Finding Your Career Match
By Holly Tsang
On Thursday, Oct. 23, the Financial Women’s Association hosted “Finding the Job You Love” with Shoya Zichy, a member of the FWA financial board. Zichy is the author of “Career Match: Connecting Who You Are With What You’ll Love To Do.” Mentors and mentees from the FWA attended the event.
“Career Match” introduced the Color Q™ Personality Test, which is based on Carl Gustav Jung’s work. The test has three sections, each with two columns. Each participant chooses particular statements that best describe their values and then the responses they select determine what “color” they are. There are four different color categories: gold, blue, green and red.
The gold group is the largest group, making up 46 percent of the population. People in this group value structure, rules and traditions and learn best when material is presented in steps. Lists are often used to effectively manage tasks and time. Gold group members separate business from pleasure and make time for recreational activities only after all their work has been completed. Zichy estimated that 90 percent of accountants and dentists fall into the gold category and verified that “their mantra would be: If I could do all of tomorrow’s work today, the last day of my life would be totally free.”
The blue group, the smallest, only represents 10 percent of the population. Born to be the change agents of society, these people thrive in an environment filled with critique and confrontation. They dislike sentimentality and lack logic. Feeling as though they can gain knowledge, blue members often go back to school for higher education. This group is future-oriented and anticipates necessary changes and steps that have to be taken to ensure success. Blues are highly represented in professions including money managers, lawyers, university professors and journalists.
The green group makes up 17 percent of the population. These individuals are constantly searching for the best in people and almost effortlessly motivate others. They dislike conflict and lack authenticity. They possess excellent written and verbal communication skills. Television anchors, graphic artists, marketing, public relations and human resources are some of the professions and industries represented by green personalities. Zichy stated that President Elect Barack Obama is green, commenting that, “This is the first time, by the way, in history that we’ve had a green person running for president because typically they don’t like the conflict of politics.”
The red group represents 27 percent of the population. These reds are spontaneous; do not make many long-term plans and choose to focus solely on what is going on presently in their lives. They are great negotiators and high risk-takers. Reds often work in politics, Hollywood, professional sports and occupations including entrepreneurial and emergency work. They dislike excessive structure and regulations and prefer to work for themselves or in units where they have plenty of independence.
In addition to each primary color, every person also has a backup color. The backup color is determined by reviewing answers from the original personality test. Zichy said that an individual possess about 40 percent of the characteristics inherent in their backup color.
The Color Q Test also describes particular work culture personalities that individuals desire in their own ideal workplaces. If more statements are selected from the left column, it indicates that the individual has an IBM personality. In this kind of company, there is a clear hierarchy and employees know exactly what is expected of them. This type of person keeps work relationships strictly professional.
Selecting more statements from the right column reveals the type of person who desires to work for Google. A company with personality has a flat hierarchy where employees come to work and redefine their jobs everyday. They view their colleagues as extended family.
Zichy also encouraged students to make sure that their preferred work culture personality matched their own personality. Zichy ended stating that it is “Really, really important for your happiness and your long term success. If you don’t fit, you’re not going to succeed. They’re not going to promote you as fast.”