How to Use Your Myers-Briggs Personality Type to Your Advantage

Whether you’re just starting out on your career journey or have been in it for years, knowing and utilizing your personality type can prove to be immensely beneficial to help you understand your most authentic self. You can find out what yours is by taking a personality test such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The information you’ll gain from taking one will not only give you clarification for why you do certain things, it can also help you in your career and personal life.

I’ve personally been able to use the Myers-Briggs in a few ways. One aspect that really helped me understand myself and my work ethic was thinking I was an introvert but realizing how much of an extrovert I was. Once I realized that I recharge by being around other people, I began seeking more social opportunities that eventually led me to get over my fear of flying and build the career I have today.

I’ve listed the traits that make up personality type (according to Myers-Briggs). Whether you’ve done this test before or are new to it, here are the four key personality traits.

Introversion or Extroversion: Your energy source

When people talk about these personality traits, they believe that introverts are shy and extroverts are outgoing. However, that’s not true.

A person is considered an introvert or an extrovert based on where they get their energy. Introverts get their energy from within. After being in a crowd of people, they need time alone to recharge. Extroverts get their energy from being around others. They need to socialize to recharge.

Knowing where you get your energy can help you shine the most in your workplace. Extroverts thrive in presentations and on business meetings for networking events. Introverts are natural listeners. Providing research, advice, and strategies is more natural for them.

Sensing or Intuition: Your perception of information

The sensing and intuition personality traits describe how you take in and interpret information. Sensors rely on their five senses–what’s tangible and what’s in front of them in a concrete, physical form–when taking in information. On the other hand, intuitive people are more abstract and look for patterns in the information they’ve gathered.

Keep in mind, though, that no one is completely a sensing or intuition type. You can know if you lean toward one or the other by how you first perceive information.

Sensors are very detail-oriented. They look at the facts and are aware of their surroundings. It’ll come naturally to sensors to close deals because they’ll notice every verbal and nonverbal cue and be able to act on them accordingly.

An intuitive person sees possibilities and realities that aren’t noticeable. They tend to be creative and provide insight from an angle that no one would’ve considered. Intuitive people work well in advertising marketing, where outside the box thinking is welcomed.

Thinking or Feeling: Your decision-making process

You either have the thinking or feeling trait when it comes to decision making. Someone with the thinking trait will try to solve a problem based on logic and won’t let their emotions run the show when making a decision. On the other end, someone with the feeling trait will follow their heart and make a decision on how they feel about the situation.

In your career, a thinker wouldn’t hesitate to make hard decisions if they know it was best for the company. Thinkers are normally leaders because they look at the facts and ignore their personal emotions when it’s time to make a decision.

Feelers, however, see the feelings and perspective of others involved in a decision. This trait helps you understand how everyone feels about a situation, which means you’ll be a great team mediator.

Judging or Perceiving: Your interaction with the outside world

Not to be confused with judgmental and perceptive, the judging and perceiving traits describes how you interact with your outside world. Someone with a judging trait likes structure, is organized, and tends to follow rules. Someone with a perceiving trait is more flexible and adaptable to the world they interact with.

In your career, the perceiving trait makes it easier for you to work in groups because you’re open-minded to others’ ideas. Since people with a judging trait crave structure, they’re typically strategists.

Understand your strengths and weaknesses

Each trait has its own strengths, which you can use in selecting your career path. For instance, if you lean towards thinking when it comes to making decisions, you can start being more empathic and finding a solution that balances what feels right for everyone instead of focusing solely on the facts.

You might find that you lean more towards the intuition trait when it comes to perceiving information. If that’s the case then take some time to look at the facts and finer details.