Empowering career search and enrichment

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

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.