3 Careers to Consider if You're a People Person

By Kaitlin Hurtado on January 29, 2018

A people person. You may have been labeled as a people person at different times in your life, whether it was by a teacher that noticed that you chatted effortlessly between different social cliques or a manager at work after noticing how you approach customers without any hesitation – it means you’re a person that is good with interacting with others. For the most part, being a people person is a great thing. It allows you to be more active in situations and be able to speak up and actively participate, regardless of the situation.

Being a people person is also a great asset when it comes to certain careers that require extensive interaction with other people, whether it is in the form of collaborating with your coworkers or reaching out to others as part of your job. If you are a people person and still figuring out what kind of career you want to pursue, try considering the following careers that you will excel in as a people person.

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Photo by Tra Nguyen on Unsplash

Teacher 

Think back to all of the teachers that you have had up until now. For most students, there has been at least one teacher (more if you are lucky) that has gone far and beyond to help you at some point in your academic career. It could have been offering more help in a class you found yourself struggling with immensely or a teacher that you grew close to and have gotten plenty of life advice from. These teachers are more often than not seen as a people person themselves, as they view their teaching position more than just a source of steady income – they see their job as a way of being able to reach out and help their students.

Being a people person will help you excel as a teacher, regardless of the grade level you are teaching. By being a people person, it will be easier for you to put yourself out there for your students to get to know you and feel more comfortable with you, seeing you as more than just someone that is there to lecture them and keep them in line. It will allow you to go one step beyond by reaching out to students in need – giving extra academic help or lending an open ear for a student going through a difficult time.

Nurse 

As a people person, being a nurse can be the perfect career for you as you are expected to interact with a wide variety of people depending on the type of job you find yourself in. You can work in a large hospital or a small clinic, or go for more personal jobs like working in a retirement home or attending to someone in their own home.

You are expected to be able to communicate with your patients, picking up on both nonverbal and verbal cues to make their treatment as successful as possible.  This can be utilizing your people skills by making them feel comfortable regardless of the setting, whether you are interacting with them in a big hospital away from their home or in their own home. You’ll also be attending to their medical needs, like explaining their situation to them as needed or giving them the medical attention that their treatment plan requires.

For nurses, it’s important to connect with patients and make them feel comfortable as they get the medical treatment they need. Being a people person will enable you to do just that as you are more attuned to their mood and will be able to pick up on how to interact with them, and you won’t hesitate to reach out when you see that they are struggling or in need of assistance and too scared to ask for it.

Counselor 

A counselor’s job is to interact with patients on a daily basis. If you are a people person, this may be the perfect career for you. There are a set of skills that are essential to becoming a successful counselor and as a people person, you may already have the set of skills needed for a career as a counselor.

Being both a great listener and a great communicator is necessary for becoming a counselor as you will need to listen to your patients as they talk through their situation without interrupting them or asserting what you think of the situation before they have even finished trying to say what they want to say. While you are listening carefully to what they are expressing to you verbally, it’s also important to be able to pick up on nonverbal cues like fidgeting or facial expressions that can be even more telling than what they are explicitly stating aloud.

It’s important to listen to them fully and understand what they are saying in order to communicate your feedback after they have expressed what they have wanted to. Being able to clearly communicate and express what you are thinking so that they are able to be able to fully understand and process what you are trying to say.

Being a people person can have its benefits and disadvantages, but you should use it to your advantage, especially when it comes to finding a career. As a people person, some careers will be easier than others as it enables you to use your people skills to excel in the field. Being a people person will allow you utilize your ability to easily interact with others, and make a career out of it.

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