Does the man make the job or does the job makes the man?

I attended a course about human behavior about how should we fit someone into a job that suits their character. It’s very interesting. It said that people who has high social skill is best to be placed as a marketing, sales or any other job that needs a lot of b*ll sh*tting skills to be précised (like human resources for example? Ouch!). On the other hand, for those who has thinker type is best to be placed as analyst where they could sit quietly for an hours scrolling down number and do nothing but thinking.

This triggered my first question, does the man make the job or does the job make the man?

I’ll boldly put my self as an example. During my first days in the college, I have known from the start that I am not going to have a career in Finance. Impatient for one thing. And have terrible numeric skills in the IQ test was another reason. Accounting is just not my self. I have a cold shiver running down my spine just to think that I have to spend the rest of my life and earn my living by being an Accountant. Sorry my fellow Accountant, I just think that life as an Accountant is so d*mn boring!

A good friend of mine trying to cheer me up by saying that’s how things are in the college. They are very good in making it so dull so we’d be excited when we actually work as an Accountant. I couldn’t tell whether this has cheered me up or depressed me even more. Anyhow, during my last school year, I took a job as an Accountant in a foreign Embassy just for the sake of getting experience. All I can say that it confirmed my inner feeling and it motivates me to graduate sooner no matter how bad my grade is. Not to anybody surprise, I lasted only a year and a half as an Accountant. Once I graduated, I took a hike and never look back. Yikes! It’s just not so me. Sitting there and be miserable whilst the sun shines so beautifully over the green grass outside. Gosh. People do make fatal mistake, you know…

Anyhow, back to my first question, I noticed that you need to have special character to survive in a job. And what I mean by survive is genuinely like the job. Ever wonder why Accountant is such a bean counter? Most of the Accountants I met are very detail person at heart. I knew one Accountant who actually numbered her eggs in the fridge. She said that she did that only to keep track on how many eggs she or her maid eat everyday. Can you imagine anything more exciting than that? Anyway, that’s what they do. That’s the requirement of their job and they love it! But honestly (for the sake of my own safety), I admired their persistency and thoroughness. I really can’t imagine of living my life by counting other people’s money and actually enjoy it. Enough about Accountant!

And what about Engineers? Aren’t they a bunch of arrogant people who likes the most expensive thing in the world in the name of quality? Well, perhaps, that’s the requirement of their job too. Their job (reputation and credibility) relies on preciseness, job result and quality. And honestly, quality comes with price. It is one of the reasons why I am being laid back with my fellow pushy engineers.

But what about people who changes their character because of their new job? Politician for example. At first, weren’t they a bunch of people who tried to voice the people concern and therefore they are trusted to sit in the parliament? And what happened after they are there? I would say most of them has become those that they complained before. Sad but true. But perhaps ‘flexible to adapt’ was one of the basic requirement of a politician.

Another anomaly is also a change from a staff to a management. I had a long discussion with my boss once on how Corporate ‘buy’ people. Once you are in management position, your perspective changes. And your change of perspective affects your behavior. I’ve met people who were very nice and warm when they are staff and suddenly they are cold and keeping distance when they are part of the management. Or those who fought on behalf of the employee suddenly become very Corporate oriented. Up to this point, I asked my boss bluntly, “Are you going to change if you are part of the Management?” meaning: will you do whatever it takes to secure your position in the Company even though that would mean that you are going to “lie” to the Employees and the Government. It took him a while to answer, “No.” Well, in that case maybe, it needs a very strong personality to be on top and not change.

I believe people have their own unique character and their unique character will either support them in their job or will make them miserable. The only way to know this is you have to be honest with your self. What kind of person are you. If you are such a cheeky socializer, never think to become an Accountant. If you think that you are shy and deep thinker, never try to become a Sales Person. I am not going to say that if you are honest you should not be a Politician. U-uh, that would be too judgmental, but you are free to draw your own conclusion.

If you picked a job that does not suit your character, you still could survive of course, but you may not be happy with your job. And if you are not happy with your job, you won’t be able to give what is best within your talent.

If I was still an Accountant, I know I would not be happy. I’d be one of the Accountants who keep on making mistake and taking lunch time more than I should. I’d be one of the grumpy employee who constantly moaning about the Company. Thank God that I have came to my senses earlier and found something more suitable for my noisy nosey self. Ah!