Congrats! You took the dive and now you’re here in Israel; whether you made Aliyah or are here on a work permit, it’s time to find a job...but are you sure what you want to do?

This might be your first job, or you might be looking for a change of direction…or maybe you are just generally not sure what you’re looking for?

Know yourself first!

I recently came across a scholarly piece by Peter Geyer- writer, consultant, and teacher in the field of psychology, about personality types and the workplace. It was a very interesting and informative read about C.G. Jung’s theories of psychological (aka personality) types as they pertain to finding, holding, and feeling fulfilled at a job. In short, Jung’s theories have laid the groundwork to personality measurement tools such as the well-known (Myers-Briggs) MBTI.

The core principles include:

Personality type is developed through responses to individual experiences, although people are born with a predisposition to a type preference (nature and nurture).

Society and culture can influence the expression of personality, and living according to your preferences defines psychological health.

Type preferences are expressed as sets of psychological opposites, like the Yin/Yang of Taoism:

Extraversion-Introversion (Attitude or Orientation)

Sensing-Intuition (Perceiving Function/Mental Ability)

Thinking-Feeling (Judging Function/Mental Ability)

Judging-Perceiving (Attitude or Orientation)

Let’s break it down-

Extraversion- Individuals like to have variety in work and environment. They don’t mind working in groups and talk things out in discussions.

This type is great for: customer service, sales, and call support jobs

Introversion- Individuals prefer quiet and thinking before they act. They like to work alone or in pairs, and are annoyed by interruptions.

This type is great for: research, writing, and any detailed work

Sensing- Individuals use the 5 senses through a factual, realistic, and practical approach. They look at the parts and then the whole, and work with proven methods (why reinvent the wheel?)

This type is great for: accounting, engineering, and technical development

Intuition- Individuals use their 6th sense, insight and “go with their gut.” They look at the whole first, and then the parts.

This type is great for: marketing and theoretical work.

Thinking- Individuals want to be treated “fairly” with logic and reason. They ask “why” and can be very competitive and sometimes frustrated when new things don’t come easily to them.

This type is great for: banking, economics, and administration

Feeling- Individuals want appreciation and enjoy the “human side” of things, like stories and exploring cultures and societies. They love to find ways to help people.

This type is great for: counseling and social work

Judging- Individuals make systematic and orderly decisions, and plan their work step-by-step. They may not be so open to change, and usually work off a schedule or checklist.

This type is great for: corporate life

Perceiving- Individuals are more casual and go with the flow. They stay open to possibilities and don’t mind surprises and changes in tasks.

This type is great for: startups and the changing job market

In short, take some time to get to know your personality type and find the best career match!

*For the original text, see: Geyer, Peter. “Personality types and the workplace.” (2010)