, and you can’t study ‘humour’ as a subject. But you could be an awesome cartoonist.”

However, it is essential to distinguish between your passion and a potential career. You may fall head over heels in love with an activity when you’re introduced to it, but that does not mean you have a passion for it. You cannot assume how the rest of your life is going to be in the profession within a short period.

There’s a technique called the NYU Career Tracks Exercise that encourages you to look out for about 50 job postings and look for any patterns or common themes amongst them. This will give you an idea about your interests and capabilities.

At Mentoria, we understand that a career cannot be chosen based solely on your skills nor purely on your interests. That’s why our holistic psychometric career assessment test combines these factors along with your personality to help you find the ideal career! Discover more here:

What are My Expectations from a Successful Career?

You might either have aspirations that involve travel, a six-figure salary or maybe even the opportunity to give back to society. When you have the end figured out, the path towards it becomes slightly more clear.

Try visualising your future. Everyone has a vision of what they wish to be doing with their lives. It could either be about your career specifically or just how you want to be living life in general.

Am I a People Person?

Am I at ease interacting with people? Can I work with others? If you answered no to these questions, chances are that you’re an introvert. You would need to consider this while choosing a career. An introvert will not be a successful sales representative. An extrovert will not be happy as an archivist. Your personality plays a crucial role while making this decision.

If you are an ambivert, you need to ask yourself about the situations and crises you can handle. If you are comfortable talking to others but cannot manage other people, a position of authority will be unsuitable.

Can I Afford not to have a Steady Paycheck?

Your financial status is a major factor in selecting your career. Bills need to be paid. A financially unstable person will not be able to afford a life in a struggling field. A person with financial stability can afford a living in a profession with uncertainty.

Am I Willing to Work Under Someone?

Are you a person who can work for someone? Or do you want to be your own boss? The answer will help you decide whether you wish to start your own company or you’d like to work for someone else.

If you want to work for yourself, life as an entrepreneur is suitable for you. This is a determinant of who you wish to work for. You can either build your own company or help someone else’s organisation to prosper.

Am I Willing to Travel?

Some careers require continuous travel, while some offer a steady location. If you do not like travelling, a job as a flight attendant will not be ideal. If you do not mind occasional travel, a position in an international company will be suitable.

Looking for more valuable information on careers? Check out Mentoria’s Knowledge Gateway! We’ve got a whole career library with tips and advice on a number of careers across different fields as well as webinars from industry professionals. Sign up to Mentoria and get lifetime access to the Knowledge Gateway! Discover more here:

Some Career Advice

After asking yourself these questions, it is not necessary that you have an answer to the question ‘what career should I choose?’ But it should still give you some clarity on the path to success. The road to success in your career could seem less of a maze.

To help you feel a little less lost, here are a few tips:

Follow your curiosity. The Mac would not look like it does if Steve Jobs hadn’t dropped in on that one typography class. At the time it may have seemed senseless and downright frivolous, but looking back on it today, it is an indispensable element of his story. Who knows, the most unexpected skill of yours could give your career a certain je ne sais quoi. An appealing quality that cannot be adequately described. It could even be the defining point of your career.

Talk to experts. This could include counsellors, psychologists or well-established people in potential careers. You might gain some clarity on how your life in the profession would be.

Embrace your inner child. Keep asking yourself every child’s favourite question – Why? According to Toyota’s interrogative technique of 5 Whys, asking yourself why you wish to pursue a career in something gives you an idea about your passion and interests.

Do not panic if you cannot arrive at a decision immediately. A lot of people take years to decide. People even switch careers after years in the wrong profession. It’s okay not to have an immediate answer.

Seize every opportunity. Take advantage of internships, seminars and other such opportunities. This will not only look good on your resume but will also give you an insight into the profession.

Consider all aspects. When you finally decide on a career in which your passion and capabilities intersect, ensure that it will not become obsolete soon. You should be able to add value to the profession.

It should also be a job that helps you pay your bills. If these criteria are not met, you might need to consider other options.

No single question on this list should be the sole determinant. A combination of these is the way to go. To get expert help, you can speak to our counsellors. Take the Mentoria psychometric test for better results.

Kick-start your career discovery journey with Mentoria & be sure to find the right career fit for you. Our 4-step career guidance solution, helps us find the right career fit for you from 3 streams, 850+ courses & 12,000+ careers.