The workplace can be tricky to navigate, not necessarily because of challenging work or pressing projects but because of the people you collaborate with daily. There is no set rulebook for the best way to resolve a conflict with a co-worker or how to keep an employee motivated. But there is the DISC assessment.
The DISC assessment is a set of questions that analyzes employees based on behaviors and preferences rather than intelligence and aptitudes. It then groups people into four main personality types. These classifications can help us identify what our co-workers value, what makes them tick and their typical approach to communication and solving problems, creating more synergy in the office.
But, as an individual, you can take the assessment a step further. You can use this information about yourself to decide what type of industry or position you’re most well-suited for and seek out jobs based on your DISC profile. Instead of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, you can pursue a career that aligns with your traits and natural inclinations.
Below, we’ll further discuss each DISC personality type and the specific roles they are most likely to thrive in.
DISC Personality Types
According to the DISC assessment, people fall into one of four personality types: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S) and Conscientiousness (C). Each one is its own little universe of various traits, behaviors, communication styles and work preferences that help us understand how people in that particular bucket may approach or react to social settings and workplace situations.
To better familiarize yourself with each type, here is a breakdown of some of their most prevalent characteristics:
Dominance:
- Direct and outspoken
- Action-oriented
- Desire for control
- Competitive
- High self-esteem and confidence
- Willing to take risks
- Fear of vulnerability
Influence:
- Sociable and outgoing
- Value new experiences and collaboration
- Enthusiastic and optimistic
- Adaptable
- Fear loss of approval
- May lack follow-through
Steadiness:
- Reliable
- Peaceful and even-tempered
- Prioritize supporting others
- Great listening skills
- Value order and a plan
- Prefer gradual change
- Fear conflict and confrontation
Conscientiousness:
- Self-disciplined
- Organized
- Methodical and analytical
- Goal-oriented
- Skeptical and challenging
- Fear criticism and being wrong
- May struggle with emotional intelligence
If you don’t know your personality type and want to learn more, take the DISC assessment. It can help you better understand yourself and how you fit into a work dynamic.
Related: How to Connect With Different DISC Personality Types
Best Jobs Based On Your DISC Personality Type
The DISC assessment teaches us a great deal about ourselves, including our motivations, fears, stressors, preferred work pace (fast-paced vs. cautious), work style (independent vs. collaborative) and level of agreeableness (questioning vs. accepting).
These characteristics help us identify the type of workplace that would provide us with the most comfort and enjoyment. Technical (or “hard”) skills aside, DISC profile job matching is one of the best ways to lead you down a successful career path.
DISC D Personality Type Careers
Dominance types’ outspoken nature and strong will make them well-suited for management and leadership roles. Otherwise, they may lean toward a position where they can work more independently. Additionally, they thrive in fast-paced environments where they can shoot for the stars and clearly see the progress and impact they have.
These individuals are most likely to excel in C-suite, management, legal, business or manufacturing industries. More specifically, the traits and behaviors of D types are a great fit for the following careers:
- CEO or entrepreneur: Dominance styles are extremely driven. In a position of authority, they encourage others around them to follow their lead. Their focus on solutions rather than problems makes them an ideal fit to run a company. They’re not afraid to think outside the box to achieve the results they want, and they are able to communicate and delegate effectively.
- Attorney: As an attorney, D types can work independently. Their directness is an asset in the courtroom. Here, they can also find success thanks to their skeptical attitude and conflict style of high assertiveness and low cooperation.
- Salesperson: Persistence and assertiveness—two traits of D-type personalities—make great salespeople. D types also keep their eyes on the prize, so their communications with potential clients are straightforward and focused on the benefits of the product or service they are trying to sell.
- Coach: D types’ natural leadership abilities and competitive nature make them successful coaches. They display confidence in making game-time decisions and can teach with detailed yet direct instructions.
- Project manager: Dominance types are a good match for project management roles in any industry. These positions allow them to oversee and control every step in the process. Being results-oriented helps them push projects to the finish line quickly, and they are able to effectively address any obstacles along the way.
DISC I Personality Type Careers
Influence personality types do their best when they can collaborate and build relationships, not when stuck behind a desk. Their liveliness and charm make it easy for them to cultivate trust with clients, co-workers and managers. They also prefer new adventures over a mundane routine. Because of this, they fit well within industries like media, events, human resources and even some areas of the arts where they can work in a hustling and bustling environment.
