If you’re an introvert, it can feel a bit daunting to find a job that suits your personality type. Crowded offices make you anxious, and you can’t think of anything worse than working in the service industry, interacting with people every single day. So what do you do?
Well, you could become an HGV driver. In general, as long as you’re over 18 and have a clean driving license you can become a HGV driver, but it’s true that the job does suit some people more than others. Today, we look at how being an introvert fits in with being a HGV driver, and what that might look like.
You may have heard the terms ‘introvert’ and ‘extrovert’ to describe people and their personality types. An extrovert is someone who thrives on interaction with people. They are often considered the ‘life and soul of the party’, and they refuel by spending time with other people. Introverts, on the other hand, are the opposite. They are quiet, reserved and introspective people, who would often rather be curled up at home with a book or a TV show than out at a loud, crowded party. They need alone time to recharge their batteries, and can find spending time in crowds of people quite draining. It’s said that everyone falls somewhere on that spectrum, and it might surprise you to know that some of the most famous people are also introverts. Some examples include Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Steven Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg and Michael Jordan.
Some signs you might be an introvert include:
Of course, introversion is a spectrum, so not all of these might apply to you. But if you recognise a few things within that list, you’re probably an introvert in some way.
Since introverts prefer solitude, or at the very least avoiding crowds, finding jobs that are fulfilling and not draining is challenging. For the most part, introverts tend to be attracted to working for smaller businesses, or companies that allow working from home or solitary working. Often you will find introverts among writers, accountants, IT analysts, software engineers, librarians and so on. Anything that allows them to limit human interaction when they need some headspace. Introverts often do their best work when left to their own devices, and since they tend to be very self-motivated, that works out well for employers.
So, how does that all fit into being a HGV driver? As it turns out, very well. HGV drivers spend around 80% of their working time in solitude, just themselves, their vehicle and the open road. There is some human interaction at either end of the journey, along with check-ins with management, but overall, you are basically left to your own devices. Which is exactly what introverts love. HGV driving actually attracts a lot of introverted people for this exact reason. Drivers can sometimes spend weeks out on the road with little to no interaction with other people. They can spend their drive time listening to audiobooks or music, and generally recharging their batteries ready for their personal life. This kind of activity reduces stress in introverted personalities, meaning that when they do go home and interact with people they are in a better mood, and better equipped to deal with it. This solitude is often really challenging for extroverts – but for introverts it’s the dream.
So would we recommend that introverts consider a career as HGV drivers? Absolutely! It’s one of the jobs that is almost tailor made for introverted personalities, and you can have much more control over your working hours and environment to go along with it. If you would like to find out more about becoming a HGV driver in 2021, just get in touch with our team today.