The process of self-exploration provides valuable insights into your desires and needs, revealing what motivates you, how you can be more effective, why you react the way you do, and which career choices suit you.
To get to know yourself better, start by exploring your personality traits, either through self-reflection or consultations with a psychologist.
Begin the process of self-reflection by analyzing your thoughts, attitudes towards yourself and others, your reactions, and behaviors.
The Five-Factor Model of Personality is a fairly clear concept with the acronym OCEAN
Take a look at the description of each personality trait and try to identify what applies to you most and which non-technical positions are compatible with your dominant personality traits.
Openness is a personality trait that relates to how open you are to new and different experiences, how creative and original you are. Open individuals enjoy trying new things, are curious, enjoy exploring, traveling, and are adventurous.
Individuals with high openness find career fulfillment in positions that involve autonomy, creativity, and challenges such as positions within HR and marketing departments (e.g., Recruiter, Employer Brand Specialist).
Derived from the word "conscientious," which means doing what is right or performing one's job thoroughly. Individuals who are highly conscientious are careful, have good self-control, and are goal-oriented. They prefer when everything is well-planned and dislike taking risks.
Individuals with high conscientiousness thrive in positions that require a lot of planning and deadlines such as Project Managers or Scrum Masters.
Are you social, do you enjoy networking? Do you like meeting new people and spending time with friends?
Extraverted individuals are sociable, talkative, assertive, and friendly. The negative aspect of this personality trait is that extraverted individuals often speak first, then think, and enjoy being the center of attention.
Individuals with high extraversion easily socialize, so ideal positions for them are those where they are surrounded by many people and have the opportunity to meet new people, such as positions within HR departments (e.g., Recruiter).
This personality trait does not mean that we are someone who will do everything others tell us or unconditionally please others. A person with high agreeableness is empathetic, caring, altruistic, cooperative, and trustworthy. A person with low agreeableness can be extremely competitive or even manipulative.
Since the characteristics of agreeableness tend towards empathy and concern for others, positions within HR departments (e.g., Recruiter) are where they would fit in and thrive.
The last but not least important personality trait is neuroticism characterized by emotional instability, mood swings, anxiety, and irritability. In short, individuals with high neuroticism worry a lot, are easily upset, and are prone to anxiety that blocks their effective coping with stress.
Since the basis of neuroticism is high anxiety, the ideal position for highly anxious individuals would be one that does not stimulate anxiety and worry, such as a yoga instructor.
However, the dynamics of most jobs create a certain amount of stress and pressure that is impossible to avoid, so in case of excessive worry and anxiety, it is advisable to consult a psychologist who will help us develop more effective coping mechanisms.
Understanding the basis of your personality can help you better understand your relationships with others, recognize your values, passions, work on self-acceptance, and identify areas where you need support, guidance, and help.
When you realize what is positive and what is not, you can actively work on improving the quality of your life and career. For example, if openness is your dominant personality trait and you are doing a routine job that will eventually lead to a decrease in motivation and dissatisfaction, maybe it's time for a career transition, i.e., finding a position that will provide you with challenges and new experiences.
The only way to truly change something is to first accept that your personality has negative aspects. For example, you are aware that you are extraverted and you start to notice that your words sometimes hurt people in your environment. When you become aware of this and reflect on your behavior and its impact on others, you realize that it is important to think first and then say something.
Neuroticism may stem from traumatic experiences we have had in early childhood or stressors that we currently cannot effectively cope with. If we lean towards neuroticism, long-term worry and anxiety will have a negative impact on our mental health, so it is important to seek professional help in time.
Conscious effort to improve negative personality aspects is not short-term, but it pays off in the long run because it improves the quality of our lives and helps us find career fulfillment.
Jelena identified that her dominant personality trait is conscientiousness and got hired by Data Design as Scrum Master.
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