A big part of finding the right career is finding the pockets in the labor market that have lots of demand. STEM, healthcare, and IT quickly come to mind; with numerous companies striving to find talent, there’s opportunity all over the nation.
But before you chase market trends, it’s critical to make sure the career is something you'd actually like to do. Too many people end up in jobs they just don't like. Fortunately, there’s a wealth of information out there and in just a few minutes, you can learn how your unique qualities (strengths, interests, and personality) line up with real-world careers.
Find Your Calling and CareerBuilder recently released helpful lists of five in-demand careers for each of the major career personality types: creators, thinkers, organizers, doers, persuaders, and helpers. Check out the infographic or click here to see a larger resolution.
The data presented here comes from Emsi’s comprehensive dataset which contains over 800 different types of careers. The employment figures are for the entire US. Wages are median and assume full-time employment.
Key Takeaways
Creators are original, artistic, individualistic, and expressive. When they were kids, they were the ones who improvised amazing Lego creations, loved doing school plays, or were always doodling on their homework. There are a wide array of solid careers that fit creators. There’s strong demand for designers of all shapes and sizes (graphic design and industrial design), writing, and multimedia (video production and animation). All have grown between 8% (graphic designers) and 20% (interpreters and translators). Some of the top locations for such careers are New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Washington, DC.
Thinkers are investigative, logical, and analytical problem-solvers. You know you’re a thinker if you’re always wondering how the car works or taking apart your watch to figure out how it works. Three of the five careers are analyst positions: systems analysts, financial analysts, and market research analysts. Two other ideal careers for thinkers are software developers and accountants. From financial analysts (11%) to computer systems analysts (20%), each shows compelling growth. Seattle, New York, Chicago, Boston, and San Jose have high demand for these cerebral workers.
Organizers are efficient, multi-tasking, and detail-oriented with a love for planning. When you were little, did you like planning parties and setting up your toys in a very specific order? You’re probably an organizer! Three out of the five top careers for organizers involve managing departments integral to a business: operations managers (business ops), systems managers (product and people ops), and financial managers (money ops). The remaining two are computer systems administrators and operations research analysts. Their growth ranges from 8% (financial managers) to 22% (operations research analysts). These careers are in high demand in San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Atlanta.
Doers are hands-on, realistic, active, and frequently outdoorsy. When you were little, did you like baking, putting things together, and exploring the backyard? You might be a doer. A variety of fast-growing careers need the abilities that doers have. Here we see skilled trades like construction managers and electricians, tech jobs like web development and network admins, and transportation jobs like airline pilots. While pilots haven’t grown as much (4%), the other recommended careers have grown anywhere from 11% (network & computer systems administrators) to 27% (web developers). Top MSAs for these careers are Los Angeles, Dallas, New York, Houston, and Chicago.
Persuaders are confident, outgoing, optimistic, and ambitious. When you were little, could you convince your siblings to play the game of your choice, or talk your parents into getting that pet turtle? The top careers for persuaders include lots of people interaction and powerful communication. Marketing managers, sales managers, and social & community services managers are the management careers especially well-suited for persuaders. Other ideal careers are personal financial advisors and public relations specialists. Sales managers and public relations specialists have each grown 10% while social & community services managers have grown the most at 19%. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, and New York have high demand for these careers.
Helpers are friendly, outgoing, understanding, and supporting. You might be a helper if you were the first one to greet the new kid at school or you were the one your friends turned to for support. Naturally, many helpers are attracted to careers within health care—such as nurse practitioners, surgeons, and physician assistants. However, paralegals and HR managers would also make attractive careers for folks who enjoy work that has a tangible impact on people’s lives. Paralegals have grown comparatively less (5%) while nurse practitioners have shot up the most (18%). These helper careers are in particularly high demand in Dallas, San Francisco, Miami, Houston, and Los Angeles.
Not sure who you are? You can explore free resources like Find Your Calling to find out what careers fit your personality.
