Career Match: Connecting Who You Are with What You'll Love to Do

by Shoya Zichy, Ann Bidou

For some, a job is just a way to pay the bills. For others -- those whose careers fit their passions and personalities -- it is a source of great satisfaction and success. Career Match is designed to help people discover their ideal work. Using the author's revealing ten-minute self-assessment, the book helps readers determine their personality style, then walks them through the range of career choices best for them. This indispensable guide will enable anyone identify the type of work that will inspire and exhilarate them* recognize the type of boss and work environment they need to thrive* confirm the rightness of the path they are on -- or help them find a better one* speed up their job searchThe book includes in-depth chapters for each personality type, detailed explanations of career options, and inspiring real-life stories of people who have found fulfillment in work that suits their personality. This invaluable resource will help anyone in need of direction match who they are with what they should do -- for a lifetime of gratifying work and greater success.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Reference, Business, Adult

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit let down although it was not bad. It just simply did not tell me much I did not already know.

I will say I loved reading about the different office types and applying the colors to them. But I did not walk away from this book, knowing what my "calling" is. (I still don't.) So if that is what you are looking for, maybe you will but I was a bit let down and also surprised by how short it was.

I think if you go in, not taking it to seriously it might work better. The author can write really well as it isn't..well..dull. It is a fun book to read but not life changing if that makes sense. I find many of these types of books maybe that way.

Going back to the office types, that was interesting but very limited in terms of "types". I have read so many books that use color to help the reader define themselves. I have also read about the Myers Briggs before and in another book, "what color is your parachute" I read about the Holland Code which is actually my favorite.

This book isn't bad. And it takes hardly any time to read. It just did not alter my life in any surprising way.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty amusing, but that's it.

The author created some kind of simplified myers briggs type color-based personality analysis test. Which was pretty awesomely accurate, (I got Blue, the least common one, b/c I'm so special, and I'm pretty sure it's basically just INTP but called "blue").

I thought it was maybe just the Barnum and Forer effect, which are like vague statements that most everyone can just relate to anway.. (here's an awesome link to a Derren Brown thing which illustrates this, btw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haP7Ys...

ANYWAY. I don't think it's that, b/c I read all the other ones and none of them applied to me at all, and Blue did to a T. So, for me it worked. But didnt' really tell me anything I didn't really know. Or give me any kind of eureka-moment in which I realized "HOLY FUCK. IT IS MY LIFE'S AMBITION TO BECOME A TEACHER" or whatever.


So anyway. Check it out if you want to see if your personality can be color coded in like 5 minutes.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Myers-Briggs and I love personality tests, so when I saw that that was what the Color Q personalities were based upon, I knew I would like it.

I'm a Gold/Green Introvert which fit perfectly, but also didn't surprise me cause my MBTI is a perfect fit as well. I was genuinely taken aback by how well the "Gold Mentality" (I loved this phrase btw) aligned with things I have thought about my previous jobs. All the reasons why I have hated jobs/bosses/workspaces in the past were explained in this book. And it was like a lightbulb went off reading the list of things my personality type needs to be happy in a job. And they were things I had already kinda knew about myself but to see my MBTI translated to fit the working world was what made this a great and productive read. Loved the fact that you really don't have to read it all and yet I just wish it were longer and that it went more in depth.

I recommend it even though I don't expect everyone to love it as much as I did.

[Juliet K · Rating 3 out of 5]

You don’t need to read the whole thing, which makes it a quick read. I, as the book predicted I would based on my type, had trouble finishing my section. But it was pretty much a lunchtime read.

It has some interesting insights but not much that I didn’t already know. I’m borderline in general, so I’m never a perfect match which makes some of these less accurate. I did particularly like the section of things to watch out for in yourself and what to do about them.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful, but not as informative as other personality-based career books I've read. It includes a short self-assessment to figure out your personality, then points you to the chapters that include career guidance for your personality. The assessment is Color Q, which tells you your primary core personality color, backup secondary personality color, and introvert or extrovert tendency. The author's goal is for you to understand yourself and be able to "read" and communicate with others. The author advocates recognizing your most natural talents/strengths so you can operate from them more often.

The author is past president of the Meyers-Briggs Association of New York and creator of the Color Q personality model.

