Using Myers-Briggs to Explore and Understand Career Interests

If you are endeavoring to choose a career or assess your preferred work activities the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI can be a valuable tool in your research. At The Career Centre all staff members have taken the MBTI and two are certified to help you find your best fit.

The MBTI is a tool for self-awareness and gives us a common language to use when we talk about preferences.  We each have a preferred way for how we gain energy, gather information, make decisions and show up in the world.  Together this information forms a 4 letter code like the ones below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Type does not measure skills, abilities, training, or motivation or any other reason someone might choose a particular occupation. But there do tend to be trends for people with certain preferences being drawn to certain professions.   According to Isabel Briggs Myers in Introduction to Type one of the ways to explore these trends is to look at the middle two letters of your preferences or the columns of the type table.

ST’s Focus on: Facts
Handle these by applying: objective analysis and experience
Tend to Become: Practical and analytical
Find Scope for these interests using: Technical Skills with objects and facts
ST’s are attracted to careers in:

• Applied science
• Business
• Administration
• Banking
• Law enforcement
• Production
• Construction

SF’s Focus on: Facts
Handle these by applying: personal warmth, concern for others
Tend to Become: Sympathetic and friendly
Find Scope for these interests using: Practical help and services for people
SF’s are attracted to careers in:

• Health care
• Community service
• Teaching
• Supervision
• Religious service
• Support services
• Sales

NF’s focus on: Possibilities
Handle these by applying: Attention to people’s potential
Tend to Become: Insightful and enthusiastic
Find Scope for these interests using: Understanding and encouraging people
NF’s are attracted to careers in:

• Psychology
• Human resources
• Teaching
• Research
• Literature
• Religious service
• Health care
• Art and music

NT’s focus on: Possibilities
Handle these by applying: Theoretical concepts and systems
Tend to Become: Logical and analytical
Find Scope for these interests using: Theoretical and technical framework
NT’s tend to be attracted to careers in:

• Physical science
• Research
• Management
• Computers
• Law
• Engineering
• Technical work

If you would like to learn more about how understanding your personality type can impact your career decision making, please speak to an employment consultant about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

 

Cold Calling

While it may seem to be a daunting task to pick up the phone and call someone about a position that they may or may not have, a lot of good can come from that first call. The worst that can happen is they say no and you have only invested a few minutes, but think of the better outcomes!

• Employers may not have time to post jobs, sort resumes, then interview and hire. By making the call you are exhibiting a lot of the qualities an employer may be looking for:
  • Initiative
  • Can do attitude
  • Determination
  • No fear of rejection (very applicable for a sales position)
•  If you wait for a position to be posted at your favourite company, how many other people will be waiting for the same job posting?
• Getting your resume in before positions are posted can result in less competition for the job if one exists.

Be prepared with questions you may have about the company, as you are interviewing them as well.  Do some research and don’t ask obvious questions that you can get the answers to from their website.  Keep track of who you are speaking with in case they ask you to send them a resume.  This way you can address the cover letter to your new contact.  If they are not hiring at the present time, ask for names of others in the industry that might be.

 

If you are spending time on Facebook anyway, why not use some of that time to build a professional identity and access the hidden job market at the same time.

The key to remaining connected with friends and family as well as professional networks on Facebook without compromising your job search is to classify your ‘friends’.  This will require a little time, effort and patience but can provide promising leads.  If you aren’t currently searching for a new job, it is still a good strategy to build your network before you need it.

Employers troll for candidates online to either find someone with the skills they are looking for or to screen candidates.  You’ll want to make sure they only see what you want them to see.  You can become ‘friends’ with someone who works at a company you are interested in but you don’t have to let them see your weekend shenanigans.

How you appear online is an important consideration when looking for work.  Learning how to use privacy settings in Social Media is vital in order to control who can see what you are sharing.  Facebook has tools that make it easier to control who you share your content with.  You can even see how your profile appears to others. Facebook created this detailed guide on how manage all your privacy settings.

Polish Up Your Profile and Clean your News Feed

First, polish up your profile for your job search audience and only include information that is relevant to prospective employers and professional colleagues.  Your profile has sections for you to list professional skills, workplaces and schools you have attended. Facebook can then start showing you potential connections that may be influential in your job search and provide recommendations, tips and leads for you.

