How to describe personality

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How to Define Your Personality

This article was co-authored by Jessica Elliott, ACC, CEC. Jessica Elliott is a Certified Executive Coach and multi-passionate entrepreneur. She’s the founder of LIFETOX, where she hosts mindful experiences and retreats, and J Elliott Coaching, which she provides executive consulting for professionals, teams, and organizations. Jessica has had over fifteen years experience as an entrepreneur and over five years of executive coaching experience. She received her ACC (Associate Certified Coach) accreditation through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and her CEC (Certified Executive Coach) accreditation through Royal Roads University.

There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

This article has been viewed 96,159 times.

Determining how to define your personality can be challenging. But knowing what your personality is can help you understand yourself and others better. By defining your personality, you can think about the positive traits you posses that make you a good person, and reflect on traits that you may still need to work on. Everyone has positive and negative traits, and defining your personality can help you determine where you personally shine, and where you may still want to grow. You can easily define your personality if you determine how you describe yourself and explore some of the more popular and researched systems of defining personality.

Vocabulary

I have already written one similar article How To Describe a Person And Impress Your IELTS Examiner. I tried to collect useful vocabulary and provide links to original sources. In fact it was quite difficult to find suitable authentic materials to include material from. If you need complete resource with sample answers, topic vocabulary and useful links to prepare this topic, feel free to check all topics page.

Sample questions from IELTS speaking part

Describe a feature of your personal character that you find important

Describe a comic actor who is popular in your country

and explain why he/she is popular in your country.

Describe a Person Vocabulary | Quora | What Game of Thrones Character best describes your personality?

Adjectives to Describe a Person | Quora | What are four personality types?

Describe a Person Vocabulary | Quora | How Do You Analyze and figure Out People’s Personality?

Nice Words to Describe Someone | Quora | What are Your Top Ten Good Qualities?

Podcast: Words to Describe a Person | Mastering The Personality Matrix

I highly recommend you listen this podcast. I’m sure, It can be very helpful in terms of learning how to talk about different types of personalities. What you can gain from this episode:

Here is the list of vocabulary that can be found in the podcast episode:

Podcast: Describing People Vocabulary | The Personality Myth

Podcast: Describing People Vocabulary | Personality vs Character

Podcast: Describing People Vocabulary | Gifts of Being a Highly sensitive Person

Podcast: Describing People Vocabulary | The Top-10 Characteristics of Lousy Leader

Well, maybe this podcast seem to be not so helpful in terms of learning personality vocabulary. However i decided to mention it at least for two reasons.

Firstly, Michael Hyatt is very successful entrepreneur. If you haven’t heard about him, I highly recommend you to visit his website. You can learn a ton of things from him.

Secondly, in the episode you can find lots of new vocabulary on how to describe negative characteristics of person. For sure, there might be question in your exam addressing topic where you need to talk about negative qualities or topic about your work/colleagues.

What’s also great about this podcast is that the sound quality is quite high and you can read full transcript of the episode

How to Describe Your Personality? Here’s Your Ultimate Answer

Oh, those job interview questions! You know you are at the top of your game, but then they ask you something very personal, something you aren’t ready for, like “How would you describe your personality?”

Seriously, who does that? Most people don’t analyze themselves that much. They don’t spend time figuring out how they come across. Questions like these can catch us unprepared, and we end up giving superficial, tell-you-what-you-want-to-hear type answers.

Those who don’t lose their ability to speak immediately after hearing such a question will usually say they are fantastic leaders, passionate about their field, result-oriented, punctual, highly organized working machines.

But if you want to sound more convincing and genuine, it’s worth figuring out your natural strengths not only for the sake of getting the job but also for your own sake. After all, working at a job that doesn’t suit your personality is highly stressful. In addition, you will be denying yourself any chance to find a job that is right for you.

While your personality is much more than your marketable skills, chances are your interviewer wants only relevant information. The good news is that over the years, we developed a wide selection of personality and career tests that you can take at absolutely no cost.

