Are you a people person? These jobs might be for you
Are you the kind of person who can strike up a conversation with anyone? Maybe you feel refreshed and invigorated after a day spent socialising and talking to strangers. Or maybe you are a great listener – a natural when it comes to empathising and connecting with others?
If so, you're a ‘people person’, which means you naturally have people skills, which happen to be in high demand. As AI takes on more technical and repetitive work, employers are placing even greater value on the interpersonal skills that technology can't easily replicate.
What makes someone a ‘people person’?
Most people enjoy spending time with others in some way or another– so what makes someone a ‘people person’? There are two defining characteristics, says Leah Lambart, Career Coach and Founder of Relaunch Me.
“The first is having an interest in helping people, connecting and building relationships,” she says. “The second is that you feel energised by spending time with people; this is particularly relevant for jobs where you have to engage and meet new people all the time.”
You don’t have to be an extrovert. Many introverts do well in people-facing roles if they’re interested in helping and connecting with others. They also tend to have better listening skills than extroverts, says Lambart.
The main skills important to connecting with others are known as ‘power skills’, although they are also called ‘soft skills’. “Recruiters now call them the power skills because they’re the skills that become more important for people to have sustainable careers,” says Lambart.
These include communication, active listening, empathy, relationship building, emotional intelligence and collaboration.
If you’re not sure which skills you’re strong in, Lambart suggests asking your family, friends or colleagues. “Often we don’t see skills or strengths in ourselves,” she says. “Ask others questions such as ‘When do you see me at my best?’, ‘When do you see me most confident?’, ‘What skills or strengths do I bring to the team?’”
Careers to consider if you’re a people person
If you consider yourself a people person, there is a broad range of careers that make use of these skills. Lambart says these can be grouped into two categories.
If you’re more extroverted, and enjoy connecting with and talking to people, consider roles such as:
- Customer service. You’ll spend your days fielding questions, problem-solving and speaking with customers. Customer service roles typically don’t require a degree, but it depends on the organisation. These can be great entry-level roles that lead to other opportunities, though many people forge a successful long-term career in customer service.
- Sales. Spend your time speaking with potential customers, understanding their challenges and selling products in any industry that interests you – right now sales roles in technology, healthcare, hospitality and retail are popular. The education and qualifications you need depends on the industry and role level (eg. entry level vs managerial).
- Human resources and recruitment. Recruitment jobs put you in charge of finding screening and interviewing applicants, while HR jobs manage staff-related issues. A tertiary qualification isn’t always required for recruitment, but most HR roles do ask for relevant qualifications.
- Event management. Events is a great industry if you’re a people person who’s organised, enjoys a fast-paced job and can talk with all types of people, from clients to vendors. Most entry-level roles don’t require a degreeallow you to work your way up to a senior role.
- Hospitality. “Front-of-house" roles focus on giving customers an excellent experience, so whether you’re a bartender, barista or general manager your power skills are put to use every day. Most entry-level roles don’t require higher educations, but you’ll need a Responsible Service of Alcohol certification to work at a licensed venue. For management roles, you may need a tertiary hospitality qualification.
If you’re more interested in listening to and helping people, she suggests paths like:
- Therapy and counselling. These roles span clinical psychology, mental health counselling and healthcare support roles, usually working one-on-one with patients. You’ll typically need at least a bachelor’s degree, although some fields may also require post-graduate qualifications.
- Healthcare. Hands-on patient roles (also known as clinical roles) directly diagnose and treat patients – think doctors, nurses, dentists and healthcare support roles. You’ll need tertiary education to enter one of these professions.
- Coaching. Coaches use their people skills to help clients improve some area of their lives – their career, business or health and fitness. Most coaching doesn’t require specific qualifications – having the right experience and great motivational skills is more critical to success as a coach.
However, these are just the start. “Some might prefer to work with and help people in a more practical way, such as helping someone move house, building something for their home, or finding a solution to a problem,” says Lambart.
Think about how you can play to your strengths. “When you’re playing to your strengths, work shouldn’t feel so hard,” says Lambart. “It comes more naturally, makes you feel more energised and less stressed, so people are usually much more successful.”
Working in a role misaligned with your strengths might feel fine for a while, but over time you’re more likely to feel exhausted or burnt out. “It’s all about finding what’s sustainable for you,” adds Lambart.
Improving your power skills
People skills are becoming more in demand. While skills such as communication, empathy and collaboration have always been important, AI is changing the mix of skills employers look for. As routine tasks become more automated, people who can communicate effectively, build trust and work well with others are likely to have an advantage.
While communication skills and empathy are natural traits, you can absolutely work on these and other people-related skills if you feel they’re lacking, says Lambart.
She suggests finding someone at work – a mentor, manager or teammate – who excels in these skills. “Observe how they go about it and ask them how they approach those interactions,” she says.
There are also plenty of resources online, such as short courses and free tutorials that can give you the tools to strengthen your listening and communication skills.
Being a people person is a genuine professional advantage. Your ability to relate to strangers and your desire to help others are some of the most valuable skills for a successful career.