Secondly, you will want to lock down or delete any content you have posted that you would not want your professional contacts or prospective employers to see.  It can be time consuming to go back and delete it all, but you do have other options.  Start fresh or use the handy tool in Facebook that allows you to limit all your old posts.

REMEMBER:  Your profile and cover picture are always public!  You can only control which picture you use, not who can see them.

Create a LIST for Your Professional Contacts

Social recruiting and screening candidates is a growing online trend.  If you want to jump on board to take advantage of this trend, expand your online professional network and include contacts that may be helpful in your job search.  Facebook offers an option every time you post a status update, upload a picture or edit your profile to decide who can see it.  You may be familiar with the ‘friends’ and ‘friends of friends’ category, however, you can create other lists as well.  To assist in your job search, you may want to create a ‘work’ or ‘professional’ list.  When you add a new professional contact, add them to this list.  Facebook provides detailed instructions on how to add friends to a list.

Restricting your Content

Once you have a new list, you have better control of who sees your posts.  When posting, select the sharing options dropdown, ‘more options’ and then ‘custom’.  Your new list will be shown as an option, add the list to either the ‘share this’ or ‘don’t share this’ box.

To make sure it’s all working the way you want, use the “Who can see my stuff” feature and view your profile as if you were one of these new professional contacts.

To learn more about using Social Media in your Job Search, come to our “Using Social Media for Your Job Search” workshop.

Local employers are hiring at the Career Centre’s Spring Hiring Fair, Wednesday April 12th from 12pm-4pm at the Parksville Community and Conference Centre. This is a unique opportunity to bring employers who are looking for employees together with people seeking employment.

If you are a job seeker looking for work and planning to attend our next Hiring Fair, here are eight steps to help you succeed:

Step 1: Attend the How to Prepare for a Hiring Fair workshop. Learn networking strategies to ensure your success when you meet face-to-face with employers. Understand what you need to prepare before, during and after the Hiring Fair.

Step 2: Dress for Success. This is no different than attending a job interview at an employer’s place of business, so you need to dress appropriately. Remember, your most important accessory is your SMILE. If you need interview attire, set-up an appointment to visit the Career Centre’s Career Closet.

Step 3: Research Registered Employers. You can get a step ahead of the competition by creating a list of the companies attending the fair and doing some research on each of the employers that interest you. You can find out a lot about a company by doing research online and come prepared with a list of questions to ask employers. Check out The Career Centre’s Hot Sheet for a list of employers attending.

Step 4: Bring Several Copies of Your Resume. Take a folder with you containing a list of the employers you want to meet with and several copies of your resume, cover letter (addressed to specific employer) and references. Be prepared to hand out additional resumes to employers not on your list. If you need assistance with creating/updating your resume be sure to attend the Career Centre’s Resumes and Cover Letters workshop prior to the Hiring Fair.

Step 5: Be Prepared for an Interview. You may have two to five minutes to market yourself and ensure you are not screened out, so you need to make the most of your time. Prior to attending, develop a one-minute “presentation statement” to highlight your qualifications. For more information on marketing yourself, consider the Career Centre’s Branding “YOU” and/or Acing the Interview workshops.

Step 6: Network! Network! Network! Practice the perfect handshake and eye contact as this will mark your first impression. A Hiring Fair is a great opportunity to connect with employers and other job seekers that can support moving your career forward. Push yourself to connect with as many people as you can at the Hiring Fair.

Step 7: Collect Contact Information. Write down the name of the person and company you are interested in and their contact information or obtain a business card from them. This will support you with Step 8.

Step 8: Send a Thank-you Note. Stay ahead of your competition by sending a thank you note or an e-mail to your employers of choice the next day. If you do this via e-mail, make sure it is in proper business language; no jargon, abbreviations or spelling mistakes.
A reminder the Career Centre’s Hiring Fair is a free event for job seekers to connect with local employers. For information on upcoming workshops or to register, call 250-248-3205. We look forward to seeing you on April 12th.