Confucius said, “Find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” It is easy to love your job when that job aligns with your personality. For example, a very social person might love a job as a salesperson, while a shy person might find that job difficult and even disagreeable.
Here is a list of nine different personality types and jobs best suited for people with each personality. Read the description of each personality to find out which type you are, and for what types of jobs might be best for you.
The Best Jobs for Every Personality
The Introvert
Description: The Introvert tends to work best alone or in small groups. Introverts can be very focused; they have strong attention to detail because they enjoy concentrating on one task at a time. Review these job search tips for introverts, and a list of the best jobs for introverts.
Ideal Industries: Animal care, museum work, information technology, science
Ideal Jobs: Veterinarian, archivist, social media manager, computer programmer, researcher, bookkeeper, accountant, paralegal
The Extrovert
Description: The Extrovert enjoys working in large groups and often prefers team assignments. He or she is typically comfortable speaking in public and leading group activities. He or she is also a multitasker who works best when juggling a variety of assignments.
Ideal Industries: Human resources, public relations, sales, health, and wellness
Ideal Jobs: Human resources representative, public relations representative, sales manager, real estate agent, physical therapist, EMT, dental hygienist, actor
The Organizer
Description: The Organizer is very detail-oriented and practical. Organizers enjoy conventional structure and order in daily life; they, therefore, enjoy following standard rules and procedures. Organizers enjoy jobs in which they can gather and manage data. They have a desire to remove clutter, which allows them to enjoy tasks ranging from organizing an office to editing an article.
Ideal Industries: Publishing, administration, finance
Ideal Jobs: Editor, copy editor, office manager, administrative assistant, accountant, payroll clerk
The Artist
Description: The Artist enjoys being creative and innovative in his or her job. Artists typically do not enjoy conventional work settings, but instead, prefer to work on their own time with limited supervision and a flexible schedule. They prefer to implement their ideas rather than managing or following the ideas of others.
Ideal Industries: Design, writing, marketing, public relations, theater, music
Ideal Jobs: Interior designer, product designer, graphic artist, writer, marketing/advertising executive, public relations representative, actor, composer, musician, chef
The Caregiver
Description: The Caregiver is service-oriented and enjoys seeing to other peoples’ needs. The Caregiver is a “people person,” who enjoys both working alongside others and working for the welfare of others. He or she is very responsible and reliable and has strong organizational skills.
Ideal Industries: Medicine, education, social services, administration, human resources, sales
Ideal Jobs: Doctor, nurse, nutritionist, speech pathologist, physical therapist, nanny, teacher, social worker, administrative assistant, office manager, human resources professional, retail worker, spiritual leader, event planner
The Enterpriser
Description: The Enterpriser is a born leader who enjoys the responsibility of mentoring others and building and maintaining teams of people. Enterprisers often like to see projects through from start to finish, but they also understand how and when to delegate tasks to others. They tend to be very self-confident and ambitious.
Ideal Industries: Academia, business, finance, law, government
Ideal Jobs: Professor, corporate executive officer, business coach, mortgage banker, lawyer, judge, politician
The Analyst
Description: The Analyst enjoys analyzing theories and using his or her logical reasoning skills. Analysts often enjoy working alone and prefer working on complex problems through to the end. They often hold themselves to high standards and are thus very detail-oriented.
Ideal Industries: Science, medicine, military, law/law enforcement, business, IT, finance, academia
Ideal Jobs: Engineer, doctor, researcher, military leader, lawyer, detective, judge, corporate strategist, business manager, computer programmer, accountant, professor
The Idealist
Description: The Idealist enjoys working to make the world a better place. He or she works best when working towards a lofty goal with a focus on social progress. Idealists often enjoy working on a team with others.
Ideal Industries: Social work, human resources, education, health and wellness, government, art
Ideal Jobs: Social worker, counselor, teacher, speech pathologist, holistic health practitioner, physical therapist, massage therapist, politician, photographer, designer, filmmaker, spiritual leader/activist
The Realist
Description: The Realist enjoys working with facts and achieving tangible results. He or she enjoys doing and creating rather than strictly thinking and analyzing. Realists often enjoy working with their hands, using equipment like tools and machinery. Being very practical, Realists are often good at remaining calm in difficult situations.
Ideal Industries: Sports and fitness, trades, manufacturing, construction, transportation, science, business, law enforcement, agriculture
Ideal Jobs: Athlete, personal trainer, carpenter, plumber, mechanic, electrician, pilot, driver, forensic pathologist, business analyst, policeman, detective, firefighter, EMT, farmer