Jay Chaudhry has had occasion to hire many people.

The 66-year-old has founded five different companies. The first was cybersecurity company SecureIT, which he co-founded with his wife in 1996 and which sold for $70 million in stock in 1998. And the latest is another cybersecurity company, Zscaler, which he founded in 2008 and which has a market cap of $24.13 billion as of Wednesday. He's currently the CEO of Zscaler, which employs more than 7,000 people, he says. Chaudhry's now worth $9 billion, according to Forbes.

When it comes to hiring new employees, Chaudhry often asks himself one crucial question to determine if they'll be a good fit: "Are you a builder or are you an operator?"

Here's how both types of workers function and why you should try to be each throughout your career.

Builders are comfortable with chaos

Builders thrive in startup, free-flowing environments.

"Startups succeed because of tons of passion and hardly any process," he says, referring to the hierarchy that big companies typically have. He adds that in startups, "the process is all word of mouth, being able to go and talk to each other" as opposed to any formal channels for communication. That's the kind of freedom builders like and need in their professional lives.

"Often builders can scale" and help a company grow, he says. And they have to be curious and ongoing learners, because in younger companies, "there are a lot of things to be figured out."

Operators like clear processes

Operators, on the other hand, work better in bigger companies.

They're employees who like "a more structured, well-defined environment," he says. Big companies tend to have more systems in place to ensure their many employees work together harmoniously. This kind of organization works for operators.

For them, "the ability to build teams, inspire them, grow them to scale the business" is ultimately what's important.

People who can do both are 'rare'

It's a "very different skill set to build something from early stage" versus running "a billion-dollar business," he says. But both are critical — the ability to thrive within a more rigid system and the ability to work in one with less defined rules.

Ultimately, both types of work offer opportunities for personal growth.

"Working in a large company to learn some of the scaling and processing is a good thing," he says of operators, for example. But working as a builder lets you flex your creativity and forces you to learn and adapt.

"I think if you have people who can do both," he says, "it's a rare thing."

Want to master your money this fall? Sign up for CNBC's new online course. We'll teach you practical strategies to hack your budget, reduce your debt, and grow your wealth. Start today to feel more confident and successful. Use code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off, now extended through September 30, 2024, for the back-to-school season.

Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.