It may seem like the least of your concerns when on the job hunt, but making sure your job teams with your personality will be fundamental to your workplace happiness. Best practice recruitment aims to take this into consideration in selecting the right candidates but this is never a fail proof process. Many graduate careers lead to a dead end job when this issue is not addressed in the beginning.

We all have to learn to deal with difficult team members, compromise on hours here and there, and at times take on others’ responsibilities. However, being in a position that doesn’t gel with your character is not something you should feel you need to accommodate. Ultimately this is a mismatch which will likely lead you down destructive paths, unlike learning to deal with more general situational issues, which will probably be good for you.

Test your match for a job at each stage of the process. The way the job is advertised, the type of recruitment agencies engaged, the people you meet in the interview are all elements you can use as guideposts.

Ask for a job description and compare it against your own roadmap of what you would like from your ideal job. Identify aspects that make you feel uncomfortable and ask yourself why. Often you will find the reason is because you feel your comfort zone being pushed, or you believe you lack the appropriate skills. If your unease persists though, this is a reasonable sign that something is not sitting well with your core.

Psychometric testing can also help. Many employers now use this as part of their strategic recruitment process, and it can be an excellent tool to help you understand your own drivers.

Psychometric testing is designed to get to the heart of how you think and to explore areas of aptitude and personality. Aptitude relates to your ability to process numbers, to verbalise concepts, and to reason. Personality deals with your interests and motivations. Together, the areas create a profile that you can comfortably use as a compass to keep your job hunt on the most suitable course.

Your job search should involve more than a professional resume, interview skills and preparing for job interview questions. More important than these is making sure you are heading in the right direction.