So how to describe your personality? Here are some relevant tests that will help you do just that:

Your Workstyle

It’s possible to have completely different work styles and get outstanding results. Perhaps you are not particularly original, but who cares? You have fantastic focus, and you can achieve your goals by following tried-and-true methods.

Or perhaps you are a complete opposite — not good at following the rules, but surprisingly innovative and committed to constant improvement. Your interviewer will want to know.

Take our work style assessment quiz to know more about your personal work style.

Your Thinking Style

Having several well-developed thinking styles allows you to perform a wider range of tasks more effectively. Most people, however, have one or two preferred thinking styles that make them more suitable for some jobs but not others.

For example, architects, designers, and screenwriters need well-developed imaginative thinking to produce better results.

Programmists, scientists, mathematicians, and economists generally use abstract thinking.

If you don’t know what your thinking type is, you can take our free test here.

Doers vs. Thinkers

Which stage of your projects do you enjoy more? The planning stage? The execution stage? Or both? Some people are great at planning but don’t particularly enjoy doing the work itself.

No problem, if you are one of these people, there are positions that utilize your planning and organization skills while somebody else does the job. So are you a doer or a thinker? Find out now.

What makes you the way you are? Take THIS TEST to discover your personality type.

Leader or Follower?

Do you like to lead, or do you prefer to be told what to do (not something negative, by the way)? Or perhaps you just want to work alone without anyone giving you orders but also without having to lead?

You can find your answers here.

Leadership Style Quiz

While we are at it, what is your leadership style? There are three leadership styles: authoritative, participative, and laissez-faire. Do you see your team as friends or merely means to achieve your goals? Are you a little bossy? Do you give your team credit for what they do?

Three Types of Employees Test

Are you a team player, solo player, or efficiency expert? Solo players are motivated by personal rewards, such as money and prestige, while team players enjoy communication and connections they build with their teammates. As for efficiency experts, they focus on tasks and tasks alone. Your future employer may appreciate each of these three types of employees equally, or they may be looking for one specific type.

So, which type do you belong to? Find out here.

Self-esteem and Confidence Test

Self-esteem and self-confidence seem to be like personal traits, and they are, but your employer may still be interested. The reason for that is that people with high self-esteem tend to trust their own judgments, be more independent, and are more likely to build effective professional relationships.

Your Creativity Score

This creativity test is based on the four factors of creativity: curiosity, imagination, complexity, and risk tolerance. The test is designed to evaluate each of these areas separately and then calculate your overall creativity score.

Conflict Management Strategies Test

Conflict management skills are important in both professional and personal areas of our lives. Sooner or later, conflicts will arise, and your future employer may want to know your preferred way of handling conflicts. Not sure what to answer? Take the test here.

Organizational and Communication Skills Test

Organizational and communication skills are some of the most sought-after skills. Whether you are a leader or just an employee, you need to develop these skills to be more efficient. Test your organizational and communication skills now.

How To Describe Your Personality at Job Interview + Sample Answers

Learning how to describe your personality at an interview is a useful skill to have, regardless of your profession or the job you’re applying for. The problem with many interviewees is that they are quite shy when it comes to speaking about how their personalities can have a positive effect on those they come into contact with.

It’s understandable, as many people feel quite exposed and vulnerable at interviews and find it difficult to put their personality across in a respectable manner. However, this is essential for getting the job you want and so it is worth putting some time aside before your next interview to consider how best to present yourself as an effective and reliable person.

In this article, we will be taking you through some of the most effective ways to describe your personality at an interview, whilst demonstrating how it can make a difference.

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Importance of Knowing How to Describe Your Personality During an Interview

One of the key reasons why it is important to know how to describe your personality at an interview is that it can often be a deciding factor when employers choose between two similar candidates.

Your interviewer may have already found out some of your backgrounds during their research and so it will be helpful if you can demonstrate through your words and behavior what kind of person you are.