If you’re an I type, these occupations align closely with your personality:
- Event or wedding planner: Event planning is all about people skills, an area where Influence types excel. They can collaborate with clients and vendors alike to turn a vision into a reality. They also roll with the punches of this fast-moving environment while showing off a warm smile.
- Graphic designer: In graphic design, no day looks quite like the last—a dream for Influence personalities. In this role, they can also use their interpersonal know-how to relay information effectively to other related teams, such as marketing or public relations.
- Travel agent: Influence types are perfect for customer-facing roles thanks to their friendliness and persuasiveness. As a travel agent, they can build an ongoing rapport with their clients. Plus, their proclivity toward adventure makes them well-equipped to make vacation recommendations.
- Real estate agent: Real estate is all about who you know. And, luckily, with their magnetic personalities, I types often know a wide range of people. They can tap into this network and guide people through the home-buying process on a more personal level.
- Recruiter: Influence types make for great professional matchmakers. They can establish trust with hiring managers and candidates and advocate for the best fit. Their listening skills and ability to read others also help them during interviews.
Related: 6 Powerful Personality Traits of Influencers
DISC S Personality Type Careers
Steadiness types are just as they sound: cool, calm, collected and drawn toward consistency. Their sincerity helps them to form trust, and they have a natural urge to help others. This is all in addition to their desire for order and clear guidelines. For these reasons, S types are cut out for work in education, health care, administration or even tech support.
The following are the best jobs for S personality types that fit their behaviors and professional needs:
- Teacher: Teaching requires a great deal of patience and empathy. S types can provide their students with a stable environment and take advantage of the somewhat regular school schedule. These individuals can also benefit from their ability to handle conflict diplomatically.
- Therapist: Steadiness personalities are known for their active listening skills. As a therapist, they can use this capability and their calming energy to build trust with clients. Their dependability also comes in handy in this position.
- Nonprofit coordinator: Since Steadiness types genuinely want to help people, the nonprofit sector is a great place to showcase their talents. In a coordination role, they can work their magic to raise funds, make volunteers feel welcome and oversee programs to ensure goals are met.
- Executive assistant: A Steadiness individual is able to listen, collaborate and anticipate needs, making them a great choice for an executive assistant position. In this type of support role, they can be depended on to complete tasks and keep things organized from schedules to physical documents.
- Dental hygienist: S types can benefit from job stability and a consistent day-to-day schedule as dental hygienists. They can also provide great care and make patients feel comfortable at their appointments.
DISC C Personality Type Careers
The Conscientiousness group is full of critical thinkers. Their peak performance zone involves solving problems using logic, analytics and proven methods—typically independently. They lean toward facts and objectivity in every situation and love to show off their expertise through quality work. With this mindset, they often find their niche in engineering, finance, health care, and information technology (IT).
Here are the best jobs for type C personality:
- Financial analyst: Spending workdays crunching numbers and meticulously analyzing data is right up the C type’s alley. Their cautious tendencies also help them to weigh out all the risks and rewards of various financial investments before making decisions.
- Architect: Designing and constructing buildings takes a great deal of logic and diligence. Conscientiousness personalities step into that role with ease. Their detail-oriented mind ensures no area is overlooked and they can problem solve on the fly to address any potential issues.
- Logistics specialist: C types need to maintain order and affinity toward systematic planning, which makes them successful in the logistics industry. These individuals maintain quality control thanks to their high standards. Their skeptical mind can also help to identify errors or extra steps in the supply chain that can be eliminated.
- Software Developer: Even the smallest coding mistakes can cause big issues for websites and online platforms. C personalities, with their logical and perfectionist mindsets, are well-equipped to prevent and solve these bugs.
- Editor: C types’ critical eye and need for accuracy make them excellent editors for magazines, books or online publications. They can look at copy objectively to make necessary corrections and spot inconsistencies.
Use Your DISC Type to Guide Your Career Path
Understanding your DISC personality type can significantly change how you approach work and career decisions. Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness types all have their own quirks and unique behaviors.
Understanding where you fit into the matrix can also help you understand which jobs accommodate your natural tendencies. Whether you’re drawn to leadership, creativity or stability, there’s a job out there for you that will set you up for success and career satisfaction. Allow DISC to help you find it.
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