Empowering career search and enrichment

Written by Catherine Rains

Alas, we live in a world the culturally prefers Judging. So what happens to the 50% of us who prefer Perceiving? We learn Judging skills to be successful in a world that values Judging type behaviors. This certainly was my case. As I have mentioned in previous blog entries, my father (who prefers INFJ) trained me almost from birth to exhibit Judging behaviors, and I’m very grateful that he did. As a result, most people pick me up as someone who prefers Judging, which has helped me live successfully in a Judging world while also honoring my clear preference for Perceiving. And I am far from unusual - I have met MANY people who prefer Perceiving, while exhibiting Judging behaviors professionally, making it a challenge to figure out their true preference. This also means that it could be difficult to guess their dominant function. However, if you look real close, and are patient, you can still find the true preference lurking in the background – it just might not be obvious at first glance.

Here are some cues that I look for. They….

• Usually won’t choose their major until the absolute deadline for doing so – end of sophomore year or when an authority figure says they must 
• Could add a minor, a double major, or choose one major with LOTS of career options (i.e. Communication, History, Psychology) 
• Might dress in a more casual, comfortable or artistic style, even in professional garb 
• Sometimes ask things like “when do you really need that by” or “is that the real due date” as they will be energized to get things completed close to the ultimate deadline 
• Often think no decision is final and are willing to change their mind when new information surfaces, like when they discover a new major that is more interesting than the one they already choose and have earned 60 credits toward 
• Sometimes look at the 4-year plan from the Career Center as a list of suggested activities and will jump into the list wherever it looks interesting 
• Might drop in to meet with you without an appointment 
• Often want to keep ALL options open until the last minute, including what they are going to do this afternoon

What am I missing? What other cues do you use to pick up whether someone has a preference for Perceiving?

If you’ve been considering attending a MBTI® certification training, and you’re in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area, now is the perfect time! Here’s your opportunity to get certified and better understand and appreciate the value of the MBTI assessment.

The training workshop will be held on July 9-12, 2012 at The Dahlmann Campus Inn. You can get complete program details and register at www.cpp.com/mbticertification.

If you are already certified and have a colleague or friend that wants to learn about and start using this assessment, you can “Refer a Colleague” and get a 10% discount on a future order with CPP. Email our Customer Relations Department or call us at 800.624.1765 for more details regarding our “Refer a Colleague” promotion.

Written by Catherine Rains

Finally, we get to my favorite set of cues. The outer letters, the attitudes, show how we express our middle letters, and can thus be sometimes more obvious in terms of behavior cues. Remember too that the J and P were added by Myers and Briggs to indicate what a person shows to the world, or what they extrovert. So again, this attitude is often something that we can see, more so than the middle letters. This is ALWAYS assuming that someone is actually showing us their true preference for J or P. I am a case in point with this one as my behavior and appearance look J, but I have a preference for P. But I’ll share this next week when we get to behavior cues for Perceiving. Meanwhile, let’s look at common cues for the Judging preference.

Here are some things that I look for. They….

• Usually chose a major before they get to college, or by the first semester of their Freshmen year (this is a question I sometimes weave into a conversation!)
• Might show up 15 minutes prior to an appointment or engagement 
• Often will get assignments done days before the deadline 
• Could have a neat, crisp appearance with clothes pressed, hair well groomed, more conservative and angular in style 
• Often have a very organized back pack, purse and/or daytimer 
• Might plan out their weekends and vacations with a schedule, and don’t want to move forward without a plan 
• Could appear closed to new information once a decision has been made  
• Might decide quickly to get a decision checked off their list 
• Sometimes love the 4-year plan the career center provides, and follows the plan year by year

What else gives you the impression that someone has a preference for Judging? Please share what you have observed.

Written by Catherine Rains

Someone who prefers Feeling usually starts most conversations and/or meetings with a personal topic. Establishing a personal connection with anyone they do business with is paramount to them wanting to do business with that person in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, they also want to get to the point of a meeting and get things done just like someone who prefers Thinking. But they would prefer to establish a personal connection first, and do business second. Someone who prefers Thinking wants to get business done first and talk personal second. But both preferences DO both. It’s all a matter of where each preference likes to start. So what behavioral cues make it obvious that someone prefers Feeling, other than they might start a conversation with a personal topic? They:

• Might start the conversation by asking how you feel
• Often respond to a compliment with a longer personal narrative about what was complimented about 
• Sometimes speak about what they feel, appreciate, and value 
• Might begin a sentence with the phrase “I feel…” 
• Could ask about how others have decided about something 
• Often begin emails with personal questions or commentary, maybe even add a :)
• Usually smile at you, shake their head up and down, validating what you are saying
• Sometimes indicate they are interested in a career that will help others in some way
• Could be very open and generous in their compliments and appreciation of you
• Sometimes look for ways to support what you are saying

So what have I missed? I’m sure you can come up with a few dozen more Feeling cues!

*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 Catherine Rains

When I’m working with a new client, the first thing I usually try to guess is their preference for Thinking or Feeling. Why? Because it will dictate how our conversation will start. If my client prefers Thinking, they will want to get to business right away, with minimal personal chit chat, which is not true with my Feeling preference clients. Because knowing this preference is so important to me early in the conversation, I pay very close attention to their Thinking/Feeling behavioral cues, even more than with the other preferences. Here are some things that I look for. They:

• Might look more serious, business-like, appearing a bit indifferent
• Often will jump right into the purpose of the meeting without my prompting
• If I compliment them, they sometimes respond with a quick thank you with little personal narrative about what I complimented them about
• Could appear critical because of their focus on what is wrong and needs to be fixed
• Sometimes will argue or debate a point just for fun
• Might use dark humor, sharp wit or sarcasm
• Could question my competence to see if they deem me competent
• Often use the phrase “I think…”
• Usually get right to the point in an email with little personal “talk” (unless they know they are emailing a Feeling preference, and then will add a short personal line in the beginning after they are finished writing the email!)

So what cues work for you in guessing whether someone prefers Thinking?

*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.

The latest issue of the Career Insider is out! We wanted to make sure to give you enough resources to guide you through this stressful time of year when graduation and interview preparations are taking place. Here is a preview of some of the articles included in this issue:

• Bringing yourself to the Interview, by Patrick Kerwin – A friend of mine was getting ready to interview for a job recently, and she was talking to me about a piece of advice people were giving her that she wasn’t finding very helpful. Read more.
• Graduation Trials and Tribulations, by Donna Dunning – Once you graduate, the pressure is on to determine who you are and how you are planning to live your life. “What will you do now?” will be a reoccurring question and concern. Read more.
• Help Students Manage Stress to Build Resiliency with the MBTI® and TKI Assessments, by Laura Simonds - Dealing with graduation and a job search at the same time can cause a tremendous amount of stress and lower a student’s resiliency. The excitement and anticipation of graduation, coupled with the fear and uncertainty of a job search, can result in conflict and atypical behavior. Read more.

Read the Summer 2012 Career Insider issue for more articles and helpful resources.