The Working Future: What Type of Worker Are You?
It’s time to stop talking about the mythical “average worker” and start understanding what individuals really want from a job. Our six archetypes help make sense of people’s many and varied attitudes toward their work. Take our short quiz to discover your archetype.
START QUIZ
1/10
My work defines me
My life outside work defines me
Below are two opposing statements. Please select a position between the two statements that best describes you.
The Working Future What Type of Worker Are You?
What Type of Worker Are You?
CONFIRM
2/10
More money would make me happier
More money would not make me happier
The Working Future
3/10
I focus on the future
I focus on today
4/10
I care a lot about appearing successful
I don’t care about appearing successful
5/10
I am a risk taker
I am a risk avoider
6/10
I like predictability
I like variety and change
7/10
I like to be in control of my work
I like clear instruction and guidance in my work
8/10
Work is an individual effort
Work is a joint effort
9/10
Expertise is a means to an end
Expertise is an end in itself
10/10
Making a positive difference brings meaning to my life
Making a positive difference is not my obligation
SEE RESULTS
For you, life is about more than work. It's not that you don't care about your job; it just isn’t what defines you as a person. You don't feel a burning desire to always stand out at work, which makes you an excellent team player. In fact, you may see many of your colleagues as friends. Because you mostly find meaning outside of work, you usually prefer your job to be predictable and you don't tend to take big risks when it comes to your career. This is what makes you—and other Operators like you—the dependable backbone of every organization.
You Are an Operator
Giver
Artisan
Explorer
Striver
Pioneer
0
Back to the Report
The fit score captures how closely your responses match the typical profile of each archetype
For Givers, work is about service. Seeing their actions make a positive impact in someone else's life is what makes the job rewarding. While fair pay is important, they care less about money than others. The idea of jumping from job to job to seize new opportunities as they arise doesn't feel particularly appealing to Givers. They can't help but take an interest in the success and happiness of their colleagues at work, which makes them natural mentors and valued members of their teams. Givers bring the human touch to their organizations.
Fit score:
/ 100
Artisans are the masters of their craft, or they will be one day. They are always on the lookout for ways to perfect their skills—for them, learning is a lifelong journey. They seek out work that fascinates them, and they love the feeling of being “in the zone” at work. They appreciate being acknowledged for their expertise and enjoy having a high degree of autonomy when doing their job. Artisans raise the bar for performance at their organizations.
Life for Explorers is an adventure, and they want excitement and variety from work. They enjoy interesting work, but try not to define themselves based on a job. They tend to be flexible with their long-term plans, keeping their options open for new opportunities as they arise. Explorers want to be the masters of their own lives, and they’re more willing than many people to trade security for flexibility. Explorers help make their organizations more adaptable in a rapidly changing world.
Strivers are driven by a powerful desire to make something of their lives. They set high standards for themselves and can be quite competitive. Professional success and its visible markers are important to Strivers. Their drive leads them to be forward planners, and they tend to stick to the plan diligently, minimizing uncertainty. Strivers are highly resilient people who can tolerate unpleasant elements of their job if those elements are necessary for their long-term ambitions. Strivers bring the discipline necessary to keep their organizations running successfully.
Pioneers are on a mission to change the world. They tend to form strong views about the way things should be and seek opportunities to turn their visions into reality. They are self-starters, who tend to feel natural in leadership positions. They have the courage to take risks when the circumstances demand it. They identify profoundly with their work, and they are more willing than many people to make personal sacrifices where needed. Pioneers’ dynamism makes them the engines of change in their organizations.
RETAKE QUIZ
For you, work is about service. Seeing your actions make a positive impact, however big or small, in someone else's life is what makes the job rewarding. While fair pay is important, you find yourself caring less about money than many people you know. The idea of jumping from job to job to seize new opportunities as they arise doesn't feel particularly appealing to you. You can't help but take an interest in the success and happiness of your colleagues at work, which makes you a natural mentor and a valued member of your team. You—and other Givers like you—bring the human touch to your organization.
You Are a Giver
Operator
For Operators, life is about more than work. It's not that they don't care about their job; it just isn’t what defines them as a person. They don't feel a burning desire to always stand out at work, which makes them excellent team players. In fact, they may see many of their colleagues as friends. Because they mostly find meaning outside of work, they usually prefer their job to be predictable and they don't tend to take big risks when it comes to their career. This is what makes Operators the dependable backbone of every organization.
You are the master of your craft, or you will be one day. You are always on the lookout for ways to perfect your skills—for you, learning is a lifelong journey. You seek out work that fascinates you, and you love the feeling of being “in the zone” at work. You appreciate being acknowledged for your expertise and enjoy having a high degree of autonomy when doing your job. You—and other Artisans like you—raise the bar for performance at your organization.
You Are an Artisan
Life for you is an adventure, and you want excitement and variety from work. You enjoy interesting work, but try not to define yourself based on a job. You tend to be flexible with your long-term plans, keeping your options open for new opportunities as they arise. You want to be the master of your own life, and you're more willing than many people to trade security for flexibility. You—and other Explorers like you—help make your organization more adaptable in a rapidly changing world.
You Are an Explorer
You are driven by a powerful desire to make something of your life. You set high standards for yourself and can be quite competitive. Professional success and its visible markers are important to you. Your drive leads you to be a forward planner, and you tend to stick to the plan diligently, minimizing uncertainty. You are a highly resilient person and can tolerate unpleasant elements of your job if they are necessary for your long-term ambitions. You—and other Strivers like you—bring the discipline necessary to keep your organization running successfully.
You Are a Striver
You are on a mission to change the world. You tend to form strong views about the way things should be and seek opportunities to turn your vision into reality. You are a self-starter, who tends to feel natural in leadership positions. You have the courage to take risks when the circumstances demand it. You identify profoundly with your work, and you are more willing than many people you know to make personal sacrifices where needed. Your dynamism makes you—and other Pioneers like you—the engine of change in your organization.
You Are a Pioneer
