Are you calling in sick at work more often lately? Does getting ready for work every morning feel like a battle you’re losing? You’re not alone. Most of us have been through this at some point in life. But if you routinely feel physically, mentally, and/or emotionally exhausted from work, the problem may be deeper than you realize. You may not have the right job fit.
Several studies have linked extreme workplace stress to being stuck in the wrong job. If things are not remedied, it can take a massive toll on your entire life. While for some, a job change can do the trick. For others, it may call for a complete career overhaul. I’ve written about the importance of finding the right work environment. But you also need to take a long, hard look at yourself. A candid self-evaluation will reveal if you’re happy and satisfied with your professional life, which will, of course, reflect in your personal life.
Are You a Square Peg in the Round Hole?
Switching career lanes can be unnerving. It’s often a decision most people find hard to make for fear of things going wrong again. However, staying put in the wrong job can be worse. A recent study found that a person’s personality can increase the odds of them burning out. For example, someone who works best alone might get stressed when asked to manage a team. Equally, an individual with strong leadership skills will be frustrated in a junior role.
In today’s “candidate-driven” market people are more frequently changing jobs and companies are constantly looking for skilled individuals to fill out empty cubicles. It doesn’t make sense to put up with a workplace environment that makes you feel like a misfit.
Know Your Personality to Find a Job You’ll Love
What if your work environment doesn’t feel right? Then it may be worth your time to look for a job that matches your personality traits and characteristics, rather than just your passion. Many new studies reveal that choosing a job to which you are inherently suited — as opposed to one that pays well or you’re interested in — will lead to better performance and job satisfaction. As a result, you’ll increase your chances of landing higher paychecks and more lucrative opportunities in the future.
Today, employers are increasingly looking beyond an impressive resume and interview smarts. They want to ensure they’ve hired an individual who’s the best fit for their company culture and environment. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that 32 percent of companies use personality tests when filling executive-level roles. Twenty-eight percent use them for middle-management openings. And 20 percent incorporate personality tests within the hiring process for non-management roles.
Therefore, taking stock of yourself and your traits will also give you an advantage when applying to job postings and cracking interviews. Knowing your natural strengths and what works for you will allow you to showcase your best attributes. Also, ask the right questions to determine if a company’s culture and environment would be right for you.
The ‘Big Five’ of Job Success
Our personalities are consistent in driving our behavior. Who we are influences how we react or respond to people and situations at work. However, we can also alter or modify our behaviors to a certain extent for a period of time. Some can keep at it for a longer duration, while others just can’t do it at all. Eventually, the situation will become stressful because it is not an effortless fit. This is exactly what happens when you’re working in an environment where you can’t play with your natural strengths. You are forced to maintain those altered behaviors for too long. That’s when it leads to “burn outs.”
The five-factor model – the most widely accepted model of personality — uses five distinct scales to recognize different personalities. Knowing which boxes you tick can help you assess if a job matches your personality. Here are the five factors:
- Conscientiousness – the extent to which one is dependable and persistent
- Emotional stability – one’s calmness and self-control
- Extraversion – a measure of sociability, ambition, and narcissism
- Agreeableness – the extent to which one is cooperative and altruistic
- Openness to experience – a measure of creativity and novelty-seeking
How Personality Traits the Right Job Fit
Your characteristics and personality traits are a unique blend of the above five factors. Your success at work is impacted in three main ways.
- Our personality profile determines how and why we’re motivated to achieve certain goals. People who display higher levels of extraversion, for example, are more motivated to achieve a goal if there’s a reward involved.
- According to studies, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness are positively correlated with job satisfaction. This indirectly affects organizational citizenship behavior. In other words, happy and satisfied employees are likely to be more self-motivated, committed, responsible, and even go beyond their call of duty, when needed.
- Your personality impacts your interpersonal relationships. This is a key differentiator of success when it comes to situations that require getting along with other people. Research has found that individuals who score high on conscientiousness and agreeableness are likely to be more productive in a team environment. Sales, for example, requires a higher level of social interaction. So, individuals with a good mix of conscientiousness and agreeableness in their personality may be naturally drawn to these types of roles.
Besides the five-point model, there are other personality assessment scales, such as DISC and Myers-Briggs. They are, however, designed for the same purpose — to eliminate the wrong choices and to help determine ones that are psychologically right for you.
Are you not happy with your current job and looking for a change? Instead of jumping into the next option available to you, take a step back to think. Are you getting into yet another job that you’ll end up hating in few weeks? A personality test may answer that question.
