Interests: A Deep Dive into What You Love to Do at Work

Two people can have the same job, with the same pay and the same benefits, but feel completely different about it. The first person feels energized and engaged, but the other feels bored, restless, or quietly drained. Often, the difference isn’t talent or motivation; it’s because of their interests.

Don’t be fooled: people might tell you to stick with a job that’s ideal for them, but if it’s not ideal for you, then it might be time to look into what truly fits your interests.

When it comes to career satisfaction, few things matter more than what you actually enjoy doing. In fact, how well your career aligns with your key interests is the single best predictor of how successful and satisfied you’ll be at work.

This deep dive uses CareerLeader’s decades of research to explore what Interests really are and how they differ from Motivators. We’ll also go over how they show up across different parts of your life, and how they’re fulfilled in different positions.

What Are Interests?

Interests describe the kinds of activities and problems that naturally engage you. They answer questions like:

• What do I like doing, even when no one is forcing me to do it?
• What types of problems do I naturally like solving?
• What makes time fly by at work?

Interests aren’t about what you’re good at (your Skills, which we’ll cover in a later article), and they aren’t about what rewards you (Motivators). They’re about what you enjoy engaging with.

You might enjoy coming up with new ideas, organizing complex systems, influencing how people think and act, or improving what already exists, just to highlight a few examples. Those patterns form your Interest profile, and that profile quietly shapes whether your work feels energizing or exhausting.

CareerLeader’s 8 Core Interests

Through extensive research, CareerLeader has identified eight core interests:

• Application of Technology
• Influencing Others
• Coaching and Mentoring
• Managing People and Teams
• Creative Production
• Quantitative Analysis
• Enterprise Control
• Theory Development and Research

Each of these covers a wide range of jobs, and each of them is perfectly valid for whatever fits you, but they differ from what keeps you doing those tasks daily; your Motivators.

Interests vs. Motivators

Interests and Motivators often get confused, but they’re answers to different questions:

• Interests = What you like to do
• Motivators = Why you want to do it

You might be interested in solving analytical problems, but motivated by recognition. Or interested in creative work, but motivated by autonomy. Those combinations matter in your career path.

For example, let's say two people both enjoy Creative Production: one might be motivated by recognition, while the other is motivated by autonomy, but they both share a common interest; they just have two different personal journeys driving it. The first will likely thrive in an agency or design firm where they can win industry awards and plaudits from their colleagues, while the second person will thrive as a freelancer or entrepreneur, selling their own creations to the public.

Understanding interests helps you find work you enjoy. Understanding motivators helps you find environments that sustain you. Both are key to your happiness and success.

Interests Show Up Everywhere

Your interests don’t only show up at work. They appear in how you:

• Choose hobbies
• Spend free time
• Approach problems
• Talk about ideas
• Engage with people

Someone high in Influencing might love debating, persuading, or storytelling.

Someone high in Analysis might enjoy puzzles, research, or strategy games.

Someone high in Creative Production might be drawn to brainstorming, design, or crafting.

At work, those same interests determine what kinds of tasks feel natural instead of draining, regardless of job title.

How Careers Fulfill Interests

Interests are fulfilled through the actual work you do, not the label on your business card.

For example, if you enjoy fast-paced, high-energy environments and brainstorming, then Creative Production is likely one of your core interests.

However, that doesn’t mean you need to be a designer, writer, or advertising creative. Depending on your other interests, Creative Production could be fulfilled through:

• Product management
• Entrepreneurship
• Marketing strategy
• Consulting
• Startup leadership

The interest stays the same. How you pursue that interest is what changes.

This is why two people with the same interests can thrive in very different careers, and why chasing job titles alone often leads people astray.

A Closer Look at a Few Interests

Let’s circle back to our eight core interests. Here are three examples to show how they operate.

Creative Production

This interest is about generating something new: ideas, concepts, products, solutions, and so on.

People high in Creative Production enjoy:

• Brainstorming
• Experimenting
• Working in ambiguity
• Starting from scratch
• Rapid iteration

They often feel stifled in rigid, highly structured environments but come alive in fast-moving, innovative settings. Importantly, this interest can be expressed in many ways, not just in traditional “creative” roles.

Quantitative Analysis

Quantitative Analysis is about understanding, diagnosing, and solving complex problems.

People high in Quantitative Analysis enjoy:

• Working with data or logic
• Finding patterns
• Evaluating options
• Making sense of uncertainty

They tend to thrive in roles involving strategy, finance, operations, research, or problem-solving of any kind. When this interest isn’t met, work can feel shallow or intellectually unsatisfying.

Influencing Others

Influencing Others involves shaping opinions, decisions, and outcomes through people.

People high in this interest enjoy:

• Persuasion and communication
• Selling ideas
• Negotiating
• Leading or motivating others

They often thrive in roles involving leadership, sales, politics, marketing, or client-facing work. Without opportunities to engage people, they may feel invisible or underutilized.

Why Interests Matter So Much

You can force yourself to do work you don’t enjoy for a while. But over time, it becomes exhausting. When your role aligns with your interests you stay engaged, are more resilient under stress, and are more likely to excel. That’s why interest fit is such a powerful predictor of both performance and satisfaction. Skills can be built. Motivators can change. But interests are the engine that makes work feel alive.

Using Interests to Make Better Career Choices

When you understand your interests, you can:

• Look beyond job titles to what the role actually involves
• Identify why certain experiences have felt right or wrong
• Ask better questions when evaluating opportunities
• Design career paths that fit how you naturally like to work

CareerLeader uses Interest profiles to translate self-knowledge into career direction, helping people move toward roles that don’t just look good, but actually feel good to do.

Careers are built on opportunity, but they’re sustained by alignment. When your work consistently engages your core interests, effort feels meaningful rather than draining, and when it doesn’t, even success can feel empty.

There’s no single “best” interest profile. But there is one (or two, or three) that fits you. And when you understand it, you stop guessing and start choosing work that truly fits.