When you’re reading articles online (ours included!) about how to convince recruiters that you are a good fit for their business, you’ll often come across the term “company culture”.

Company culture is a term which is used to define the atmosphere of a workplace; the way coworkers interact, the way people are rewarded or punished, or even how the business is perceived both internally and externally.

You could also say that company culture is the “personality” of an organization. And just like you get along with some people’s personalities better than others, you’ll find that you do and feel better when you find the right culture/personality to work with.

But while being a good match for the company culture is important for proving to recruiters that you are a viable candidate, it’s just as important for yourself. Because in the long term, if your personality doesn’t match then you won’t feel supported, you won’t develop personally or professionally, and you’ll be overall less happy with your career.

How do I find my personality?

There are quite a few online personality tests that claim to be able to help you define your true self. All of them will put you into one of several categories, or else give you a score in any of several values. And while they may be a great starting point, none of them are able to define you better than you can define yourself.

Understanding your personality takes reflection. There isn’t any cookie cutter test that will reveal who you really are. But there are some aspects of you that are worth focusing on to help you get in tune with what makes you tick!

They are: Tendencies, Passions, and Morals.

Let’s take a look at each one so you can learn more about how to figure out your own!

Tendencies

Tendencies are patterns of behaviour.

Like habits, they are actions that you repeat. But unlike habits, they don’t necessarily have to happen often, and they aren’t just done for fun.

They are the choices that you make, time and time again. Or the people, places, and products that you surround yourself with. 

Tendencies are your preferences when you have options, like the colours, sizes, and designs of clothing that you tend to wear. When it comes to your career specifically, you should consider your preferences at work. For instance, do you prefer taking notes on paper or digitally? What kind of work stations do you prefer (open, communal, private)? Do you need to listen to music while you work? Do you tend to find the presence of others distracting or invigorating? Etc.

To find your tendencies, think about which directions you are pulled when making arbitrary decisions. You’ll be surprised to find how many of those choices aren’t arbitrary at all — they are a reflection of your personality!

You should also look at how you spend your time (voluntarily or involuntarily). Breaking down how much of your time you devote to certain activities will show you the most predominant patterns.

For example, if you spend an hour every day jogging, versus someone who only works out for 1 hour a week, it’s likely that you have a higher tendency towards making healthy active choices.

Passions

Passions are the things that interest and inspire you.

Passions are very relevant when it comes to choosing a profession. No matter what job you choose, the company you work for will have their own goals and aspirations — but if they don’t align with the things that you are passionate about as an individual, then it won’t be a productive relationship for either of you.

Think about people you know, especially friends. Don’t you find it’s easier to maintain friendships with people who have similar interests? Isn’t it simpler to hold up a conversation with someone who is passionate about something? And isn’t it more rewarding to talk about your passions with someone who is genuinely interested?

When working closely with people for an extended period of time, that shared interest is absolutely necessary. And it’s important that you feel that you are partnering with people who genuinely care about your goals, and whose goals you care about too.

Morals and Values

Morals are your personal code of ethics. They are the laws by which you govern yourself.

When stepping into a new role at a company, there will be many rules to internalize. The transition into any employment is much easier when those rules are already a match to your personal code of conduct.

It’s also important that you and your company share the same values when it comes to making decisions, and allowing staff to guide themselves. This way, you can trust that your team is supporting you, and you can trust that they will recognize your achievements.

For example, let’s say you work in an office and you care about camaraderie and teamwork, but the business only recognizes individual performance. Maybe you want to organize a team lunch if you collectively hit the monthly target, but your manager would rather just give one person a bonus for having the best stats that month. It’s clear that your value system and theirs aren’t a good fit, and you will feel like your efforts go unrewarded.

Conclusion

After taking time to reflect on your tendencies, passions, and morals, start to think about the personality of the companies you are applying for.

Not only will this help you connect the dots for recruiters as to why you are a good match for their team, but it will also help you decide whether a certain opportunity is really an opportunity, or just a disaster in disguise.

If you want more help with finding a career that’s right for you, start with ReStart! Our experts can walk you through your options, and help you find work that works for you.