What effect does personality have on your choice of career? Clearly there must be a link, but exactly how important is it and can you use your own knowledge of your personality to help you make the right decisions and help your kids to find careers which match their personalities. There are theories which explain how we choose our vocations – something I only discovered when I trained in careers guidance.

For John Holland, one of the most important writers on the subject, personality and the idea that like attracts like, were critical factors in enabling us to make wise career decisions. He came up with a simple game, called the Party, based on the fact that people with similar interests like to hang out together and by extension will like the same kinds of job. He identified six categories: Artistic, Conventional, Enterprising, Investigative, Social and Realistic.

Careers are related to the same categories – and in some cases it is fairly obvious which careers fit which boxes. Of course, it’s not that simple and we weren’t designed to fit neatly into categories. So you’ll find that you have characteristics from several groups.

OK, here’s how to play The Party – take each of the groups below and imagine that they represent huddles of people chatting together at a party. If you had just turned up, which of the groups would you gravitate towards immediately? You join in the conversation and after a while the whole group leaves ( I’m sure it wasn’t anything you said!) So you have a decision to make – which group will you join next? Ten minutes later they all decide to go home or to the pub (perhaps it was something you said!). So you repeat the process and choose another group. This simple exercise reveals the three groups which would combine in some way to show your ideal career.

Artistic

Obviously, things like painting or drawing, playing a musical instrument, singing, composing, dancing, acting and creative writing are part of this group. People who are artistic often choose unconventional careers and sometimes lack organizational skills.

Conventional

Conventional people prefer a more structured job, for example those involving routine administrative tasks. Their preferred occupations include more traditional careers and they also tend to enjoy working with data.

Enterprising

Prospective entrepreneurs, inventors and adventurers fit into this group and are often good at things like influencing and make good sales people. They frequently have leadership skills and of course, they have the right personalities for setting up in business.

Investigative

These are the men and women with analytical minds; often intellectual, they enjoy studying and research, as well as problem solving tasks

Realistic

Realistic folks enjoy practical tasks, for example jobs which involve using tools or equipment. They tend not to be so fond of working with people, preferring jobs with animals or plants.

Social

This is the group in which you’d hang out if you’re a people person. This category includes a huge range of jobs such as helping, teaching, coaching and healing. Those who fit into this group to enjoy working in a team and getting involved in discussion, but generally aren’t so fond of using tools or operating machinery.

So if you are looking for a change of career, play the game with some friends – they may disagree with your choice of groups, which could lead to an interesting discussion. See which three groups you come up with and then write down the related characteristics which suit you best. Then combine them and see which jobs you end up with – you might find you have invented some interesting careers which don’t yet exist! This could be the key to discovering your ideal career.

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