Empowering career search and enrichment

Written by Catherine Rains

Guessing someone’s preference for Sensing or Intuition is a bit tricky because all of us are picking up Sensing type information (facts, reality, specifics), but we all don’t do the same thing with this information. With people who prefer Sensing, they usually stick with the facts, without interpreting them. Here are some ways that I have observed this behaviorally. They:

• Sometimes have a very specific speech pattern , using concrete descriptive words and examples
• Might ask data collection questions that begin with words such as “how” and “what”
• Could be cautious to go beyond what is actual, or what is the reality of the moment
• Occasionally express a career interest in managing “what is”, serving people in practical ways, handling data (i.e. customer service, nursing, K-12 education, accounting)
• Might also be attracted to jobs that require routine and structure, and are usually not put off by repetition
• Sometimes remember the past accurately
• Might want to take a the MBTI® and/or Strong assessments to validate what they’ve already been considering, rather than for generating new options
• Could take notes when you are talking to remember all the details of what was discussed
• Might prefer non-fiction writing
• And my personal favorite – Often describe things in a linear way with lots of details (ask them for directions to someplace complicated for a good example!)

So what other behavioral cues do you use to pick up a preference for Sensing?