Or maybe you want a different job that will give you more meaning and satisfaction in life. While there are many quizzes and questionnaires online and beyond meant to help you determine what your ideal career may be, it actually boils down to your own personality and your personal focus in life.

Can a career in and of itself bring your life meaning and satisfaction?

Satisfaction and meaning in life are based more on the way in which we live our lives. The essence of meaning in our lives isn’t in what we do but in how we do it. The biggest mistake people make is searching for a meaningful job without first understanding how to engage in life meaningfully.

When looking for a job to provide meaning for you, you’re missing the fact that human beings create meaning for themselves.

For example, when given a task at work, try to think about how to engage in it with excitement and joy. Challenge yourself and have fun with the task, instead of focusing on how much you may dislike it. This will bring you long-term satisfaction because you bring your own meaning into your work instead of relying on the work to give your life meaning.

What are the Four Types of Personalities?

At Wright, we’ve developed a personality profile assessment tool called the CARE Profile that defines four prominent personality traits: Cooperator, Analyzer, Regulator, and Energizer. Though one person can certainly have strong traits in more than one personality type, many people lean towards one of the four. Understanding which personality fits you can be one of the most useful ways to determine your ideal career.

• Cooperator – A person who is a cooperator tends to be more feeling-oriented and passive, as they wish to please others. Cooperators are generally less concerned with time, tasks and productivity and instead care more about people, feelings and listening. While they may be great at building relationships, cooperators also tend to take fewer risks and be indecisive.
• Analyzer – Analyzers are more thinking-oriented as opposed to feeling-oriented. Like cooperators, they tend to be more passive. People with this personality trait are great organizers and are very precise in their work. Analyzers care more about accuracy and security than they do about friends and feelings. They are less likely to take risks but they are less social than cooperators.
• Regulator – People who are regulators have can-do attitudes and are natural leaders. They tend to be thinking-oriented and assertive, caring less about the approval of others and more about achieving their goals. Regulators want to feel in control of situations, so they communicate directly and without hesitation. While this may come off as confrontational, regulators have the company’s best interests at heart.
• Energizer – Enthusiasm is the greatest strength of those with an Energizer personality. Energizers are more feeling-oriented and assertive; they are concerned with appreciation and approval but less concerned with deadlines and rules. These folks tend to be creative, outgoing and risk takers but are often distracted by their excitement and desire for approval.

What Jobs are Best for each Personality Type?

Truth be told, there’s no one perfect job for each personality type. Nearly all careers require aspects of all four, but there are certain positions that are more likely to mesh well with the different personality types.

Cooperators are great team members and work well in environments where they’ll be with others. If you’re an Analyzer and like things to be precise, then an accountant or city planner job may be the best for you. Regulators are problem-solvers and leaders—they may aim for top leadership positions immediately. Energizers really want people to like them and to be enthused and excited about their mission, so they make great entrepreneurs.

How can I Shift my Personality to do Better at Work?

Each personality trait has pros and cons and every job requires different amounts of each personality type. Cooperators may be good communicators, but struggle to ask the tough questions. Regulators may push too hard too soon, and Energizers can get lost talking with people. So if you happen to be an Analyzer going into sales, you may need to work on some personality traits to succeed.

This is called style shifting: for example, you may need to learn to act like an Energizer or be more driven like a Regulator or be more relationship-oriented like a Cooperator. The more a job requires a certain personality, the more shifting you need to do.

Think about it this way: an Energizer as an accountant could be bored with the numbers, leading to less accuracy in their tasks, due to distractions from colleagues. Analyzers love numbers and getting things right, but Cooperators like doing the numbers because they’re serving others. Each personality type has different qualities and reasons for engagement to bring to the table—and each needs to shift into a new role to derive the most satisfaction out of their work.

The Bottom Line

Finding the “perfect” career is a tough feat but it’s entirely possible to find a job you enjoy that matches your personality. However, before searching, remember that YOU are responsible for deriving meaning and satisfaction from your life—don’t expect your job to provide that for you. Understanding the way you lead your life will help you uncover the true meaning of your life.

To learn more about living a meaningful life, visit Wright Now. We offer an array of courses geared to help you learn more about yourself, your career, and your relationships. So don’t miss out on the life you want. Understand yourself now! 

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The Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential is a leadership institute located in Chicago, Illinois. Wright Living performative learning programs are integrated into the curriculum at Wright Graduate University.