Personlity and Careers
Personality, or the characteristics that make people unique, is an important determinant of human behavior in general and careers in particular. Human personality affects much of who we are and what we do, both directly and indirectly, through its impact on the situations we choose to enter. A critical element is the concept of fit between person and situation or environment; personality plays an important role in determining whether a person will be comfortable in a particular situation. Various vocational inventories (e.g., the Strong Interest Inventory and the Kuder Preference Record) assess this by gauging how personality types will fit with various occupations. Holland’s theory of vocational choice is also predicated on the fit or congruence between a person’s personality type and occupational environments.
Thus, personality can play a significant role in helping people determine occupations that may or may not be a good match for them. It has long been acknowledged that good things can come from introspection and that it is important to “know thyself.” One outcome of such self-knowledge is a better understanding of which occupations and career paths would better match your interests and personality. Being honest with ourselves about who we are and our strengths and weaknesses can help us choose situations that we will be comfortable in, as well as make us aware of situations that we might want to avoid.
Both broad and narrow personality traits are relevant for understanding careers better. Broad traits are multidimensional and wide-ranging in their coverage of human personality; narrow traits are unidimensional and specific. Among broad traits, the Five-Factor Model is a popular and generally well-accepted framework for categorizing personality traits. The Big Five factors are associated with a number of important career-related factors, including occupational choice, work adjustment, job performance, job satisfaction, and career success. Another broad trait, core self-evaluations, also is relevant for understanding careers; early evidence suggests that it is associated with job satisfaction, task motivation, and job performance.
Narrow or unidimensional personality traits can also provide insight into careers. While there are thousands of different narrow personality traits, some seem particularly relevant for the career domain. Proactive personality, or the tendency to take initiative and identify opportunities for change, is associated with both objective and subjective career success. Locus of control, or the extent to which people believe that they control the events of their lives, is associated with career choice, mentoring, and withdrawal.
A conclusion that one could draw from considering the various approaches to personality discussed here is that “personality matters.” Our personality fundamentally shapes who we are, how other people view us, and the situations that we choose to enter. By better understanding who we are and identifying the various elements of our own personality, we can make better decisions about careers.