When you are looking for new career ideas, it can be really helpful to start by getting to understand your personality better. When you know more about the kind of person you are, you will find it easier to evaluate your current job and also to judge new career ideas you may be considering.
The first step is to take a personality test. My personal favourite is the MBTI which gives you an insight into your preferred ways of behaving. This can be a real eye opener and can dramatically change the way you think about yourself and others.
Here's how understanding your career personality can help with your career change.
Your current job
You know you are frustrated and unhappy at work, but you can't quite pin it down. Once you know more about your personal style, you will be able to see why certain aspects of your job are difficult for you. It is not always just a matter of skill - whether you have or haven't got it. If a job demands that you regularly work in a way that does not suit your personality, you will find it tough going.
The people you work with
One of the great things about the MBTI personality assessment, is that it gives you the tools to understand not just yourself, but also others around you. So you can now see that colleague who drives you round the bend in a new light. You get to value the different approaches people take to their work rather than just being annoyed because they don't do things your way. This makes for better working relationships now and in your future jobs.
New career ideas
Once you know more about your personal style, you can identify what kind of job will be a comfortable 'fit' for you. When you are considering new career options, you can assess them against your own personality preferences so that you make sure you will have the right kind of work environment, the right approach to work and a management style to suit you. You may not get everything you want n a new job, but you can identify the 'must haves'.
Knowing what to avoid
It is also essential when you are choosing a new career that you do not fall into the same traps as you may have done in the past. Understanding your personality will also make it possible for you to avoid career areas which will make demands on you that you will find difficult. For example too hectic a pace or a very unstructured approach to work could be frustrating and exhausting for some, but might be energising and exciting for others. Make sure you know what will not suit you and avoid careers that will demand working in that way.
Job search strategies
Your personality will influence the way you approach the search for new jobs too. If you love meeting new people you will probably find networking and using your personal contacts an easy tactic. Others will prefer to take time doing detailed research on the internet or in books to find out as much as possible about new career ideas. Both are fine. Knowing your own preferences will enable you to do some of what you prefer but also know where you must stretch yourself to try other tactics.
Bonus tip
If you are looking for more information about how your personality relates to your career, I invite you to take a look at the How To Change Careers website http://www.how-to-change-careers.com/career-change-test.html. You can take a personality test and read more about what the results mean for you and your career as well as access my ebook, Know Your Personality, Know Your Career.
And if you would like some more ideas about how you can get your career change on the move, you can download my free Career Change Blueprint http://www.how-to-change-careers.com/career-change-blueprint.html which explains the key steps to career change success.
From Cherry Douglas - Your Career Change Guide
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