I read this because it was mentioned in I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know It's Not This by Julie Jansen.

I'm a Gold/Blue Introvert, so those are the parts I read and took notes on.

Notes
Golds Overall
"Let's do it right"
Golds are precise and organized and admire all those qualities in others.

Golds are 46% of world population.

Gold/Blue Introverts
Natural work-related strengths
• Naturally adapt to the role assigned to you, be it leader or follower.
• Are accurate about all parts of a task.
• Create and enforce policies, procedures, and schedules that keep everyone affected in on two-track.
• Are fair with others and earn their respect.
• Are decisive, organized, and get things done.
• Have deep powers of concentration and can work alone for long periods of time.

Careers
Auditor
Budget/financial analyst
Financial advisor
Investment banker
Administrative services manager
CIO
Efficiency expert
Manager of all types
Project manager
Computer analyst
Security specialist
Network administrator
Web editor
Vocational teacher
Compliance officer
Investigator
Security consultant

Challenges and solutions
• Made prematurely dismiss new ideas. Don't dismiss until you have enough info.
• May focus on flaws in others. Give credit where due. Give affirmation after telling someone about their flaws.

Blues Overall
"Let's change it"
Blues enjoy complex problems and work tirelessly to improve ideas and systems.

Blues are 10% of world population (rarest of colors).

Adjusting to Other Styles
If you're an introvert speaking with an extrovert, raise your energy level, make eye contact, ask questions to keep dialogue moving.

Would I Make A Good Entrepreneur?
All colors can be entrepreneurs, but in order of natural giftedness: red, blue, gold, green.

Gold Entrepreneurial Style
• Set goals, make plans to achieve
• Prioritize, follow through, evaluate progress.
• Not good at modifying plans to adapt to changing circumstances. Get input about your plans from others. Reevaluate plans regularly.

Gold's aren't "dreamers and schemers."

Blue Entrepreneurial Style
Natural at strategizing, creating plans, refining plan. Weak at complexity in goal-setting.

A Roadmap for Putting It All Together
If you don't have a clue what you want to do
• Think of a time you had a peak experience. What were you doing and why were you successful?
• What topics of conversation do you find fascinating?
• To what kind of magazines and articles are you drawn?
• What recreational activities/hobbies do you enjoy most or have thought about starting?
• Where are you on the stability vs. change and risk scale?

Ladder of Success
1. Ideal work environment
2. Boss you like or respect
3. Work that draws on your natural strengths
4. Bonus: taps into your passions or compelling interest

[Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spot on. I am a Gold/Blue extrovert. If this is accurate, I switched from a Gold/Blue introvert. Maybe a little of both but never at the same time.

Worth a read of you are not a good judge of yourself.

[Skip · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is yet another personality test to career choice type of book, similar to Do What You Are : Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type but not as in depth in regards to the personality test portion (the above linked book uses Myers-Briggs, a four axis type, while this book uses a three axis type called "Color Q"). Most of the book (meaning the test results portion) is separated by primary type, beginning with a general section, followed by sections for specific types (primary/secondary/extro-introvert).

However, I found this book a bit 'horoscope-y', like others of its type. Not only did the profile I tested as kinda fit me, but several other of the profiles I perused through did as well.

There are also a couple of sections with a few chapterlets in them, after the test results section.

The first of the two, called "Getting the Job" deals with things like dealing with other personality types, the suitability for being an entrepreneur, and money. Each of these chapterlets is once again broken down by personality, so I feel they should just have been divided up and placed with their prospective primary/specific sections, or at least fleshed out so they didn't feel tacked on.

Also tacked on is the last chapter, the "do research to figure out what career you'd like, based on your personality type" chapter, which at only 4 pages long, doesn't do it any justice. I think this chapter could have been bulked out a bit, so it isn't essentially just a collection of numbered lists, (or for that matter, REALLY bulked out and used as the start of a "how to select, research, begin your career" type of book).

