Get to know yourself! know yourself!

Want2get on? is a unique career coaching service that offers 1:1 support for those who
want to draw upon their Christian faith and apply it in a practical way to their job situation.
www.want2geton.co.uk
Tel: 07503 177126
charles@want2geton.co.uk
Get to know yourself!
In this blog we shall look at how God can guide us in regard to our future jobs and career.
We can gain a fairly accurate picture of what God is calling us to do by taking
ta
a good look at
who we are - what
hat kind of personality we have.
God gives us personality traits fitted to our calling
We only need to look at the world
world in all its huge variety to know that God delights in
diversity. Not only do our abilities differ radically
radically but so do our personalities - each of us
possesses different personality traits. Some of us are outgoing and spontaneous and like to
live high energy, fast-paced
paced lives, whilst at the other end of the spectrum are people who
are more reserved and prefer to live more structured, slower-paced
slower paced lives.
People can also be task-orientated,
orientated, where outcomes and results are important or, at the
opposite end, people-orientated,
orientated, and are warm, relaxed and live by their feelings. Most of us
are a mixture of all four of the above.
1 Corinthians 12:11
All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of
people! (The
(
Message)
When we find a job that suits our abilities and personality we will have a sense of peace or
šālôm.
ôm. The reason for this is that when we work according to our ability and personality we
are also working according to the design that God set for our lives.
1
Insight into personality
insight into calling
The Bible (Hebrews 13:21) makes it clear that God has given us everything we need to
perform His will. If we’re able to discover what sort of personality we have, then this will give
us some idea about what God wants us to do for a living.
An assessment of your personality will not only benefit those of you seeking life direction but
also those who need confirmation that a desire to do something is actually fixed in reality,
i.e. will you be able to do the job? When you know ‘how you tick’ and also know the
behavioural requirements for certain jobs you will hopefully begin to make some matches.
For example, an operator in a nuclear power station is legally obliged to adhere to set
procedures, and the personality required for this job will be poles apart from that needed by
someone working in PR or marketing, which requires innovation and creativity. If you enjoy
innovating, you may well find it frustrating to work as an operator in a nuclear power station
where you would have to keep within the strict confines of many legal rules and regulations!
Paul – cut out for the job!
Paul the Evangelist is a great example of someone whose calling matched his abilities and
personality. God’s plan for Paul always involved his conversion on the road to Damascus,
and he ensured that Paul came equipped with the necessary personality, skill set and
experience to take the Gospel to the Gentile world. If we allow God to mould us, similar to
Paul, he will also prepare us so that we have what it takes to perform his will. Here is a list
of some of Paul’s attributes that enabled him to be so effective in his ministry:
•
Assertive – able to tell those in charge when they were in the wrong (Galatians 2:11)
•
Adaptable – content in both times of plenty and want (Philippians 4:12)
•
Observant and creative – use of the unknown god (Acts 17:23)
•
Energetic and bold – initially against the early church, but later used to excellent effect to
spread the Gospel (Philippians 3:6)
•
Determined – disregarding his violent past, he concentrated solely on completing God’s
plans for his future (Philippians 3:13)
•
Focussed – would not let others stop him from going to Jerusalem (Acts 21:14)
•
Dual citizenship – this enabled him to approach Jews, Romans and Gentiles
(1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
•
Highly qualified – he received excellent legal and theological training (Acts 22:3)
•
Insight – Paul’s knowledge of God was so deep that he even confused Peter!
(2 Peter 3:16)
Personality profiling
Even though our calling might be different to Paul’s, God has given each of us distinct
abilities and personalities to perform a particular task. Our challenge is to accept the way
that he has made us and to run with the qualities we have been given.
2
Personality profiling, or sometimes referred to as psychometric testing, is a means of
measuring an individual’s personality or behaviour, and provides a snapshot view of
behaviour that comes subconsciously to most people. It is also frequently used in the job
interview process, but can equally be a used in our gaining an understanding of what sort of
personalities we have.
There are any number of personality profiling tests that you can take, such as Morrisby and
Myers-Briggs®, but many can cost upwards of £300 for a full report. However, here are
some useful websites that offer some very affordable (or free) personality profiling services:
•
http://www.peoplemaps.com
•
http://www.myskillsprofile.com
•
www.teamtechnology.co.uk
•
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/careers/
•
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/personality/index.shtml
Want2get on? is a unique career coaching service that offers 1:1 support for those who
want to draw upon their Christian faith and apply it in a practical way to their job situation.
www.want2geton.co.uk
Tel: 07503 177126
charles@want2geton.co.uk
3