It's Alright to be an Introvert

From the Myers-Briggs website: "It is not ethical to use the MBTI instrument for hiring or for deciding job assignments."

And employers actually pay you to consult with them?

In a leadership and management class I've been taking for my masters program, we've taken lots of these types of assessements. MBTI is great because it's well-known, but it's not uncommon for people to have different results each time they take the test, even if the tests are only a few minutes apart. Also, typically, as people grow older they tend to start to equal out and not be as strongly skewed toward either of the two options in each category.

The test I've found most helpful and accurate is Gallup's StrengthsFinder 2.0. To develop this assessment, Gallup interviewed the around 2 million people who were at the very top of their respective fields (pro athletes to CEOs) and studied what personal strengths made them so successful. The assessment is online and takes about 30 minutes. Once you've finished, it gives you your top five strengths (among 34 possibilities), along with descriptions of what that means and an action plan for how to capitalize on those strengths in your life.

My results were frighteningly accurate and the nice thing about this test is that your strengths are not likely to change much after around age 15. The idea is based on positive psychology, meaning that you should focus on strengths more than weakness. This is not for any touchy-feely, self-esteem boost, but that you can practice all you want to improve your weaknesses, but you'll probably never be as strong in that area as someone who is naturally talented, even if they don't work on the skill.

If you can't tell, I'm a big believer in this assessment. I'd be happy to give more information to anyone who may be interested.

I think people worry that being an Introvert means you are anti-social and don't like people, which is why being one gets such a bad rap. Thanks for dispelling the myth!

Ahh, another INTJ!

In response to the comment above where you say we tend to balance out, or even change through time, I've taken MBTI tests several times over the past, oh 12 years or so, and my results have been consistent. I've drifted slightly more towards the introversion (33% here, was closer to 50% ten years ago), but I've maintained 85%+ in the NT ratings.

And Amanda, I agree, I'm listed as an introvert, but the way I see it is it's simply where you draw your energy from. Extroverts draw energy from social situations, while introverts draw it from being alone. The way I see it is that it doesn't really affect how you behave in those situations, just your natural inclination.

ENFP
The myers brigs has merit – I often use the DiSC profile –
I find that DiSC works better for the groups I consult that wish to deal with work place behavoirs.
I have seen the Myers Briggs be used as a negative implication and reasons for termination.

I think your Myer-Briggs would change as you get older, because you learn to balance each side of the four dimensions and come out somewhere in the middle on all of them. When you are younger (childhood) you might strongly favor one side of a dimension more than the other. The best way I've found to determine my true type (aside from paying for an administered test) is to take the assessment, figure out which combinations you could be, then read a bunch of descriptions for those types and determine which combination you actually are.

If anything, maybe your actual personality doesn't change, but you can at least change the way you interact to give the appearance that you are a different type.

I'm an introvert too, and that's one dimension that I'm pretty sure that will never change, though I might get closer to the middle as I get older. People tell me I'm an extrovert, but I think most people confuse extrovertedness with outgoing and sociable, as you said.

I agree with Bill about the merits of using Myers-Briggs tests for hiring and job assignments. But there is indeed merit in using personal observations and asking questions based on MBTI to see if you would be making a good hire. And I agree with Jacqui that it's not uncommon to see different results over time.

Having said that, hiring managers need to realize that behavior is "situational specific." Answers to a few "personality type" questions in a job interview might not reveal all you need to know about a candidate. They may be stuck for an answer on a couple of questions, reach back into their memory and pull out something from their personal life just to answer the question rather than not answer it at all.

MBTI and other tests may be interesting (and a little fun), but don't assume you'll always have a full grasp on whom you're hiring before he or she begins the new job.

(ENTJ, though I was ESFP about 10 years ago)

Rick is absolutely right. I was a strong introvert when I was younger, but now I'm a fairly moderate extrovert, according to MBTI. Life experiences make a big difference.

Life experiences definitely make a difference, however according to the course you have a specific personality type and that is at the root of who you are. Typically as you grow older you come more towards the middle on all types because you gain awareness of your strengths and work on your weaknesses etc. but it really should not change too much.