All gripes aside, the book was very readable, used plain language to get its point across and, thankfully, didn't use of those evil nonsensical buzzwords (like "leverage" *shudder*). However, this book just wasn't for me.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Don't Read the Whole Book" makes an amazing tagline in these busy days. I skimmed through the book in an one hour sitting, the reason was one certain blogger's recommendation.
It is usually noted that people with my MBTI profile, "INTj"s -what this book calls Introvert Blue/Golds- are more interested in typing people than other types; maybe because we want people to make sense and the theory evolved by Jung, Myers-Briggs and Keirsey provides the intellectual foundation for it. So naturally, I would enjoy any book that is entangled with ideas regarding types.
This book's amazing part for me was its introduction to typing, where the author shares an imaginary visit of a hypothetical company where the organization's structural system is developed based on MBTI types and Keirsey's four temperaments. It is an inspiring read and makes you want quit your job and build the company that would fulfill that vision, if you know what I mean.
Yet the book soon falls in abysses of bore and you can predict the content of all the pages to come, specially if you have a base knowledge of MBTI. There is no further plot twists, and the book end right there, in the abysses of bore. Of course you can always listen to the authors initial advice and "don't Read the Whole Book".

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book as soon as I read one of the first lines 'Don't Read the Whole Book...'

Thank you! I always feel as though I need to read every word on every page, so having a free pass to skip things was glorious. This book is similar to a Myers Briggs, where you take a few short quizzes to determine a primary and secondary color type. After taking the quiz and reading my results, I felt that much of my type described me, but other large parts didn't. The ancillary sections on getting to know other colors and things were kind of cheesy.

Overall, I thought this book had a few interesting insights. I thought it had too many job suggestions, though I did appreciate that it noted jobs that paid well and had high growth rates. This book did not really help me choose a career path, but it did give me some ideas and things to think about. It was also a very easy and short read. The concluding roadmap listed helpful and logical steps for determining good career matches.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast, fast read.

Hubby and I got a real kick out of the simple 10 minute personality test and then reading about ourselves and the other. It's so simple and provides basic information about not only general personality info, but career leadership abilities, work environment, boss info, etc.

Granted, it didn't jump out at me and tell me what I want to do which is "What the hell kind of job do I want to do and enjoy?" BUT, it did help to better understand why exactly I'm unhappy with my current job. I've actually found that I can change a few things at my current job for a little return of my enthusiasm and joy.

Oh, and we both thought it was dead on to each of us. Weird and fun.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short self-test that underlies Career Match is sort of a doorway into the more highly regarded Myers Briggs Type Indicator. Unfortunately, the Color Q, at least as far as this book indicates, has not been psychometrically evaluated for validity or reliability. There is no evidence that the types actually hang together as factors. Of course, that necessary work may have been done and reported elsewhere, but if not, it's a serious flaw. Without it, as a social scientist I can consider the Color Q and this book as little more than a mildly entertaining little exercise in self-reflection. For that, it serves its purpose, but I don't think it should be used as a serious aid in career exploration or for any other purpose.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! This book includes a (really) brief preference-based test which yields a sort of personality profile that is then linked to career matches. I'm usually totally skeptical of these kinds of tests/books, but this one really nailed my personality and gave me some incredible advice about my career path and my future. My whole office has taken the test and everyone agrees that it's really useful for self-awareness and also for learning how to interact with people in the office who have different working styles. I actually met the author, and she's a pretty incredible lady. I high recommend the book!

[Kelly Kolb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar style to MBTI typing, but they use a color-coded system instead. The book is crazy fast to read/use. You take a 10-minute assessment and then for the rest of the book, you flip through to find personality descriptions, tips on your skills, preferences, best work environment for you, career suggestions, interviewing suggestions, etc. Gives some good guidance--nothing earth-shattering, but may spark some ideas to mull over and incorporate into your thinking.

I found it helped me get onto paper some things that were rough ideas in my head.

[Chanell · Rating 1 out of 5]

i've read a good amount of personality books and i wouldn't recommend this one to anyone :( testing process was ok. but the book suffered from a lack of in-depth study of your color and by default the other colors. all the descriptions felt superficial and far too quick. the career match section was extremely brief, she listed very general career areas like sales or law for pretty much all of the colors. was extremely glad i did not purchase this book and was able to return it back to the library!

