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Jobs for introvert and extrovert personality types

A job interview is usually the time when an employer gets to know the job candidate’s personality to see if he’s the right fit for the job. But what if you could choose a job that’s the right fit for your personality?

While extroverts tend to be enthusiastic, talkative, assertive and gregarious, introverts tend to be more reserved and less outspoken in groups. Though these characteristics aren’t the only factors in choosing a job, it can help to know what kind of role you could be best suited for.

The study found that extroverts were more likely to report being in management roles — 22 percent compared with 18 percent of introverts. “The data does indicate that extroverts may be better suited for higher-level positions, many of which involve a lot of collaboration and public speaking,” says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “But that doesn’t mean an introvert can’t still rise high in a company. It may be the case that many of the respondents began as introverts and gradually became more extroverted as the situation demanded.”

When it comes to salary, the two personality types are on equal footing: Both extroverts and introverts were almost equally likely to earn six figures.

Want to know what job may be right for you? If you’re outgoing or social, consider the types of roles to which extroverts are drawn. Or, if you tend to be more withdrawn or reserved, check out the positions that introverts tend to choose.

Types of roles extroverts are drawn to:

Types of roles introverts are drawn to:

Susan Ricker

About Susan Ricker

Susan Ricker is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Susan studied English at Saint Joseph’s University before returning to Illinois with a fascination of Internet cat videos and writing. Job searching doesn’t have to be stressful with insider tips and help from The Work Buzz. But seriously, more cat video analysis during interviews.
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Career Choice
Career Choice

Although, introverts and extroverts have different personally type I believe both have their own strength to excel in any task assigned to them. Sometimes, attitude matters a lot in making it to the top.

MelissaGillespie
MelissaGillespie

Way to miss the whole point. Just because there are fewer introvert managers doesn't mean there shouldn't be more. The extroverts tend to be seen by their bosses to be better suited for management because they are more outspoken. That doesn't actually mean they ARE more suited. Nearly every extrovert manager that I have ever worked with has shown less skill than an introvert. The reason being that the introverts tend to be more focused on doing the job well rather than proving they can talk to everyone. 

Careerleaf
Careerleaf

Thanks for a great post. Ultimately, finding the right job for you is about playing to your strengths and knowing your weaknesses. This includes knowing where you fall on the introvert/extrovert scale. If public speaking makes you want to hurl, you probably shouldn't apply for jobs that require frequent interaction with people (i.e. sales, public relations, etc.). Consider taking a personality test if you're unsure which category you fall into, and make sure you reexamine your resume to match your skill set to your results. If you have experience that suggests you might be good at public speaking but you really hate it, you might want to tweak your resume to reflect that you really prefer to be behind the scenes.

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