Start taking color-coded notes! These 11 jobs are perfect for those people looking for Type A personality careers. This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique...
My to-do list is color-coded. Blue, for example, indicates a pending draft. There are boxes for check marks, perfect for when a task is completed.
OK, so I have some Type A personality in me, but I’m proud of it. I like plans, checklists and being organized. I hate waiting in lines, wasting time and sloppy work. I bite my nails and overthink.
If that were a dating profile, I’d scare every man away. But truthfully, this Type A-ness inside me pushes me to get stuff done — like this post. (You’re welcome.)
So in the spirit of Type A personalities, I compiled a list of jobs for those of us — or those of us you know — who just want things to be perfect.
11 Jobs Perfect for People with Type A Personalities
These Type A job ideas (alphabetized, in list format) vary by type. Some offer full-time opportunities, while others allow for part-time work and flexible schedules. Some require you to look into jobs in your city and others — a lot, actually — let you work from home.
So get out your pen and pad, and start your research now.
1. Captioner/Transcriptionist
From experience, I can say this is a Type A job all the way.
Captioners and transcriptionists require a knack for accuracy. There’s no half-hearting these tasks. Companies and people rely on your quick fingers and sharp listening skills.
Usually you are paid per audio hour, but that’s not equivalent to a real hour, as you’ll probably find yourself pausing and rewinding.
Video captioning is similar — except you’ll watch and listen. For example, Rev.com pays $1.25 per video minute.
You can find work on other sites, too. Consider TranscribeMe, Tigerfish, Quicktate and CrowdSurf.
2. Data Entry Clerk
Think: typist.
Some of these job descriptions include key, Type A-satisfying phrases such as “ensures consistency and accuracy,” “compiles and sorts information” and “must be self-motivated, organized and detail-oriented.”
Feeling qualified? You probably are. Pay ranges on a per-hour or per-project basis.
You can find office jobs as data entry clerks, but there are a number of specialized sites advertising work-from-home projects. These sites include Clickworker.com and DionDataSolutions.com.
3. Event Planner
Picture this: It’s your wedding day, you’re slightly panicked and you want everything to be perfect.
Cue the Type A planner. (That’s you.)
Event/wedding/meeting planning requires extremely organized individuals who know their way around a checklist or two. They have to coordinate and hire others to successfully execute an event or get-together.
You’ll likely need a degree and/or some experience, but you can always start under a “junior” status or assistant. (Read how this woman got started as a wedding planner with no prior experience.)
Find a number of event planner jobs on classic job search sites such as Indeed, CareerBuilder and SimplyHired.
4. Grocery Store Bagger
I’ve never bagged groceries (except my own… for fun), and I’m sure those of you who have are rolling your eyes right now, but I’ll never forget one bagger who called the experience “therapeutic.”
You’re filling bags by weight and food type. Preferably the frozen items are in one bag, right? The produce goes in another. The heavy objects are at the bottom whereas the bread goes neatly on top.
In my opinion, it’s a lost art.
Check out (get it?) Snagajob.com, a site that aggregates jobs hourly. You can also do a simple Indeed search or ask the manager at your favorite grocery store in town.
5. Housekeeper
A Penny Hoarder writer mentioned her stint as a hotel housekeeper.
“My manager got mad because there was fuzz on the toilet,” she said. Fuzz? “Like lint. From a towel.”
Definitely Type A material. If you can make a perfect bed with crisp edges and know how to handle a vacuum, this could be a way for you to bag some extra money.
But there are also more exotic options. Consider becoming a housekeeper at a resort, ranch, vacation rental or even a cruise ship.
And if your significant other is on the same Type-A level as you, tag-team it. Some places look for couples to maintain the grounds.
For jobs like that, visit Cool Works. For more “normal” gigs, search Indeed, Monster or SimplyHired. Care.com also has personal ads calling for housekeepers. Also consider Task Rabbit.
6. Inventory Specialist
What’s your favorite retailer. The Container Store? Bed Bath & Beyond? Paper Source?
You could snag a job as an inventory specialist — also known as a stock associate or inventory aide. You’ll be able to flex your organizing and assorting skills by handling the store’s products.
To find a job, visit your favorite store’s career web page where you’ll likely be able to search by state. Or you can go to any job search site and search by retailer or location.
7. Library Specialist/Technician
Also consider: library associate, assistant, circulation attendant, clerk…
These jobs vary widely — part time and full time, hourly and salaried. Some require high school degrees, others require a master’s. Either way, these jobs offer substantial pay.
Start your job search at governmentjobs.com. You can search by title (see above) and your city.
8. Professional Organizer/Clutter Consultant
We’ve written about Tova Weinstock, a professional organizer and cleaner who makes $100 to $200 an hour for virtual consultations.
She’s a freelance organizer of sorts, who sets her own hours and also works with clients in-person to clean New York City apartments. Projects might last one afternoon or continue for four days at a time. Her clients fondly call her “Tidy Tova.” (I think I could be Clutter-Free Carson.)
If you’re interested in becoming the next Tidy Tova, the Profitable Organizer has some reading material for your perusing. Living Peace also offers resources.
9. Proofreader
I was a teaching assistant in graduate school and graded students’ proofreading and copyediting worksheets. The delight I got from editing students’ edits was insurmountable.
If you get the same joy out of words and punctuation as I do, consider becoming a work-at-home proofreader. It offers flexible scheduling and pays per page.
Freelance proofreader Caitlin Pyle offers this advice to those forging into the word business: “It’s important to remember you are paid per page! So if you get distracted or procrastinate and drag out those 50 pages over several hours, it may seem like you’re not making any money.”
That’s a great Type-A tip: Plan and execute, plan and execute.
Pyle runs ProofreadAnywhere.com where you can take a free introductory workshop. You can find gigs on freelance sites such as Upwork.com and Freelancer.com.
10. Travel Consultant
Along the same line of work as event planning, travel consultants need to be able to stay organized while handling a number of tasks — hunting down the best deals, creating itineraries and establishing relationships.
You should probably enjoy your own vacations, too. So ask the hiring company about paid vacation, right?
Again, you can find these types of jobs on your classic job search sites.
11. Virtual Assistant
Sure, you could sit behind an old, cluttered desk and file paperwork and punch keys on the typewriter. (OK, so maybe that was the ‘80s.) But nowadays, many busy professionals want a virtual assistant, which means you’ll work from home.
Tasks and skills vary: customer service, data entry, research, social media management and website maintenance. Heck, you might even be able to get your hands on some file organizing. Either way, you’ll want to break out your trusty to-do list.
Look into VANetworking.com and Zirtual for specific virtual assistant sites. Also, read our article about virtual assistants for more information and resources.
Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a former staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.