Personality types for all business skill sets
Written by听David Domzalski
Reviewed by听Kathryn Uhles, MIS, MSP,听Dean, College of Business and IT
Have you considered how your personality affects different parts of your life? Think about it. From where you live to how you dress to even the type of career you have, your personality pops up in a variety of ways.
However, your personality isn鈥檛 just important to you. The听traits you possess are critical for companies looking to hire听as well. According to a March 2023听, personality testing is almost a $2 billion industry.
In fact, employers consider personality so important that 32% of those surveyed in a听听reported using behavior assessments for executive-level recruiting. That number jumps to 80% for top companies looking to personality tests for boosting employee development, according to a听.
So, what does this mean for you? Well, you need to be an expert in 鈥 you.
Personality types in the workplace
Along with self-awareness you need to understand what听types of skill sets businesses desire听and how your personality fits best. Knowing your strengths can give insight into where your true talents lie.
From there,听marketing yourself听to potential employers through applications and interviews becomes that much easier.听
While no assessment is foolproof, it should give you a benchmark for measuring your interest and aptitude. Let鈥檚 see how this can play out by reviewing the听top five听听within the context of personality types.
Management
As we continue to work in hybrid or fully remote environments, the ability to manage human capital becomes increasingly important.
According to a recent article on听:听鈥淓ffective management is a key driver of听employee engagement, productivity and retention听鈥 all of which have suffered in recent years.鈥
That means you should consider where your business personality type fits into management, not only in a particular job but across all avenues of your company.
So, what traits help the most with management? Let鈥檚 consider the听庐, or MBTI庐, for this one. You are evaluated on four preference pairs based on how you:
- Direct or receive energy: extraversion or introversion (E/I)
- Take in information: sensing or intuition (S/N)
- Make decisions: thinking or feeling (T/F)
- Approach the outside world: judging or perceiving (J/P)
础听听of 280 product managers found that this group is听high in the 鈥渋ntuition鈥 and 鈥渢hinking鈥 preference pairs.
ENTJs are one specific MBTI personality type that could make a great product manager. One writer and product designer even听听citing their desire for clear guidelines and gift for logical thinking as a natural fit for a product management role.听
The MBTI assessment offers plenty of other opportunities for exploration on how to apply your unique traits to your business career.
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Communication
This particular business skill greatly influences the others, and it can take many forms. Communication skills include things like听making presentations, recording听podcasts听for your employer and even writing a听professional email. Whether you are talking with employees, interacting with customers or leading a project, communicating the right way is key.
My wife and I previously ran a residential real estate sales business together. When we started out, the corporate office encouraged us to take the DiSC庐听personality test. In the听, D stands for dominance, I for influence, S for steadiness and C for conscientiousness. I learned that I had strong 鈥渋nfluence鈥 or 鈥淚鈥 tendencies, which meant听. I am听naturally persuasive and collaborative, in other words, which are two traits that have served me well in real estate and later in my career.
Customer service
Speaking of working with others, customer service can be one of those business skill sets that provide companies a true听competitive advantage. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so crucial to get this right. One key factor that aids in your ability to provide great customer service is your level of. This includes how you relate to yourself and others.
When considering business personality types, customer service would be a good fit for those听making decisions with more 鈥渇eeling.鈥澨齀n that case, those who are听听with INFJs coming in a close second.听
Leadership
Leadership is one of those business skills you can acquire at any point in your life and continue to develop. It doesn鈥檛 depend on a job title. You can exhibit听leadership tendencies throughout your career. Therefore, it鈥檚 important to have an understanding of how your typical personality traits fit into traditional and nontraditional leadership opportunities.
Which personality types are听suitable for leadership? One of the more obvious is the 鈥淒,鈥 or 鈥渄ominant鈥 type from DiSC. These people听. They tend to focus on shaping their circumstances and embracing a results-oriented mindset, no matter the challenges.
Another thing to consider with leadership is the ability to be听forward-thinking. When I took the听, my top two strengths were 鈥渇uturistic鈥 and 鈥渟trategic.鈥 This means I like to look into the future and dream of what is possible. Plus, being strategic, I like to figure out the best way to get there.
Sales
Before there鈥檚 a chance to serve a customer, you have to make the sale. Right?听
If you excel at sales, chances are you will never be without a job for long. The ability to generate leads and close deals is听something businesses all need, whether it鈥檚 a large technology company or a local bakery.
But which business personality types succeed in sales? That depends.听
While many might assume a high 鈥淒鈥 or 鈥淚鈥 on the DiSC profile would lead to success in a sales position, that鈥檚 not necessarily the case. You need to consider the听. For instance, the 鈥淚鈥 might do well with sales presentations and networking. However, a 鈥淐鈥 would thrive in a sales position requiring a high degree of technical knowledge.
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What's next?
Each of us has our own unique personality with its own strengths and weaknesses. If you鈥檝e never taken a听personality test, you may want to consider doing so. Not only will you learn new insights about yourself as an individual, but you also will confirm things you knew all along.
Powered with this knowledge, you鈥檒l have a strong foundation on which to听build your personal brand. It will be based on a greater self-awareness and a renewed confidence in your abilities. Best of all, it will allow you to听take action and own your career听doing what you were meant to do.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Domzalski is an entrepreneur, copywriter and storyteller. He鈥檚 an effective communicator with a passion for helping people better their lives financially. His writing has been featured on multiple outlets including AOL, FanSided, Forbes, GOBankingRates, MSN, Nasdaq and Yahoo 鈥 along with his blog,听. He lives in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two children.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Currently Dean of the College of Business and Information Technology,听Kathryn Uhles has served 七色视频 in a variety of roles since 2006. Prior to joining 七色视频, Kathryn taught fifth grade to underprivileged youth in Phoenix.
This article has been vetted by 七色视频's editorial advisory committee.听
Read more about our editorial process.
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