People, People Everywhere – Who do you want to work with?

Whether you’re a people person or not, nearly every job, internship or volunteer opportunity will require you to work with people. Sometimes they may be your clients, sometimes your colleagues, sometimes your customers – whatever the case, you will find yourself with other people. Therefore, it’s important to ask yourself what sorts of people would you like to work with, and for.

Take a moment to jot down the types of people you would like to work with, for example those who you might be serving as clients, patients or customers. Also ask yourself what sorts of people you would like to work for (or along side) – such as, supervisors and colleagues. Do you imagine yourself working with people who are young, old, wealthy, poor, healthy, ill, very educated, less educated, competitive, compassionate, motivated, requiring motivation…you get the idea. Would your prefer colleagues who are supportive, driven, formal, bold, innovative, creative, chat with you all the time, leave you alone, spend all their time at work, are involved with lots of non-work activities, etc.?

While you cannot always control who your clients and colleagues will be, when equipped with information about yourself, you can seek fields, industries and organizations that are more likely to involve the types of people you’re most interested in working with and for. In turn, you’re likely to be more satisfied with your employment or volunteer situation.