Agreed that you shouldn't hire based purely on Myers Briggs scores, but you should take that into consideration when dealing with people after they are hired.

I also recommend the stengths finder, its another great personality type test that can teach you different things about yourself.

Thanks for the comments.

Ryan

Yet another fellow INTJ here…

I too thought there was something wrong with me for many years, until I read The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World by Marti Olsen Laney. If anyone is interested in exploring this subject further, I highly recommend it.

What timing. My office just talked about our personality types today (I am consistently an ENTP, regardless of the tool I use to take the test–I guess that's why the test is still used). The intro/extrovert info came in handy, especially for "I" people who are fairly social. So I guess this means extroverts can be quite shy, as well? Harder to picture that person.

Despite the popularity of the MBTI, it is not a selection tool. In many cases it is illegal to use any information from the MBTI to screen out applicants. If you do want to take into consideration working relationships or job roles, you should think about asking applicants to take it only after being hired.
It says something about a company's credibility if you rely too much on popular instruments that have not been rigorously developed. Many of those who work in the field of development or training would advise applicants to just thank the interviewer for their time and walk away if the MBTI is brought up at any time during a selection interview.

The MBTI is easy and convenient to use and does provide insights into how people react in specific situations, but the basis and history behind it show that at no point was it intended to be used in employee selection, and current research advise against it. Large employers mainly use it in career counseling, leadership training or coaching.

Use of the MBTI is one of those issues that represent a knowledge gap between scientist-practitioners of psychology, HR professionals and managers in gereral, but hopefully will improve in the future.

I'm an INTJ, too

This post was spot on! I too and am introvert, but also enjoy being social. Thanks so much for getting that reasoning out there. I usually have to explain that to people as well.

@Adam – Yeah, I think a lot of people don't really get the lose energy/gain energy thing as far as extroverts and introverts go.

@Rachel – I've also read The Introvert Advantage, and I second that recommendation.

Oh, and by the way… INFP

…and this is yet another reason why I LOVE the people at Brazen Careerist.

I have been an MBTI fan for about five years now and it has helped me to understand people so much! I can usually figure out a person's type within about five minutes of talking to them (I have been wrong, but only slightly). I love using MBTI in managerial settings because you can really allow each person to shine in their own way and easily assign projects that they like.

As an ENFP I love to see the "big picture" though I'm quite scatterbrained with details and basic things (ie – paying bills on time, etc.) I am pretty much surrounded by S/J types at work and home which can drive me crazy at times, but also helps keep me on track.

Keep up the great work, guys!

Let me know when you do any seminars in LA/OC!

Well I'm an ISFJ and I hate people. Riddle me that.

I think the most popular misconception is that Introvert means shy. Shyness is a reluctance – possibly fear based – to interact. Some introverts may have rusty social skills and therefore fear to make social mistakes. Bright introverts may try to analyze social interaction and fail to realize how non-rational it is.

As an INTP – (only borderline I), I can testify to that, and to the stigma associated with introversion.

David Kiersey's book ' Please Understand Me states early on, that its best to understand and accept people's traits, and not try to change them – this is not the same as changing social skills, and overcoming fear.

This is a timely issue, as I've just posted "face-to-face" networking tips for introverts, and one reader thought I was suggesting that introverts don't network as well as extroverts. (I wasn't.) This goes to the stigma associated with introversion…

Unfortunately, since so much of our lives happens in public, there does seem to be a bias in favor of the extroverted personality type. The key thing that I teach my clients, and is important in terms of analyzing an individual's personality: an introvert can ACT extroverted if necessary. An introvert may tend to be a better listener (great for networking), but that doesn't mean that an extrovert can't stop talking and practice being a better listener. An extrovert can ACT introverted.

Our type doesn't need to dictate our behavior. The smart thing to do (at work and in life) is to analyze the situation and adjust behavior accordingly.

Miriam Salpeter
Keppie Careers

On the Internet no one knows your an introvert.

I have no clue what I am – but I do know after 1,000's of presentations the anxiety never goes away and you always feel drained after. That's a good thing. The adrenaline rush is great.

darn… no one knows YOU ARE an introvert. Sorry for the typo!

