Do What You Are Summary

Your ideal career isn’t just a job. It’s where your unique personality thrives, energizes you, and aligns with your values.

1. Personality Affects Job Satisfaction

Our personalities shape the way we respond to different jobs and environments. If your work feels like a constant uphill climb, chances are your personality doesn't align with your role.

The concept of personality types isn't new. It originated in ancient Greece and gained structure through Carl Jung in 1921. Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers later refined this through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®), a tool that categorizes personalities into 16 types based on four scales. These types reveal individual preferences for action, thought, and decision-making.

For instance, consider Arthur and Julie, who worked in the same firm as placement counselors. Arthur, a social and resilient individual, excelled in the job's high-pressure demands. Julie, who thrived in calmer, detail-oriented settings, struggled. Her personality wasn't suited for that environment, illustrating how the right or wrong match can make or break a career.

Examples

• Carl Jung’s groundbreaking contributions to understanding human behavior.
• Myers-Briggs testing helping millions worldwide find job compatibility.
• Arthur’s success as a lively job recruiter versus Julie’s misfit in the same role.

2. Four Scales of Personality Types

The MBTI® reveals that people differ in how they interact with the world, process information, make decisions, and approach life’s structure.

The first dichotomy is Extraversion (E) vs. Introversion (I), where extraverts draw energy from social interaction, and introverts recharge in solitude. The second is Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N), focusing on how we process information—practically or imaginatively.

For example, a sensor thrives in hands-on learning or detail-oriented tasks. Intuitives, conversely, dream up creative solutions. Recognizing where you fall on these scales can narrow your job search to compatible roles.

Examples

• Extraverts excelling in industries like sales or event planning.
• Introverts shining in solitary or analytical tasks, like research.
• Builders (S) relying on manuals versus Intuitives skipping instructions.

3. Decision-Making: Thinking vs. Feeling

Your approach to decision-making ties closely to the third dichotomy: Thinking (T) versus Feeling (F).

Thinkers prefer consistent, logical reasoning devoid of personal bias. Feelers prioritize harmony and evaluate based on values or empathy. Societal conditioning influences these traits—men are often nudged toward Thinking while women are encouraged to embrace Feeling, but personality doesn't always obey societal norms.

The story of a dean and an assistant debating a freshman’s punishment clearly shows this divide. The dean enforced strict rules as a Thinker, while the Feel-driven assistant pushed for leniency. Career decisions—everything from management roles to counseling—align with how you weigh such dilemmas.

Examples

• Logical thinkers excelling as attorneys or engineers.
• Compassionate feelers finding fulfillment in social work or teaching.
• Gender often influencing personality expectations, though exceptions abound.

4. Structured or Spontaneous: Judging vs. Perceiving

The final MBTI® scale contrasts Judging (J) with Perceiving (P), which determines your preferred approach to life.

Judgers crave structure. They stick to schedules and find unfinished tasks unsettling. Perceivers, however, embrace spontaneity, keeping options open for as long as possible. These tendencies reflect in work habits—planned personalities enjoy deadlines, while perceivers thrive on variety.

If your ideal vacation itinerary involves lists and reservations, you’re likely a Judger. If you prefer booked flights but nothing else, you lean Perceiver. These patterns also help in workplace roles, determining whether you prefer rigid processes or creative freedom.

Examples

• Judger-focused careers: project management or accounting.
• Perceiver-friendly roles: entrepreneurial ventures or exploratory research.
• Routine-loving Judgers versus uncertainty-loving Perceivers in everyday life.

5. Temperaments Influence Career Fit

Across the 16 personality types, there are four broader Temperaments—Traditionalist, Experiencer, Idealist, and Conceptualizer.

Traditionalists (SJ types) value order and stability, fitting structured environments like law enforcement. Experiencers (SP types) live for excitement and thrive in unpredictable, hands-on work like firefighting. Idealists (NF types) focus on authenticity and harmony, excelling in education or HR. Meanwhile, Conceptualizers (NT types) seek innovation, often gravitating toward science or management.

Understanding these larger categories helps streamline your career path based on natural inclinations for order, action, meaning, or strategy.

Examples

• Traditionalists succeeding in hierarchical settings like administration.
• Experiencers gravitating toward thrill-filled professions like emergency services.
• Idealists meshing with creative or humanitarian-focused roles.

6. Dominant Functions Are Your True Strengths

Each personality has a Dominant Function, the skill most natural and enjoyable to use. Aligning this with your work is key to finding satisfaction.

Sensors excel at analyzing facts and using their impeccable memory, often enjoying roles in research, data entry, or logistics. Intuitives thrive on creative or forward-thinking challenges, such as inventing or designing. Feelers prioritize connections and values, making them natural teachers, artists, or caregivers. Thinkers shine in logical decision-making, taking roles like lawyer, analyst, or strategist.

Identifying your Dominant Function means recognizing areas where effortless strengths turn into rewarding work.

Examples

• Dominant sensors in research-heavy positions.
• Dominant intuitives leading as innovation strategists or creatives.
• Thinkers excelling in high-pressure, logic-driven environments.

7. Personality Growth Over Time Shapes Career Interests

Personality isn’t static—it grows and evolves throughout life. This dynamic aspect explains shifts in career interests.

In early life, Dominant Functions rule, but by your 20s or 30s, Auxiliary skills take shape. By midlife, third and fourth preferences emerge with surprising maturity. At 50 or beyond, individuals often embrace hobbies or encore careers tied to these later-developing functions—proof that age and circumstance inspire career reinvention.

Even if set in early choices, people like Marty, an ISFP, often find opportunities to nurture unexplored functions as they age, enriching personal and professional fulfillment.

Examples

• Early development of Marty’s sensory strengths lead to intuitive interests.
• Baby Boomers embracing encore careers fueled by Auxiliary Functions.
• Midlife crises as natural motivators for meaningful career pivots.

8. Choosing Work That Aligns With Strengths and Values

Job satisfaction boils down to balancing values, strengths, and personal growth. A well-matched career integrates what energizes versus drains you.

Assessing the MBTI® results enables a clearer understanding of compatible roles based on your preferences—whether they favor people interaction, creative ideation, or results-focused logic. With this foundation, you can avoid roles that feel forced and pursue paths that align with your Dominant Function and long-term aspirations.

Examples

• Applying MBTI® tests to uncover passion-driven jobs.
• ENFPs choosing careers like journalism or market analysis for variety.
• Self-awareness helping you steer away from mismatched work environments.

9. It’s Never Too Late for an Encore Career

If a career becomes stifling, change is possible at any age. Whether a late-life reinvention or simply following overdue passions, switching is always rewarding when aligned to your strengths.

Take Jay, an ISTJ Traditionalist, who left the family business at 46 for a teaching career. His natural strength as a sensor paired perfectly with his love of history, creating a satisfying encore career. No matter your stage, recognizing where your personality thrives can guide you toward a fulfilling shift.

Examples

• Jay’s leap from business to teaching representing his innate preferences.
• Retirees finding joy in encore careers enabled by self-awareness.
• Older individuals embracing roles closer to personal values.

Takeaways

1. Take the MBTI® test to uncover your personality type and use it to guide your career choices.
2. Reassess your career path periodically, especially in midlife, to ensure it aligns with emerging interests and strengths.
3. Explore educational resources or certifications to prepare for a career that better fits your personality and passions.