Almost everyone occasionally feels job stress. We all know that work can sometimes be a royal pain, leaving us feeling irritable and overwhelmed. We take a “mental health break,” call in sick or just start counting the days until that next long weekend. But some experts think much of worker’s stress comes from a lack of “fit” between their work and who they are as individuals. Knowing how to match your style to your job can make work go a lot easier.

Here are some things to consider: What’s your personal style? Some of us naturally are more energized being around others, talking, socializing, or brainstorming problems with others. These are people with a natural inclination toward extraversion. Their style is interpersonal and outgoing. They gravitate naturally toward work roles that offer an opportunity to interact with others or work in groups. Working alone tends to be fatiguing for them.

Contrast this with those naturally inclined toward introversion. Ideas and inner reflection charge these people. Their style is intrapersonal. They gravitate naturally toward work roles that allow them an opportunity to work alone or with some degree of privacy. Working in groups tends to be fatiguing for them.

Now add to this the varying styles of a Generalist and Specialist. Generalists like variety on their jobs and tend to run out of steam after working on an assignment or project if it goes on for too long. Specialists are just the opposite. Specialists like the experience of becoming subject matter “experts” and enjoy going in depth in their assignments or chosen field.

A generalist is a team player, someone who doesn’t really mind putting aside his/her own interests for the good of the team. Generalists share a way of looking at the world. They can submerge their own needs for the good of the organization. Teamwork is important and their strength is interpersonal competence. Generalists are able to delegate easily, especially relative to specialists. They have more of a breadth than depth of interests.

Specialists tend to take their work very personally, more so if they also are introverted. A specialist tends to have a more unique view of things. They thrive in a work role that allows them to continually advance on their own skills and knowledge. They prefer to work as individuals and have a need to do tasks themselves. They have a singleness of vision and purpose. A specialist’s interests are usually more focused on one or two areas. They have a depth rather than breadth of interests.

People I work with sometimes report work stress and burnout that can be addressed by some reflection on themselves and their work environment and making some minor changes. Do you naturally incline toward introversion or extraversion? If you’re more introverted, you need to have periods in your workday to recharge by working alone and having some protection from the distractions of others. You can still work on teams, but need the balance of alone time and privacy to work more effectively. If you’re more inclined toward extraversion, you will need to balance any work time spent alone with time to recharge by being with others. You can still work privately on assignments but need to watch for this balance.

Where you fall on the continuum of generalist-specialist is also very important for career satisfaction. A generalist in a specialist job will tend to feel a bit hemmed in. Because a generalist needs variety, he/she will be more ready to move on to another assignment much sooner than a specialist. A specialist in a generalist type job likewise will experience frustration, perhaps feeling they’re just not getting enough time to focus on what’s deeply interesting to them. An introverted specialist in a career or job assignment that puts heavy emphasis on teamwork and frequent changes in projects or assignments may feel some dissatisfaction and job stress. If you suspect there are some problems along these lines in your career track, perhaps you can request work assignments more suitable to your style or look for an opportunity for a lateral shift within your organization to a position that’s more compatible with your personal style.

Remember, specific careers and job assignments require certain ability patterns. The more you can arrange your work environment to suit your own patterns and personal style the more productive and energized you will be. Identifying natural ability patterns and matching those to job assignments can go a long way toward reducing job stress and increasing career satisfaction.

(Editor’s Note: Dr. Paul Marano has a private practice in Poulsbo specializing in career development and assessment. He can be reached at 360-779-7997 or drmarano@CareerPathStrategies.com.).