Using Personality Tests
to Achieve a Great Career

Michael T Robinson
CareerPlanner.com

Can Personality Tests Help You Discover
the Career You are Meant to Have?

The internet offers a confusing array of personality tests and career tests geared towards helping you figure out what your true purpose in life is all about. Although many of these online tests are fun, only a few will really give you insight into who you are and what you are supposed to be doing with your life.

What is Your True Purpose in Life?

At CareerPlanner.com we believe that each individual, regardless of race or religion, has a purpose in life, and until you discover what your purpose is, you will not find true happiness, nor true job satisfaction.

This doesn't mean you won't be successful. It just means you won't be happy until you are moving towards your true purpose.

You might have lots of talent that will help you do a great job no matter what career you choose. However, you might waste your life, your talents, and your energy in a career that is not in-sync with your true purpose and your true mission in life. Yes, you can be very successful in the wrong type of work. But why waste your life doing the wrong work? Why be miserable? Why not be happy?

Unfortunately, our school system does very little to help students discover their true calling. Repeated budget cuts and crowded classrooms have all but eliminated career planning and career counseling from the schools.

So it is up to you to do the soul searching that will give you the insight into your true vocation. This is where online personality tests and career tests can help.

Online Personality Tests and Career Tests

Online personality tests and career tests can help you better understand why you are here and what type of work you should be doing to achieve job satisfaction, happiness, and success.

Personality tests are most useful in giving you insight into "how" your personality compares to others and "how" you like to work.

At CareerPlannner.com we have looked at many types of online personality tests, as well as personality tests found in popular self help books.

What we have found is that personality tests are much more useful at helping you understand how to work better with your coworkers, how to better understand others, and how to resolve interpersonal conflicts than they are at showing you "what" work you will be passionate about.

In particular, if you frequently experience difficulty working with others, getting their support and cooperation, or if you are too emotional at work, a really good personality test for you and the person you have conflict with would show you how to get along better.

Understanding someone else is what getting along is all about. By the way, that is something else that is not taught in schools.

While personality tests are very useful at showing you how you like to work and how you like your work environment, they are not really designed to show you 'what" type of work is right for you.

That is where Career Interest Tests come in. Online Career Tests, such as the one CareerPlanner.com offers will help you discover what your true interests are, and what type of work you will be passionate about.

But back to personality tests. The most well established personality tests are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® , and the Enneagram.

The Two Most Powerful Personality Tests

The Myers-Briggs is perhaps the most widely known and most well established personality test. This test divides all personalities into16 basic types using work originally done by noted psychiatrist, Carl Jung. The MBTI® as it is known, is supposed to be administered and interpreted by a certified counselor.

Once you take the Myers-Briggs personality test and discover your "type", there are several books that will help you interpret and understand what it all means.

The Enneagram personality test, is less well known by the public, but seems to be very well known amongst the psychologists we know. It divides all personalities into 9 types and shows you the strengths and weaknesses associated with each type. This personality test is offered by the Enneagram Institute .

Personality Tests and Career Interests Tests Summary

Lets keep it simple. Use personality tests if you want to figure out how to get along better with others. Use Career Interests Tests to help you discover the type of work and the type of career where you will be passionate, highly motivated, fulfilled and successful.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and MBTI® are registered trademarks of Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc