The 6 Personality Types and the Careers That Match

One of the keys to having a fulfilling and successful career is being able to develop a true passion for what you do. This starts with an examination of your personality type; there you can determine which career path is the best route. From my personal experience I know that people tend to perform better and develop happiness in a job that really suits them.

According to psychologist John Holland’s theory, people generally fit into one of the 6 personality types: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising and conventional. (RIASEC theory) Here are the definitions of the personality types definitions and the careers that are perfect for each:

1. Realistic
Typically people who have the realistic personality type like to work with animals, innovative tools, or machines. The realistic personality type values practical and tangible things that you can see, touch, use and feel. They are a very hands-on-type of person and can be very skilled in working with tools, technical diagrams and mechanical equipment.

Some “realistic” personality jobs include: chef, aircraft pilot, police officer, contractor, and mechanic.

2. Investigative
People in this type like to be involved with the search and discovery of facts and solving complex issues by integrating critical thinking and analysis. They are very good at understanding complicated math and science problems.

Examples of “investigative” careers include computer programmers, economists, doctors and engineers.

3. Artistic
Perhaps the most recognizable, the artistic personality is creative, self expressive, original, and independent. Usually they captivate their creativity with different mediums such as music, art, design, writing and acting.

Of course, artistic personalities careers include: writers, editors, actor, graphic designers, photographers, musicians, songwriters etc.

4. Social
The ability to communicate and interact with others is the main trait of the social personality. They generally like to help people and solve social problems mainly with the use of dialog and in relation with real life examples.

Examples of “social” personality careers include: teaching, nursing, counseling, advising, public speaking

5. Enterprising

People with the enterprising personality have a great desire to start, implement and carry out projects. Often, this personality has the skills to lead people, take risks, and are very confident in making quick decisions. This personality also has the ability to influence others to sell their ideas.

Careers in this “category” include: attorneys, politicians, entrepreneurs, real estate brokers, and managers of advertising, marketing and public relations.

6. Conventional
The conventional personality type thrives on structure with plans, set procedures and routines. Usually this personality is very data driven and detailed oriented. They are very good at systematically working with written records, numbers and technology.

Some of the jobs in the “conventional” category include accountants, actuaries, business operations, financial systems analyst and business analysts.