I myself am an INTP. I would suggest the book "The Introvert Advantage" by Marti Olsen Laney

One thing to remember is that each trait in Meyer's Briggs is measured as a range. So you may have someone where is borderline on all four traits but is still an INTP, while another person will max out on the INTP scale and be completely different.

Also, Meyers Briggs will only measure a person's tendencies. You might tend torward introversion, but have learned to force yourself to be extroverted. Or you might just lean more in one direction thant the other depending on your mood.

This is why people's scores might change when you take the test at different times. One one day, you might be feeling pretty relaxed, and not having to deal with many people, so you think "people aren't that bad.' Hence, your answers skew lower on the introversion scale.

On another day, you may be in the middle of a week of networking events and presentaions and be thinking "God, I HATE people", which might skew your answers much higher on the introversion scale.

Generally, I tend to score high on the introversion scale no matter when I take the test.

Yes. I score only slightly I and slightly P, and 3/4 of the way up on N and T.
I've been seen as outgoing gregarious and charming, and cold aloof distant and arrogant…

I don't think its right to characterize 'I' tendencies to 'I hate People' I think its better to frame it as -' Oh, I'm Really NOT in the mood for this now …"

I think there's room for a cultural shift in our attitudes about what's – popular, seen as normal and desirable. While I see some positive moves in the direction of accepting some I types " Geek Chic" or other clumsy terms of acceptance, it at some level accepts the negative premise of the terms like geek and nerd, and tries to re-package them, rather than looking at the big picture, and those that have a hard time accepting introverts particularly and more famously – geeks and nerds. ( I cringe using those terms…)

and society is not especially kind to intelligent introverts …

I think one of the big differences between an so-called introvert and a real introvert is the attitude. A real introvert, and yes this is kind of what my youth was like, really doesn't want to be involved with people any more than necessary. The kind of introvert that you are now, is somewhere between extrovert (can't survive without people around), and introvert (can't survive with people around). It's a bit more of a balance between the two. We're good with people, and we're good by ourselves. Our social skills can be every bit as good as anyone else's, we just have to work a bit harder than the real extroverts.

You know what's funny about my MB result?

When I take it and answer the questions while thinking about my personal life, I come out an introvert. But when I take it from a career perspective, I get extrovert.

I've long realized that I've had to wear a certain persona for my work as both a marketing communications executive and a career expert, and that persona is more extroverted. But it's definitely more work for me to behave like this, because it's out of my natural comfort zone.

Best,

Alexandra Levit
Author, How'd You Score That Gig?
Blogger, Water Cooler Wisdom
http://alexandralevit.typepad.com

This talk of Social Skills reminds me that extroverts can and do have awful social skills.
:Loud boisterous talks too much doesn't listen cuts people off broadcasts the minutia of their lives as important information
This behavior is often passed off as just being the winner in the competition for talk time; with introverts seen as the losers.

I believe, that most extroverts (Maybe just many) tend not to have differential social skills. They tend to treat all people as extroverts. I cant think of an example of a specific social skill I have seen, where an extrovert specifically engages in social intercourse with an introvert in mind.

I wonder if Introverts have assumed too much of the blame for poor social interaction.

Does anyone have experience or an opinion about that ??

I'm curious to know …

I can take that one on, Dan!

Over the years, public perception through the media has probably leaned toward the introvert as being more awkward in social situations. But there have been many instances in which extroverts have been portrayed as overbearing and downright boorish. In retrospect, I probably was an introvert long ago and sometimes thought there was something wrong with me whenever the boorish guy got the girl's phone number or would leave the party with a couple of new-found friends. But as we get older, whether you're an introvert or extrovert matters less; people tend to see right through that.

Since I took my first MBTI test in the mid-90s, I've come to realize that introversion is NOT synonymous with shyness anymore than extroversion is not synonymous with uninhibited. It's all a matter of where you draw your energy from: yourself (I) or others around you (E).

Okay fair enough. I also wonder about the specific skill of dealing the other type I & E interactions.-
On the gross level how an "I" gets an "E" to shut up and listen, or how an "E" gets an "I" to open up… and everything in-between those extremes.

ENTP here…as is my teammate/partner at work. It's only the two of us, which makes it fun at times.

The previous organization I worked for had 1300+ employees across the world and had everyone take MB. Why? Because no matter what 'department' we were in or what 'region' we were working in, there was always a team dynamic. For instance, when i worked at the office in Madison, I had 2 others on my team in Madison, but over 50 staff across the U.S. I worked with on a regular basis. We also had our team of 50 do Strengths Finder and I can't tell you how helpful that was when working with 50+ people via email, IM and phone calls as opposed to face-to-face. It makes a HUGE difference when you have some idea as to why people do things the way they do.

I have heard/learned that we change as we progress in experience. It's been a few years since I've taken the MB and Strengths Finder, but I'd guess that I'm not 100% the same as I was. Maybe close…but probably a bit different as I've learned how to manage and accept who I am, how I work and what I enjoy.

I highly suggest the MB for any working team. I had the Exec group of sorority women I directed take it. Out of 7 women, all were feelers (including one who was 100% feeler) except for one, who was almost 100% thinker. Talk about a rough group to work with. Fun to discover and use the results when working with them and each other, but whew–what an experience!

Keep sharing the MB love with the world.

Karen thanks for the interesting comments…

So how do Es and Is relate when they know the MB rank?
I'm very curious to know how Es can improve their relationship with Is and visa versa.

I've taken the test a few times, same result.
The test tries to measure your character, not your learned behavior.
An I can learn to be more outgoing and enjoy increasing success at it- get over shyness, but, the theory says, a tiger can't change is stripes even if he learns to play like a pussycat… ; )

Dan

I'm a Gen X INTJ. So, now you know everything you need to know about me, right? I used to feel the same sorts of things you did–I felt like I should strive to be an ENTJ because that was the "best" personality type. But the Meyers-Briggs test is just a tool…it can be useful to understand communication styles, but it doesn't mean anything. Perhaps it is my type and generation, but I chafe at the thought of people "typing me" as if they could neatly categorize me into a personality box. The best way to understand people is to listen to them, not perform amateur psychoanalysis on them.

But there is a lot of truth to the types…As an I, I feel I am not dependent on other people or social situations for my energy. I can be very passionate about what I believe in, alone, if necessary, until I find others who share my beliefs. As a very strong N, I am able to see past the details and clutter that confuse many people and quickly focus on what matters and what fits or does not fit. As a T…I write a lot…and as a J…while I am certainly not a neat person, I have a strong sense of internal order that can make me stubborn and rigid at times. It is valuable to recognize why you are feeling uncomfortable and understand that others may not share those feeling because they process information differently. So it is not about who or what you are, but how you perceive things. Tools like MBTI give us a way to step back a little and consider that our perspective might not be shared or accurate in many stressful situations…

Great run down on type!

The leadership team of which I am a part, has been tested and has been having follow up discussion sessions to learn how knowledge of type can be applied.

Unfortunately there has been a big drawback.

One thing that came out clearly is that your introvert (me) will sit back and formulate ideas and opinions and not bother to make any great input into a discussion till they think they have something valid to say. All the while the extroverts will be verbally bouncing all around a subject until they finally hit a valid or valuable idea.

Since this revelation there have been many instances where another member of the leadership team will halt discussion, turn to me and ask for my input. Nothing derails the train of thought faster.

The other part of this problem is that when I (the known introvert) am speaking the extroverts now tend to jump in and over-ride whatever is being said.

Extroverted managers can also (in my experience) overlook coming to the introvert for assistance when issues arise as there is now a mistaken impression that they will not get a fast enough answer.

While I have seen some positives in being able to understand someones type, I wonder if the barriers that can pop up due to misunderstanding the information outweigh the positives.

Introverts are dumb.

I am a skewed introvert. I really don't like groupings, but I am very very good at what I do. I am a intp. I just took the myersbriggs test and really wish I took it earlier to better understand myself and to get towards the extrovert side of things.
To outward ollie, I have litteraly been called a god and genius by my peers in several different unrelated situations. We introverts may appear dumb to you, if you really meant to list this, but this is because you don't understand us.

I don't know where to go now. I have won everything I can afford and am bored with my job.