Sarah Thomas

Taking a personality test can give you deeper insight into how you see the world, and how you react to problems. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses empowers you to find the right career path and work environment. Use personality tests to advance your career and increase your job satisfaction.

Creating Culture

Company culture is a deciding factor in how well your personality fits within a company. If you prefer freedom while working, you need a company with a culture that allows for independence and freedom during the workday. Discovering how your traits fit within the culture of a company is an important part of advancing your career. Maximize your opportunities by taking steps that showcase the strengths of your personality within your company culture.

According to SHRM, as many as 60% of employees are asked to take a personality assessment – either for career development or to learn more about a job candidate. Personality tests give an employer insight into how you best fit into the company culture, and where your own strengths can be put to use. Inc suggests that personality tests can help employers determine if a candidate has the right culture fit because unlike answers during an interview, an assessment can’t be embellished or faked.

Personality Preferences

The first step to learning more about how your mind works is to take an assessment. Sum! reports explain key factors that influence how you make decisions. Your traits, preferences, strengths, and weaknesses are explained simply so that you have a greater understanding of how your mind works.

Understanding your preferences gives you an advantage when advancing your career. Indeed says that the self-awareness gained from personality tests should be used to guide your career decisions. Your traits guide your career choices from the start of the career and each time you advance your career.  Glassdoor recommends reflecting on your results, discuss them with your employer, and brainstorming ways to play to your strengths.

Traits and the Work Environment

Indeed suggests researching careers that best fit your personality traits. For example, if you do your best work on your own, you may not be suited for a company that prefers its employees to work in teams. Individuals that tend towards shyness might avoid jobs that consist of public speaking.

According to US News and World Report, knowing your personality type is a key factor in job satisfaction. If your job isn’t tailored to your preferences, chances are high that you’ll be unhappy. To find the right career fit, you have to know yourself and your own personality traits first. When you’re advancing your career, it is important to keep your personality preferences in mind. If you prefer creative thinking to technical thinking, look for promotions and opportunities that are more creative in nature.

Glassdoor suggests using personality tests to understand your work style so that you can be more productive throughout your day. When you understand your personality traits, you can select career paths that play to your strengths. For example, if you’re a strong leader, apply for leadership opportunities within your company. Understanding your personality also allows you to shore up your weak points. If you tend towards shyness, you can make an effort to go outside of your comfort zone and gain confidence.

Communication

Communication is the key to maintain and grow healthy relationships. Glassdoor recommends learning about your communication style, so you can relate to your coworkers. Our unbiased assessment compares your communication style with friends and co-workers so that you can both determine how to effectively communicate with each other.

Beyond Personality

Your personality isn’t the only thing that advances your career. Forbes suggests using personality tests as a guide, rather than a rule. Use the information to help you make decisions for your career path, but don’t make rules based on your results. If your dream is to work as a motivational speaker, but your personality test says public speaking is a weakness, don’t use it as an excuse to give up on your dreams. Use the information from personality tests to advance your career.

Work on your soft skills to be more successful in your career. The skills you’ve learned throughout your career are very valuable to employers and are independent of your personality traits. Continue to advance your career by learning new skills and be flexible and open-minded.

Create SMART  goals for yourself to advance your career. Choose goals that are specific and measurable, such as attending seminars to gain knowledge. Give yourself a reasonable timeframe to accomplish the goals that you’ve set.