BE PREPARED TO UNDERSTAND YOURSELF

College is your path to a successful Career. Since I graduated from Eastern Illinois University I kept thinking about what I SHOULD do, or that I SHOULD get certain jobs after graduating, just because that’s what people talk about or do. Well, I spent several years of my life in different jobs in a field that I enjoyed and made great money.

Within one company I worked at right out of college I had a chance to work in many different positions at a pharmaceutical company in North Carolina. I was given a lot of opportunities and made great money for it. I went from inside sales, to inventory control, to purchasing and designing new product packaging, to working with the FDA on product approvals, conducting audits. Then back into outside sales. Much of this because the company was small and I took advantage of whatever I could to learn more. I learned a lot, that’s for sure and take every piece of that with me forever.

SOMETHING JUST WAS NOT RIGHT

…but as I continued this for about 8 years, something just didn’t…fit. I kept finding myself intrigued by other CAREERS that people would be in. CAREERS that are so out of frame from the corporate industry, of which I was part of for these 8 years. I don’t know what it was for so long but I just didn’t feel right. What’s interesting is that as much as I loved what I did all those years and made great money, I still didn’t feel like it was a good fit.

So I moved on, and went into retail management.

Big mistake.

BIG mistake…for me at least. It didn’t fit me. I finally realized that my personality in that type of job atmosphere and environment.

HERE’S WHERE IT MIGHT GET TOUGH…

The hardest part for many of you would be to consider those things about your future jobs and careers that aren’t just about pay and whether you would get to travel or not, or something similar. Yes that is important. You want the perks and the motivation in those types of things in a job or CAREER. It’s important to wake up everyday wanting to go to work. There are things about the job that should satisfy you.

But, surprisingly, the actual building people work in, the surroundings of your actual job, the people with whom you work…could be the reason people quit their job, or get fired, or even leave the industry. Why? Because most don’t understand that the surroundings of a job plays a big role.

But, that’s not what this is about…necessarily.

PERSONALITIES

…is what it’s about. YOUR personality. What is it?

This chart can help you to sort it out. I’ve been researching and found some pretty neat CAREER assessment tests that you can take to help you sort through all that you have the skills and interests to do.

They are nifty because they’re quick and easy to do for you. I wouldn’t give you anything too difficult because this should not be difficult.

These colors represent types of personalities. Think about all the CAREERS that are presently out there. Thousands of them. Literally. You have a great opportunity to do what you want, so why not find something that fits your personality? Listed below are what each color generally represents. As you look through the list of personality traits/characteristics, try to identify WHO you are, not just WHAT you are.

So look through this list. Choose your color, or colors. OR if you can’t necessarily pick a color that fits your personality type, then identify those personality traits listed. Now use these colors or personality traits as a basis for your career search.

YELLOW color means that you’re a rules follower, conservative, a perfectionist who likes to investigate and observe

BLUE color means that your compassionate, caring, like to develop relationships and always find yourself offering advise or a shoulder to lean on for people

GREEN color means that you’re an introvert–you prefer to work on your own– and you enjoy doing the same kind of work, even taking things apart and putting them back together. You like to work with your hands and are more intellectual.

RED color means that you’re a personable, outgoing, fun-loving individual that likes to work with people and create ideas

Personalities play a large role in HOW people search for employees too. Don’t be surprised at all if your first interview consists of questions JUST about you. 🙂 I am often asked from people about test that could be taken to help assess their personalities and interests, and how to target specific careers they should consider. If you are still unsure with the above chart, I’m currently putting together a small and easy list for you to utilize in helping you to asses your strengths, weaknesses and general personality types.

I love what I do as an educational consultant and taking the time to provide the right resources for your careers search, college choice and personal development needs.

Your Success is My Success,

Keith Lipke

I’m a careers and college recruiter, coach, public speaker and leader at The Career Closet. His passion is to educate, inspire, and give hope to young people who need it upon their search for the right career and college

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