Words: Kylie Petty
Uncover your personality type and what it means for your career.
Your personality type can affect your strengths and weaknesses in your professional life. Learn from these and use them to your advantage. Start by taking this quick quiz to know your personality type then read on for what to do next.
TYPE A, B, OR C QUIZ
What motivates you to complete a task?
A. The reward
B. The journey to the end result
C. To help others out
Which words describe you the best?
A. Competitive, logical, ambitious
B. Flexible, patient, procrastinator
C. Conflict-resistant, sensitive, detail-oriented
Which describes your general relationship with others?
A. I like to be in control of my interactions with others and am a decisive leader.
B. I have good people skills and am patient in my relationships.
C. I like to help out and am sensitive to others’ feelings.
How do you tackle tasks?
A. I take on multiple tasks at a time to prioritize productivity.
B. I tend to take tasks one at a time.
C. I am dedicated and focus on small details of tasks to achieve perfection.
How do you generally make decisions?
A. I can jump to decisions because I work at an urgent pace.
B. I might procrastinate, but I always make well-thought-out decisions.
C. I thoroughly research my options and think of the possible outcomes before deciding.
Type A
If you mostly answered A, you likely lean toward a Type A personality. You are ambitious, hardworking, and driven, but tend to be competitive and easily stressed. Practice self-care and schedule activities outside of work, giving yourself time to casually connect with colleagues and friends.
Leave space to make mistakes and learn from them.
Brandis McFarland, a professional mental health counselor, says, “Nobody knows the job until they start doing the job … [expecting] to know the answers to every single thing that [comes up] when just starting a job is a fool’s errand.”
Understand that asking questions and receiving feedback isn’t showing weakness, it’s necessary to grow as an employee.
Tori Oliver, a marketing employee at DotDash Meredith, says, “If you … want to climb the ladder or move forward, if all [you’re] hearing is good things, you’re not hearing how you can do better to get to that next stage.”
Learn from your superiors and mentors, they’re there to help. You’re your biggest critic but remember that feedback is valuable.
Type B
Answering B to most of the questions means you’re likely a Type B personality. You’re easy-going, adaptable, and tend to have lower stress levels. Down side: You may tend to accept unfair treatment due to conflict-avoidance and procrastinate work.
Some people think Type B people lack ambition, when in reality, they’re just afraid to start because they fear they’ll do it wrong.
The differences between Type A and B personalities can create tension, but Type B people are great to have around when stress levels get high.
“There’s an advantage sometimes to being a type B in that they don’t get so caught up in the day-to day,” McFarland says. “I think B is for balance.”
Be proactive with communication and keep yourself accountable, but continue balancing your work and personal life.
Type C
Answering mostly C means — you guessed it — you’re probably a Type C. You’re cooperative, a planner, and empathetic. These strengths may cause you to be non confrontational and less assertive than other personalities because you value the comfort of others over your own.
“[Being] sensitive to the feelings of others is something that can get overlooked in the workplace, because at the end of the day, we’re people, and we have feelings,” Oliver says.
Type C personalities help keep the peace and build bridges. Make your heightened sense of empathy your superpower.
“You have to be willing to advocate for yourself,” Oliver says. “Even if it’s not a negative confrontation, it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m really interested in this. I would love an opportunity to learn more.’”
Be gentle with yourself. Mistakes aren’t the end of the world or your career.
Working Together
Each personality type has strengths and weaknesses, but one isn’t better than another. The best workplace environments have all three.
“We need all different kinds of people,” McFarland says. “We all bring our own strengths and weaknesses to the team.”
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