By doing this, you’ll stand out from the other applicants and ultimately help secure yourself an offer of employment. In addition, knowing how to describe your personality is important because it can help improve your interview performance.

If you can get across what kind of person you are, this will give the interviewer more confidence in assigning tasks to you once you have been employed. Being aware of how to describe yourself also helps keep your mind focused on who you are and why you want the job.

It’s easy for people attending an interview to become flustered with nerves but by taking some time beforehand, it is possible to remain positive and ready to take control of the situation.

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How to Describe Your Personality – Paragraph Examples

The following are 10 ways to describe your personality at an interview, with some example paragraphs to help you get started.

Making the Most of Your Talents and Abilities

“I like to think that my abilities make me stand out from other applicants. For instance, I am very resourceful which means I will always find a way to complete any given task.

This often makes me feel confident when engaging with customers as they know that everything will be handled by me efficiently and effectively.”

Experience of Working in Challenging Situations

“I am no stranger to working under pressure or new situations that require quick thinking on the spot. During my time working at XYZ company, I was required to deal with all kinds of customer complaints ranging anywhere from rude behavior to more serious complaints.

I found that having to deal with these situations helped me develop my problem-solving skills and also my social interaction.”

Applying Learning from Previous Jobs or Internships

“I am great at listening to what others have to say, not only because it helps build rapport but also because I’m always eager to learn new things. Indeed, one of the main reasons why I want this job is because of the opportunity it will give me to be around people who are engaged in similar interests as myself.

This means that by the end of this job, I’ll have more knowledge in our industry than others who are just in it for the money.”

Having an Open Mind about Problems or Challenges You May Face

“Having to deal with challenging situations is what I’m all about. From working in retail to internships, it has always been important for me to be resourceful and quick thinking in any given situation. This way, I can handle anything anyone can throw at me.”

Demonstrating an Ability to Make Sound Judgements

“I am often told that my greatest strength is being able to look at things from different perspectives. During my time as a customer assistant at XYZ store, I found myself faced with many difficult problems but was able to make the right decision every time by using sound judgment.”

Being Able To Get Along Well With Others

“I like the idea of teamwork and know that this will be an important part of this role. I am friendly, approachable, and always keen to help others when they are in need. In the past, I have been told that my people skills make it easy for me to get along with pretty much anyone.”

Being a Motivated Person

“I want this job because it will allow me to learn new things and at the same time allow me to work with a great team of co-workers who all feel passionate about the business. However, these days I understand that hard work does not go unrewarded and that eventually there is a good chance for advancement within this company if I perform well during my probationary period.”

Having a Keen Eye for Detail

“I am very observant and notice details that might have escaped other people’s notice. For example, throughout my time working in retail I was often praised for having a keen eye for detail and always getting the job done.”

Being Able to Prioritize and Delegate Tasks

“I believe patience is an important quality when it comes to working with others or when taking on any kind of project or task. Patience helps give me the ability to prioritize what needs to be done first and how best to go about doing it. During periods where I’ve felt overwhelmed, this has been one of my strengths – being able to identify what is most important.”

Having Leadership Skills

“From a young age, I have had a natural propensity for leadership and feel that I can use this skill to benefit the company. Over the years, I have come to realize that what makes a good leader is someone who can be both fair and firm.”

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How to Describe Your Personality to a Girl

When it comes to describing your personality, it’s not just a useful skill to have in your professional life. When speaking with a person that you’re romantically interested in (let’s consider a guy that wants to get to know a girl better), you need to consider the many ways to impress her.

You don’t want to be too negative or boastful, but you also want to make sure she knows how awesome you are. Finding the right balance can be harder than it sounds, so this is where I want to help you make the right choices.

Here are some questions to consider that will help you figure out how to answer this question:

1. What makes you unique?

“My ability to always say just the right thing at just the right time is one of my better traits.”

