Empowering career search and enrichment

Written by Catherine Rains 

Written by Catherine Rains

In continuation of our last blog, Counseling to Type Strategies - Extroversion (Part 1), here are some suggestions on what you can do to work most effectively with this preference:


Provide opportunity to talk about and experience the options they are considering. Co-op/internships and informational interviewing are a natural choice for career exploration for this preference.  Remember they are not only energized by interaction with people, but also with activity outside of themselves.

Ask lots of open ended questions to encourage them to talk even more. They usually enjoy question and answer techniques as a way to process the information coming out during the session.

Continue the discussion where you left off last time.  If your student comes back for a second appointment, there is an expectation that you will know what was discussed last time.  With my poor memory, this meant I kept a file for student appointments, which noted highlights of each discussion.

Share some strategies of your own on our Facebook or Twitter pages!

Written by Catherine Rains

Behavioral cues for Extraversion and Introversion often seem obvious, however I know many people who prefer Introversion that say they are often mistaken for someone who prefers Extraversion. I most often hear this from people whose jobs require them to exhibit extraverted behaviors, which is true of most jobs in America! So it can sometimes be difficult to know whether someone prefers Introversion simply by observing their behavior at work. We often have to look for additional cues beyond the obvious (talking a lot) in order to pick up this preference up accurately. Some of the cues I look for are when they:

• Could wait until someone else starts a conversation
• Often are comfortable with extended pauses in conversation (it gives them time to think)
• Might lean back in their chair, away from the conversation
• Could ask is there something they could read to learn more about what you are discussing
• Might speak slower and with a quieter tone
• Could avoid eye contact
• Might not interrupt a conversation to make their point, even when appropriate to do so
• Sometimes prefer email communication over talking in person

What other additional behavioral cues can you add to the list?

Written by Catherine Rains

For the next 8 weeks, we are going to explore some of the behavioral cues that could indicate someone’s preferences, and that could help us be more effective with all types of people, especially with those who have opposite preferences than our own.

Let’s start at the top. What are the behavioral cues that would indicate the person in front of you has a preference for Extraversion? They…..


• Might start talking right away when you meet them.
• Could be uncomfortable with pauses in the conversation and will work to fill in any silence.
• Might talk over you, interrupt you, and finish your sentences.
• Sometimes are energized from rapid back and forth conversation.
• Might lean forward, into the conversation.
• Could talk with their hands, in addition to their voices.
• Might ask “why are you so quiet” if you aren’t talking as much as them.
• Often maintain eye contact.
• Sometimes speak rapidly and louder than their opposite preference.
• Often appear enthusiastic and animated when they speak.
• Could describe themselves as a “people person”.

What are some other behavioral cues that could indicate someone has a preference for Extraversion? Let expand this list for the benefit of us all!

*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

Your students’ MBTI ® score measures consistency, not quantity. A student who scores 30 has answered all the extraverted questions in the extraverted direction, and therefore will more than likely agree (validate) that they have a preference for Extraversion. However, when a student scores 2 for Extraversion, it doesn’t mean they are any less extraverted than the student who scores 30. Again, the MBTI doesn’t measure how much you are of a preference, but rather how consistently you answered in one direction or the other. Our student with a score of 30 could indeed have more extraverted behaviors, but the MBTI is not measuring the amount of extraverted behaviors that they exhibit. But rather, it indicates how sure they are that they are an Extravert.

One thing you can almost certainly count on – the student with a score of 30 will agree with their result for Extraversion. Our student with a score of 2 for Extraversion will most likely be unsure and need to explore this preference pair in order to validate their best fit type for either Extraversion or Introversion. I happen to have a score of 2 for Extraversion and went back and forth for years trying to decide just this. In my mid-forties I finally realized that I am indeed an Extravert, but my score is still a 2. I express Extraversion in my own unique way, with a bit of Introverted behaviors thrown in for good measure! But once I claimed Extraversion, according to the MBTI, I am just as Extraverted as someone with a score of 30. An Extravert is an Extravert is an Extravert, no matter the score. Once you validate, that is your preference, period. A lower score could be a sign that more exploration is needed in this pair before someone can claim their true preference.