6 Surprising Ways Your Job Influences Who You Are

For a long time, researchers have looked into how our personality develops as we grow older, but what about the impact of your career on your personal identity? Can your job actually change you as a person? 

Research suggests that it can.

In a 2020 review of studies looking at the influence of work on personality, researchers discovered that “personality traits both affect and are affected by work experiences.” The link between work and personality is a two-way street: our job can shape who we are, but equally, our personalities can also impact how we approach and experience work. 

For example, a 2012 study found that having leadership early in your career could decrease your Agreeableness – the tendency to be cooperative and empathetic. Another study reported that those who pursue leadership and influencing roles, labeled as ‘Director’ for instance, can actually become more Extraverted. These effects were found to persist over time, suggesting that our job experiences can have long-lasting effects on our personality.

So just how does your job influence who you are? Let's take a look at some surprising ways.

1. Your job can influence your self-esteem

Attaching a sense of worth to external things is never healthy, but most of us find it difficult to separate them from our self-esteem. Whether it’s money, social status or relationships, we’re all guilty of having sought external validation at some point in our lives. Unsurprisingly, the job you have can also play a big role in how you see yourself.

According to a 2021 article published in the European Journal of Personality, your self-esteem not only is influenced by your success or failure in the work domain, but it can also influence your work experiences in return. This can create a negative cycle for those with low self-esteem, and a positive one if you are already a confident person. 

In other words, boosting your self-confidence is key. Doing so can create a positive feedback loop that can not only enhance your work experiences but also contribute to making you a more confident individual in all spheres of life.

2. Your job can influence how you take action

Having a stimulating job may make you more proactive and open to new experiences. This has to do with your "locus of control."

Locus of control describes the extent to which an individual feels they have control over the events that happen in their life. When you believe that you have control over what happens and take responsibility for your actions, you are using the internal locus of control. By contrast, when you feel like you have no control over what happens and blame outside forces, you are applying the external locus of control. 

In a 2021 study, “employees with an internal locus of control reported higher job satisfaction when compared to employees with an external locus of control.” In short: a stimulating job can sharpen your internal locus of control and strengthen your sense of personal agency and proactivity.  

3. Your job can influence your mental health

This may sound like an obvious one, but we had to include it. Work takes up a lot of our time so it’s no surprise that it can impact our wellbeing in both positive and negative ways.

According to data from the WHO, factors such as excessive workload, low autonomy and job insecurity can pose a risk to your mental health. The impact of work conditions on mental health may be different for men and women, with women reportedly being more affected by “working schedules and commuting time, physical demands, and environmental conditions.”

4. Your job can influence how self-disciplined you are

Your job can also influence how dutiful and reliable you are, traits that psychologists call Conscientiousness. 

In the Big Five system of personality, your Conscientiousness score reveals how organized and self-disciplined you are when pursuing your goals. Research has found that people who assume leadership positions at work tend to have higher levels of Conscientiousness than their peers – and it seems to be the job that raises Conscientiousness scores, rather than more naturally Conscientious people being drawn to leadership roles. This suggests that the demands and responsibilities of a job can shape an individual's level of self-discipline.

5. Your job can influence your habits

Your job can also have an impact on your daily routine. The time you wake up, the kind of clothes you wear, whether you have to commute – all these lifestyle factors are dictated by the type of job you have. That’s why, if you’re planning a career, it’s important to understand what the day-to-day of it looks like, so you can see if the job matches your ideal lifestyle. 

Work can influence our habits at home, too. These can be positive ones, such as your ability to be organized and meticulous at work transferring to your efficiency at managing house chores, or negative behavioral patterns, like procrastination.

6. Your job can influence how open you are to new experiences

Last but not least, your job can also influence how open you are to new experiences, people and ideas. Openness is one of the traits measured in the Big Five personality model. People who score highly on Openness tend to be interested in new ideas and engage in abstract thinking. 

Whilst there are many variables that can impact how you score in the Big Five personality test, studies show that employees with higher salaries generally demonstrate an increase in Openness and emotional stability over time. It's not clear whether this is due to the job itself or the financial security that comes with it, but either way, it highlights how our jobs can influence our personality traits.

The bottom line 

Your job has a profound impact on various aspects of your life. From shaping your personality to affecting your mental health and daily habits, it's clear that the work we do plays a key role in defining who we are. 

That's why it's important to carefully consider the type of job you pursue and be aware of how it may shape your life beyond just as a source of income. If you’re at the career planning stage – or looking for your next opportunity – make sure to choose a career that aligns with your values and goals because your job is not just a means to an end. It is also an integral part of your identity.