[Birdie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those find-your-personality-type books that uses a color coding system ("Color Q") instead of letters. It focuses on personality type for the purpose of identifying the type of career that will satisfy and energize you. It also offers insights into getting along with the other personality types with whom you work! I didn't read the whole book--I just took the quick assessment test and read my type. It described me fairly well, I think, and I am definitely in the right job.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have taken Myers Briggs, etc. and for the cost of this book, it is a good assessment for those not wanting to invest the time and/or money in a more extensive analysis. The results for both my daughter and me were very accurate. Also, it gives you some insight into the weaknesses and strengths of other personalities and how to deal with them, which I found interesting. A quick read and an enjoyable one.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have done the Myers-Briggs test before and this is similar, but not as deep or complex. I found the descriptions of my types to be spot-on. It was intriguing to read the descriptions of each of the personality types and match the people I know to them. The book has helped me start to narrow my options and I'm now ready to research some new career possibilities.

[Ala'a Alhazani · Rating 2 out of 5]

كنت متحمسه لهذا الكتاب ، لغته بسيطه وسريعة الفهم وهذا ماجعله يحمل معلومات وصفات للشخصيات أكاد أسميها سطحيه ! فقط صفات عامه للشخصيات لايوجد تعمق في الموضوع، أيضاً وجدت الاختبار في بداية الكتاب يفتقد للوضوح والإنصاف فكثير ما احترت في اختيار الاجابه بسبب التقارب فيما بينهم، في النهايه أقول قد قرأت كتب عديدة في الشخصيات أفضل من هذا الكتاب ولا يستحق حماسي الكبير تجاهه سابقاً.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was an interesting way to understand how your personality works with other people and the workplace. It's a quick read but helpful and interesting. I read it for the personality insight.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a couple career personality profiling books and this one stands out as the most succinct and memorable. Simple formula, yet pretty comprehensive results.

I don't know how it would function as a job search aid, but it's a great book to explore workplace personalities.

[Nidia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was totally on point with my personality. It re-assured me of what career path I should pick.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a similar vein to the color code but with a distinct focus on career path rather than personality profile. My personal application was very sucinct especially in regards to weakness and conflict.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It sounds cheesy, but I actually liked what this book told me about myself and others. It was helpful to think about what an ideal workplace for me would be, what skills I have or lack, etc.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting concept as far as personalities and which careers fit people best.

[Loren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind blowing for me!

[Jaycee Lam · Rating 3 out of 5]

It helps me a little :D

[Lucy Ho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good writing and editing but it not works with me. I found difficult to catch up and understand the main idea of the whole book about.

[DelRica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I confirmed a lot of things I knew about myself and found ways to be more successful professionally.

[عمر المومني]

بدأت بالكتاب ولم يعجبني ولا أنوي إكمال قرائته.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have yet to find a book that answers the million dollar question. What's the job that will make me feel like I've never worked a day in my life? I firmly believe that job exists for everyone. But it's a needle in a haystack.

What this book does is help you understand the values you need to consider when choosing a career. It does this by forcing you to choose between a series of personality characteristics. For example:

Realistic and pragmatic or theoretical and imaginative
Trusting of facts or trusting of intuition
Frank and direct or tactful and diplomatic
Meet deadlines early or meet deadlines at last minute

Answering these questions will help define you in terms of how more or less structured and more or less people oriented you are. It then places you into two out of four possible color categories. Lastly, you define yourself as introvert or extrovert and the magic of understanding your ideal work environment, boss, and co-workers happens. Unfortunately, the magic stops there.

The author goes on to list the careers in various fields (such as business, education, health science) that would appeal to someone with your work values. The list is huge. Looks to me like they're taken right off the onet website. The author tries to make it a little more helpful by stating a few work values you have in common with those careers. But it doesn't help you figure out if you'd prefer being an accountant vs. being a computer programmer vs. being a dentist. It just tells you that your work values align with these careers.

The book is helpful. It's a starting point. You aren't meant to read the whole thing. You find out your colors then go to the section that applies to you. I suppose if you compare your list of careers to those listed for other personality types, it might help you begin to see a pattern. It could also help you see how two very different people could like jobs in the same field. For example, two people might like computers, but one would make a better programmer and one would make a better website designer.

The bottom line is that there are careers in every field suited to every person. This book doesn't help you figure out the field. It helps you figure out job characteristics. There would still be much self-analysis to do after reading this book.