Empowering career search and enrichment

Written by Catherine Rains

Even though I don’t always guess accurately (although I’m pretty darn good!), my guesses help me to quickly form a hypothesis as to how I can be most effective with the person in front of me, or with the group I’m working with. For instance, if I observe behavioral cues that indicate a new client might prefer Thinking, I will flex my Feeling preference to Thinking so that my communication with them will be more effective. So I will get right to business at the beginning of a meeting with someone who prefers Thinking, rather than establishing a personal connection first, which is what I prefer with Feeling. If my guess is wrong, and they really have a Feeling preference after all, they will usually divert our business discussion at some point to establish that personal connection early on in the discussion. People who prefer Thinking also want a personal connection, but they usually want this after the purpose of the meeting is fully addressed.

Guessing type helps us to be more effective in working with all types, rather than just our own*. Knowing what a person prefers shows us when and how to flex when the situation indicates that the opposite of our preferences would be more appropriate. 

So when do you flex to your opposite preferences? I would love to hear your stories about when you flex to be more effective in both your professional and personal lives.

*It is important to understand that you cannot assess a person's type based merely on type cues; having the person take an assessment and giving them a proper interpretation is always recommended. The point of the blog is to try to understand how to pick up on certain type cues when in the absence of giving someone an assessment and self-verification, such as in a job interview.



Image source: http://www.hsccsikszereda.com/

 Written by Catherine Rains

I was recently teaching the MBTI® Certification course in Kansas City, and after 2 hours together on the first day of the course, I asked the group to guess my MBTI preferences. Much to my delight, they guessed 3 of the 4 letters wrong. They might have guessed incorrectly because some in the room were just beginning to learn type, however many in the group already knew type quite well prior to the first day and they guessed wrong as well. They couldn’t pick up my type because I was only showing them one of my preferences, which is the one they picked up correctly. I was purposely flexing my type to the opposite of my preferences because it was appropriate to do so. In that situation, I needed to present complex material in a verbal, enthusiastic, concrete, linear, objective, timely and structured manner because that is what was required of me for those two hours.


So did the class fail at guessing type? Actually they demonstrated that they could already pick up type accurately, assuming the person they were guessing was showing their true type. When I am asked to guess someone’s type, which often happens when people find out I teach type, I always begin by saying I can accurately guess assuming they are showing me their best fit type. All I can really do is look for behavioral cues that would indicate a person’s preferences, and if they aren’t behaving in a way that would indicate their type, I will also guess incorrectly. So when guessing type, we need to be careful because all we can really do is look for behavioral cues, and then make a guess based on what we are observing.

So what is the value in guessing type? We’ll explore this question next week, but I would love to hear your perspective on this in the meantime. What do you think?

*It is important to understand that you cannot assess a person's type based merely on type cues; having the person take an assessment and giving them a proper interpretation is always recommended. The point of the blog is to try to understand how to pick up on certain type cues when in the absence of giving someone an assessment and self-verification, such as in a job interview.

Written by our guest blogger, Patrick L. Kerwin, MBTI^® Master Practitioner

“This year, I’m going to get organized.” How many times have you said that, or heard others say it?

First, let’s take a look at that word, “organized.” Often being an “organized” person conjures up an image of someone who has a system in place where everything is put away, neatly arranged in order, with a minimum of clutter and a maximum of tidiness. With this as a standard, it’s no surprise that so many people feel disorganized!

But really, being “organized” means having a system in place that allows resources to be accessed easily when needed. Think about your own room or workspace. Whether you have things all over the place, or have them neatly put away, can you find what you need when you need it? If so, then you are “organized”!

If you answered “no,” then you do some things to come up with a better system. And the easiest way to get there is to remember your type! If you prefer P, go with your style, and adjust your expectations. Remember, it’s not about having it all put away, it’s about having a system that works. Your first step might be going through one pile of stuff and getting rid of what you don’t need. Or see if you can consolidate two piles. Take it in small bites, and keep it fluid. And if you prefer J, go with your style as well. Is there a stack of stuff driving you crazy? For J’s, the goal is often about putting things away – so go through the pile, trashing items or putting them away, until you’ve worked your way all the way through it. Getting that closure will make you happy.

Whatever your type, you can get it together!

Written by Catherine Rains

Ok admit it all you Perceiving preferences out there, you really think you are happier in your careers than Judging preferences. Why? Because Perceiving preferences constantly monitor the environment for the best possible career (major), and are willing to make a 180 degree change in their career to follow a new option that appeals to them more than what they are currently doing. Judging preferences also want to be happy in their careers, but they are much less likely to change course mid-stream after they have already gotten an education and experience in a particular field. For instance, if a Judging preference student decides the major they have chosen is "wrong”, they will either stick with their major and figure out a way to make it work, or change majors to something very related to the original major so they don’t lose any credits and can still graduate in four years.

In other words, once a decision is made on a major and later a career, Judging preferences are much less likely to change course, even if a more appealing option reveals itself. So this must mean that Perceiving preferences are more satisfied long term, right? Wrong! According to research, Judging preferences report higher career satisfaction because they aren’t always looking for more options, but rather look for ways to make where they are now work for them. Most Perceiving preferences I know live with a touch of dissatisfaction with where they are because they are always in search of something even better!