Does your birth order have anything to do with who you are at work?
I was reading an article at Psychology Today that suggested that where you fit in to your family has a lot of impact on what type of employee you are. As the youngest in my family, I always tend to disagree with the idea that birth order matters.
However, when you are looking for a job, understanding your special gifts and talents is important. Sometimes, thinking about who you are and why you behave the way you do can be helpful. As I read the article, I began to see that maybe there might be some truth to the old birth order thing after all.
According to their studies, here is what your birth order says about you:
- First born - First born children tend to be smarter than their siblings. Their parent poured their resources into that child, making sure that they have the best. First borns, and only children, are more likely to be perfectionists, reliable, conscientious and natural leaders. Because they often were the leader of their siblings and were in a position of authority, they make great managers. However, only children, or those whose siblings are significantly younger can also be self-motivated, cautious and tend to be black and white thinkers. Because they have never had to compete for time and attention they can struggle with being self-centred and demanding.
- Middle Children - The middle child is typically someone who is good at resolving conflict and doesn't take things personally. They are diplomats, extremely loyal and are independent. In the workplace, they are often trusted with sensitive information and are great negotiators. They get along well with their peers and have a loyal group of friends. In any situation, they are the ones who are the most willing to work things out.
- Last born - These people are charming, need a lot of attention, are interesting and affectionate. In their professional lives, they are natural salespeople and they know how to read others. They work well in small groups and help pull the group together. They are typically the first to offer help and they are easy to talk to. From personal experience, I will add that people who are the last born are also more willing to take risks and think outside of the box. Because they are used to not having as many expectations to live up to, they have always had more freedom to explore. Their older siblings have already accomplished everything so they aren't as interested in making their mark in a traditional sense.
Of course, with any study on birth order, there are many variables to take into consideration. These days there are so many blended families that it can be hard to clearly see where you fit in. If you were an only child and then in your early teens you had step-sibilings, that may or may not change the way that you interact with others. Suddenly a first born takes on the traits of a middle child. For example, I have two children that are 10 years apart. For this type of study, they are both first born, only children.
Whether you agree with any of the studies about birth order, it's clear that the social dynamics we experience growing up has some impact on how we relate to others in the workplace. What do you think? Are you a classic first born? Do you think that the middle child is underestimated? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for ManhattanJobsBlog and Nexxt. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
Related articles
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!