Have you ever thought about how your personality type relates to your
preferred method of job searching? If you are not familiar with the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), this personality assessment was developed
by Isabel Myers-Briggs and Katharine Myers over 50 years ago. Since then, many
people have used this assessment to learn more about their personality type and
connect it with their work, personal lives, and how they function on a
day-to-day basis.
The MBTI categorizes individuals into the following dichotomies:
- Extraversion vs. Introversion
- Sensing vs. Intuition
- Thinking vs. Feeling
- Judging vs. Perceiving
How you fall into these categories can certainly affect your preferred
method of job searching. Job searching often brings people out of their comfort
zones and sometimes forces them to use the opposite side of these personality
dichotomies. Being aware of your personality type and understanding how it can
impact your job search can assist with finding employment after
graduation.
For those who fall in the extravert category, job searching and
networking can often be fun and exciting. However, when extroverts do not hear
back from a company for a long period of time with no interaction from that
company, they could become disgruntled. Extroverts thrive on having people
interaction and gain energy from attending career fairs, networking, and simply
being around other people. Contrastingly, introverts can enjoy the job search
process, but they might be exhausted after having to network with others. They
gain their energy from being along and recharging by themselves. If they do not
hear back from a company for a while, it might not upset them as much; they may
enjoy having time to reflect on their thoughts and feelings.
Individuals in the intuition category can see the bigger picture when
it comes to job searching. They can see the end goal for their career from the
beginning. When they accept a job offer, they are usually thinking about how it
will impact their future career and professional direction. They will probably
also consider how a certain job will impact their family, social life, finances,
etc. Sensing individuals will focus more on tangible job opportunities and
their job search will typically revolve around jobs posted online, in newspapers,
or any other outlet that is right in front of them. They want to hear about the
job posting or see it for themselves in order to apply for it. Ultimately, they
rely on their senses to conduct their job search.
For the thinking vs. feeling categories, this personality trait can influence
people when they are making a decision about accepting a job offer. Thinkers
will consider the logical aspects of the position; they will use their
analytical and objectivity skills to make their decision. Feelers will rely on
their emotions and gut feelings when accepting or rejecting a job offer. They
will consider how that job could affect others, and they will be much more
subjective in their approach.
Those in the judging category will want a job search that is organized
and well-planned. They will probably keep a planner/calendar and have their job
search process organized well in advance. They might have days set aside for
networking, resume tweaking, calling employers, etc. Judgers want to set a plan
and stick to it. Perceivers, on the other hand, will be much less structured
during their job search. While they might have a plan to call companies one
day, they could decide to go shopping for interview attire instead, and this
change of plans will not bother them at all. They will typically be less
structured and sometimes thrive under pressure.
Using the less dominant part of our personality types is common when
job searching, even though it often feels uncomfortable. For example, I am an
extrovert and prefer having face-to-face interactions with employers during the
job search process. When I have applied for jobs on websites, I want to have
some type of personal interaction with the employer rather than just submitting
my application online. However, I realize that this face-to-face interaction
will not always be an option during the job search process. Therefore, I have
to be content with being slightly introverted during the initial phases of job
searching. Job searching sometimes stretches us out of our comfort zones, but
we can learn a lot about ourselves through the process!
If you want to learn more about your personality type and how it
relates to your job search process and/or future career, contact us at (334)
844-4744 and we can give you instructions for completing a personality
assessment.
