Why people with similar personalities end up in the same jobs

Originally posted on The Horizons Tracker.

If it feels like certain jobs attract the same kind of person, that’s because they do. A new study¹ from the University of Mannheim finds that personality plays a big role in career choice, and that the connection grows stronger over time.

The researchers looked at data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, tracking up to 11,000 people over a 12-year period. They focused on the Big Five personality traits—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism—and found that people in similar jobs tend to share similar profiles. For instance, doctors and pharmacologists are more alike in personality than either group is to, say, salespeople or engineers.

Voting with our feet

The study also found that people who work in roles where their personality doesn’t fit tend to leave. Over time, those who stay in a job often become more like their colleagues in terms of personality, too. This suggests that personality both shapes and is shaped by work.

“Career choices aren’t just about what you’re good at or what you like,” the researchers explain. “They’re also about whether your personality matches the usual profile for the job.”

So what should employers and career advisers take from this?

A strong match between personality and profession boosts satisfaction and helps keep people in their jobs. Using personality data in hiring or career coaching might improve retention and make workplaces run more smoothly. In short, who you are matters just as much as what you do.

See also: Study suggests personality-job stereotypes have an air of truth.

Article source: Why People With Similar Personalities End Up In The Same Jobs.

Header image source: Dreamstime.

Reference: