Moving toward the right career path

Some of you may be out of work. Others of you may be under-employed or just unhappy with your job situation. Some of you may be ready to take a different path. So where do you begin in rekindling your career? A good place to start is to look inwardly and better understand yourself relative to your career goals.  Only then can you identify a path that represents a “good fit.â€

As an industrial/organizational psychologist, I am often called upon to evaluate candidates for jobs. The primary goal of every evaluation is to answer these questions: Is there a good fit between the candidate, the job and the company? Does the individual have the right mix of abilities, personality attributes and motivation to succeed?

Experience suggests that there are three broad categories of individual functioning that best answer the “good fit†questions. They are: intelligence and thinking/work style; personality traits and how one relates to others; and motivational needs and interests.  

Let’s look at examples within each category.

Intelligence and thinking/work style  

The way you think and approach tasks is an important consideration.

Do you welcome complex challenges and new learning? Are you a creative problem-solver or do you prefer tried and true solutions? Do you like to work on one thing at a time or multi-task? Do you prefer to plan or execute? Do you focus more on details or the big picture? Are you methodical or unstructured in getting things done?

Personality traits and how
you relate to others

There are many facets that make up one’s personality. Do you prefer working with a lot of personal space or do you thrive when working closely with others? Are you warm and gregarious or reserved and quiet? Do you like to be in charge or are you accommodating and comfortable taking a “back seat?†Patient or impatient? Sensitive or thick-skinned? Laid back or intense?

Motivational needs

and interests

Here, we are concerned with what we enjoy doing most and what drives us to work hard at something. Is it money, power or fame, or a need to contribute to others’ welfare? Or is it a need to achieve a high level of competency in some area?

On the other hand, some have limited ambition. Perhaps they are more motivated to focus energy on their families.

This is not a value judgment — but it is important to know.

A few examples will shed light on making career choices.

• During an appointment with an endodontist for root canal treatment, I asked why he chose that particular career path. He indicated that he originally chose dentistry to follow in his father’s footsteps. However, needing predictability in his life, he wanted to specialize in an area that involved more sameness than variability in his daily schedule.

He also wanted a career that required a high level of skill but not constant new learning. Given his abilities, temperament and interests, endodontics turned out to be a good fit.

• A manufacturing company that was downsizing its workforce asked me to counsel a group of terminated engineers. One in particular stands out.

He was a reserved but kindhearted man, who was determined to buy a business rather than join another company. His wife was urging him to buy a fast-food franchise, but he was not convinced.

After I conducted a career assessment with him, it became clear that business ownership was appropriate and that the service industry would be a good fit, given the pleasure he derived from helping people.  

One day, he canceled an appointment to attend a funeral. Eureka! With his somber demeanor and compassionate nature, he realized he had the right mix of qualities to succeed in the funeral business.

He took that route and found satisfaction and success as a funeral director.

Obtaining professional guidance to find the right career path can be helpful, but you can also learn a lot about yourself on your own.

Think about yourself relative to the three “good fit†categories and compare your self-perception with how others see you. Feel free to add traits that are not included. Reflect on your experiences —what you enjoy and dislike doing; successes and mistakes.

Ideally, find a career path that you are passionate about. Then, work becomes pleasure.

Danella Schiffer, Ph.D., is an industrial/organizational psychologist who resides in Salisbury and works nationally, with organizations and individuals. She can be reached at danella.schiffer@att.net.