Overview

Ever since I was a kid, I have been told over and over again that a person’s personality is arguably their most important asset. It can also be debated that one’s personality can even meddle with their fate (that’s scary). Surely, being Pakistanis or South Asians, we are “brainwashed” that “success” comes to only doctors, engineers and/or government officers. I believe that this tells more about how our previous generations perceived success apart from the core principles of success that many experts agree on. It may even reflect on the direction in which our previous leaders utilized national resources. Okay, enough with the nerd talk!

The real question is “What difference does your personality make in your career?” or “What role does your personality play in your career as an accountant?”

Different personality traits

Surprisingly, personalities are similar to ethnicities (only because people with common traits can be grouped). Growing up, we all have heard about stuff like introverts, extroverts, assertive, reserved, friendly, etc. Currently, if you want to know your personality type, broadly, you can take the most well-known “Myers and Briggs” personality type test. It tests 4 major characteristics of your personality

·       introversion/extraversion

·       sensing/intuition

·       thinking/feeling

·       judging/perceiving

Based on the MCQs that you answer, you’re assigned a personality type out of 16 personalities. Myers and Briggs believe that each personality type has its own ideal career path, love interests, and friendship values. The peace of an individual is deterred if they deviate from the personality blueprint. So take the test online to find out yours!

Personality blueprint for being an accountant

What if I told you that it doesn’t matter whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert?

A few generations ago, accounting used to be a string of repetitive tasks with very less technicalities. It was purely a documentation job. As time has passed and is passing, an accountant’s role has evolved, and accountants are now involved in strategic decision-making. Therefore, you require a specific set of skills and a certain mindset to thrive in the world of accounting. People commonly associate “logic” and “critical thinking” with an accountant. Of course, accountants pursue different paths that require different sets of skills but what is a generic blueprint that every accountant must use to become successful or at least “content” with their career choice?

According to MBTI, you need to be more thoughtful than emotional in decision making and judgmental than perceptive to ideally be an accountant. This means that you can be good at accounting as long as your test tells you that you are a thoughtful and judgmental individual. Of course, to top it off and become a good C-Suite, you need to show extraversion in order to be a better communicator and influencer. Similarly, little changes in personality will greatly influence your career trajectory. Ideally, the following are the top 3 personality types for accountants (in order)

1.     ISTJ

2.     ESTJ

3.     INTJ

Parting words

Does that mean that every other personality type cannot be an accountant?

Arguably, you can be anything you want to be. However, if your personality does not match the career expectations, you’re either going to get fed up soon or become mediocre at your job. It would be better to explore opportunities according to your personality.

It’s never too late to switch careers!