A fun or creative response that shows off your talents at reading people is sure to impress the ladies. It also allows you to bring up something cool about yourself without bragging too much or sounding arrogant.

2. How has your unique personality helped you?

“It’s simply impossible for me to be in a bad mood.”

A positive, confident response like this shows off your self-esteem. Being able to recognize the good things about oneself is a very attractive quality, as it shows you have a positive attitude and can appreciate what you bring to the table.

3. Can you tell me more about what makes you, YOU?

“I feel that I’m particularly good at recognizing someone’s insecurities or self-doubts and reassuring them that everything is going to be okay.”

This gives her an idea of what your talents are and how another person might appreciate them. If you can, provide an example of something specific that you’ve done so she knows you’re not just bragging.

Extra Tip: How to Describe Your Personality on a Dating Site

When it comes to using dating sites, you need to consider the possible topics of conversation. These sites turn to find a date into a game so it’s important to make the best moves and ultimately win. Describing your personality on such sites is an act of self-marketing.

You’re trying to sell yourself, so you can be neither boring nor too wild. Remember to keep it lighthearted and fun since your goal is to get her interested in you, not creep her out. This may sound like a tough balance, but hopefully, the above considerations will give you an idea of what to do.

How to Describe Your Personality to a Friend

When dealing with a friend, describing your personality is also a great skill to have. To come across just right, you’ll want to balance honesty with tact.

Here are some tips for how to go about it:

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How to Answer Personality Interview Questions

Now that we looked at how to describe your personality, let’s look at how to answer questions that are directed at you on this topic. Answering personality questions during an interview is a good skill to master. For each question below, I’ll give you a sample answer to consider and a brief explanation of why this works.

1. Why do you want this job?

“It’s a new challenge and also something that aligns with my career goals of becoming a marketing executive.” Speaking about why a new job is a challenge shows that you are up for the challenge and demonstrates that you’re not someone who will shy away from new responsibilities.

2. What are your greatest strengths?

“I’m very organized, flexible and I thrive under pressure.” Great strengths include being able to work well independently as well as within a team.

3. How do you typically handle conflict?

“I am always able to see things from different perspectives which gives me an advantage over others during conflict situations. I know that sometimes it is best to confront problems head-on but other times it might be better to take some time out before coming back with a solution.”

The ability to handle conflict shows you are mature and tactful no matter what happens in the day-to-day.

4. What is your greatest weakness?

“I am not afraid of taking on new challenges, but sometimes I need to work on my time management skills.”

Everyone has some kind of weakness. Try to find something that you’re working on improving like time management or planning better. For this question, try to focus on a problem that does not get in the way of getting your job done or is something that will get better with more experience.

5. How would coworkers describe you?

“A team player who likes to get things done without needing help from others.”

The best answer shows you often go out of your way to help other people at work while also doing whatever needs to be done without asking for help.

6. How would your previous supervisor describe you?

“Highly motivated and good at planning.”

The best answer shows that you were able to work well with others as well as on your own. When faced with challenging tasks, you rose to the occasion and did whatever was necessary to get the job done.

7. What kind of people do you not like working with?

“Someone who lacks drive or enthusiasm.”

It is important to find something that someone can improve on, like having less drive than other people. This will show the interviewer that you are looking for ways how another person’s performance at work might improve instead of finding fault in them.

8. What do you know about our company?

Make sure you talk about something specific like how many other employees are already in the position that they are interviewing people for. You should also mention anything else that makes them stand out from their competitors or gives them an advantage over the other companies you’ve interviewed with.

9. How do you stay current?

“I read several business magazines and I also have a subscription to your company’s newsletter.”

This answer shows that you keep up with what’s going on in the industry. You might add that you’re not afraid of technology or getting new gadgets for work.

10. Tell me a little about yourself.

“I studied marketing at college and I have held several different jobs in that field since then.”

This is where you get to talk about your experience. Feel free to mention anything that makes you stand out from the other candidates, like being bilingual or having experience with industry-related tools.