There is no doubt about it, choosing your career is one of the hardest things that you will ever do, especially if you’re unsure of what type of career you would like. However, one simple thing that can make it easier is taking your personality and passions into account, as that way you know that you’re picking a career that you will love, or at least, should do.

The worst mistake that you can make when it comes to your career is picking a role that you don’t enjoy because this means you will dread going to work, which isn’t what you want. If you’re going to spend half of your adult life doing a job, it may as well be something that you enjoy, right? Else, surely it’s just a waste of your time? You can make thousands of dollars a year but if you’re doing a job that you hate, is it really worth it? The answer is, of course not.

The good news is that if you take your personality and passions into account when it comes to choosing a career path, you are twice as likely to land a role that you love. Believe it or not, your personality is such a significant factor when it comes to your career that many schools get students to fill in personality job tests, which suggest career ideas based on a student’s personality. If anything, this shows just how crucial taking your personality into account is when deciding on a certain career path.

Now, it’s all well and good deciding that you will take your personality and passions into account when selecting a job, but the question is, how should you go about doing so? To make the process of basing your career on your personality and the things you enjoy easier, here’s what you need to do:

Ask yourself what personality you have

The first step to matching your career to your personality is working out what type of personality you have. This might sound strange because surely you would know what you are like as a person, but the chances are you’ve never sat down and thought about your personality like that before. So, what you need to do is determine what type of personality you have.

Are you creative? Creative people have crazy imaginations and insightful minds, they look deeper into things than anyone else does. They come up with unique ideas that other people could never think of. Creative people tend to enjoy doing tasks that allow them to express their thoughts and feelings or allow them to share a concept with others. Creative people don’t necessarily do things the way that other people do; they prefer to find their own paths in life and do things their own way. Ideal career ideas for creative people include artistic roles, positions in the media, working in the beauty industry, or working with food.

Are you a people person? These are people who love spending time with others. They are highly sociable, love to chat and share their thoughts and feelings with others. If you are a people person, you can strike up a conversation with anyone because you have the gift of the gab. Often, sociable people are also highly sensitive people, they like to help others and do their bit for the local community. If you’re a people person, ideal career options include working in the care industry, the health industry, the services industry, or the retail sector.

Do you like to work alone? While some people are extroverts other are introverts, introverts prefer their own company to other people’s company, meaning that they tend to prefer to work alone. They like to socialize, but they are also big fans of alone time, especially when it comes to focusing on work. For anyone who likes to work alone, some ideal roles include working in accounting, architecture - or any design industry, or social media management - any virtual role could be ideal.

Do you crave adventure? Are you the kind of person who craves adventure? There are some people who get bored easily, and so, are always craving adventure. These are often the people that jet off here, there, and everywhere, and love nothing more than spending their time exploring all of the furthest corners of the world. These are the people that have no fear and are happy to try anything once. For anyone who craves adventure, working in any role linked to travel is ideal, as could be a position in the police, army, or investigative industry.

There are, of course, other personalities aside from these ones, but these are the most common personality types. Do you know which one you are? Or, are you a combination of two of them?

Are you willing to undergo training?

Once you’ve determined what type of person you are, the next question to ask yourself is whether you are willing to undergo training. This is an important question, as it will determine the type of role that you are able to do.

You see, there are some careers that undergoing professional training is crucial for, such as roles in the medical or educational industries. Whereas, there are other industries, such as retail, for instance, where taking a course isn’t considered necessary. There may be the odd training day, but that tends to be about it.  

Although undergoing specialist training can take anything from a few months to a few years, and can be somewhat costly, roles that require training tend to be much better paid than roles that don’t. For instance, say you were to undergo a course for a role in health and human services, such as one of the ones on www.ultimatemedical.edu/program/health-and-human-services, it might take some time to train, but your income would be higher than working in a role that requires no training. Plus, when you work in a role that training is required for, your chances of career progression are also much higher.

Obviously, it’s possible to do well in life without undergoing specialist training or a university career; it’s just that the opportunities tend to be slightly different, as does the type of work on offer. However, if you would prefer not to train and are happy to work in one of these roles because it’s a good match for your passions and personality, then this is what you should do.

How do you like to work?

The next question that you need to ask yourself is how do you like to work? This might sound like a strange one, but the fact is, if you are going to enjoy your career, you need to pick a job that enables you to work how you like to.

Do you like the idea of working in an office environment? There are some careers that require you to work in an office environment, which is a very specific way of working. You spend your work hours cooped up in an office with a range of different people, most probably on a computer for the most part, does this sound appealing to you? If you love the idea of working in an office environment then working as an an accountant, receptionist, press officer, business consultant, or marketing executive - the list could go on - could be perfect for you. To thrive in an office environment, you need to like the idea of working in one.

Would you like to work here, there and everywhere? Are you someone who would prefer to work in different places each day, rather than being stuck in one office day in, day out? If so, then a job that allows you to get out and explore could be the answer for you. You want to work in a role that doesn't require you to be stuck indoors; you want to pick a career that gives you the opportunity to be outside as much as possible, such as working in construction, for instance.

Does working in a busy environment appeal to you? If you like the idea of working in a busy environment then perhaps a career in retail could be a good option for you. It’s fast-paced, hectic, busy, and a great career choice, if you like busy environments, that is.

Would you prefer to work remotely? Are you someone who likes their own space? Then perhaps working remotely could be the perfect answer? Today, more and more people are choosing career paths that allow them to work remotely, from home. If you’re someone who likes their own space and doesn’t need to socialize while working to get the job done, then working remotely could be a career choice that’s worth looking into. To learn more about working remotely, visit https://www.fastcompany.com/3033902/7-best-practice-tips-for-successfully-working-remotely.

Finding that perfect career option is never easy, but if you take your personality and passions into account, you can make it a little easier for yourself. So the tips and advice above are definitely worth taking note of and using to find that perfect role.