Assessments Part 3: Personality
A lot has been written about Myers-Briggs and other related assessments including thoughtful criticism. While I would not recommend the assessment on its own, it can be insightful to give us more language to describe ourselves and narrow down options. I recommend the Truity’s TypeFinder assessment. Many people get caught up on the resulting types (i.e ENFJ, INFP, etc.). I caution against seeing yourself as a type in its entirety; in fact I recommend that after completing the assessment you read the summary of the four letters and ask yourself how/if they relate to your career and identified jobs
For example:
“The Introversion/Extraversion dimension describes how a person manages their energy.
Introverts are energized by spending quiet time alone or with a small group. They tend to be more reserved and thoughtful.
Extraverts are energized by spending time with people and in busy, active surroundings. They tend to be more expressive and outspoken.”
I score very high as an Extravert and this is something that has been reflected in my jobs. I have worked tradeshow sales talking 14 hours a day without breaking a sweat. Put me in front of a spreadsheet however and my energy level nose-dives within a couple hours. Depending on where you score (and if you identify with the description), consider how this will impact the career.
As with Values, Personality can be another piece of the puzzle to narrow down careers when researching the occupations you identified in Part 1.
So now you have your identified your interests, top values, personality and some occupations to learn more about. While they can be stable over time, they aren’t set in stone and you can go back and change them as needed. Self-reflection is a life-long process as our work, volunteer, academic, and other life experiences provide us with more information that adjust what we prioritize over the course of our life.
So take some time to reflect and when you are ready, it is time to take the next step…Researching Occupations!
Tanya’s Story: In completing her Personality Assessment she scored INTJ. Tanya strongly identified with the Introversion as while she enjoys collaboration, she finds it exhausting to talk to people and enjoys extended periods of working alone. Her evenings, which including nights out with friends, are primarily spent reading and watching Netflix. Her Judging aspect also stood out and is congruent with her Conventional Interest score, as she hates last-minute changes to her plans and enjoys staying organized