Newsletter #12

 

In this issue:

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and Careers for INTJs and ESFPs

About the Strong Interest Inventory®: The Public Speaking, Law/Politics, and Sales Basic Interest Scales

About the FIRO-B™: Innovation and Creativity

 

Careers for INTJs and ESFPs

In this issue we'll look at two types and specific jobs for both. The purpose here is not to list all the jobs that might be interesting. Instead, we're going to focus on what about the jobs is appealing to both types. I picked opposite types to illustrate the differences and why one career could appeal to one type yet be a poor choice for another. Other combinations have been covered in past newsletter issues.

We'll start with INTJs. For this type I selected the career of lawyer. What makes this career attractive for INTJs? Many NTs enjoy law because it can combine theoretical knowledge with arguing, which many enjoy as a hobby. Many who are not NTs might be surprised to learn that NTs frequently like to argue just for the sake of having a stimulating discussion. It's not a personal attack on another person. Other INTJs enjoy the adversarial nature and competition some fields of law can have. Another skill many INTJs enjoy using is synthesizing vast quantities of information into a useful framework for decision making, just the kind of thing lawyers need to be good at. Many are keen analysts with accurate insights, so they can quickly size up a problem and come up with a possible solution. Many also work well alone, are good at researching complex issues, and enjoy working autonomously and creatively, while using systematic thinking. Many INTJs highly value individual achievement, challenging work, and the feeling their work makes a difference. Conversely, many INTJs dislike work that is based primarily on social relationships, nurturing, or lots of hands-on work, such as nurse.

Let's contrast the above with a career suitable for an ESFP: lifeguard. I purposely picked a career that was not a normal office or corporate job. It's true that ESFPs show up in those careers as well. This time we're going to look outside the box that many people create for themselves when thinking about career possibilities.

Some key factors in satisfying work for many ESFPs are fun, action, and lots of people. Many enjoying working outdoors, or at least in a highly active environment. Few will enjoy working on a cube farm processing claims on a computer. Instead, many ESFPs like ongoing, practical contact with people, doing hands-on work, and where detailed, practical knowledge is required. They frequently enjoy work where they can be of service or help to others, or in some sort of guide role. They often enjoy jobs that have a lot of flexibility and spontaneity. Excitement is attractive to them as well as working in groups, particularly groups focused on having fun or being active. ESFPs tend to be good at managing conflict and remembering facts about the people they work with. Many value cooperation over competition and can be excellent trouble shooters because they frequently are quite pragmatic. They tend to be open-minded, tolerant, tactful, and sympathetic towards others. All these factors are an advantage for lifeguards. They have to pay attention to many details, work with all kinds of people, have practical skills, and be effective in crises. While there is routine in any job, lifeguards have the advantage of unexpected events. This can be very appealing to ESFPs. They never know what the day will bring and they like that.

You might be one of these two types and never have considered either profession. That's perfectly okay. It's more important to see what makes these jobs attractive to these types. If you ask enough people, you're bound to find every type represented in every profession. For example, one study on lawyers showed about 1.5% were ESFPs, while INTJs made up about 15% of the group. Conversely, in a study of lifeguards, and recreation and amusement attendants, around 8% were ESFPs and about 2% were INTJs. Again, finding a career that matches your interests is more important than picking one from a list for your type.

 

About the Strong Interest Inventory: The Public Speaking, Law/Politics, and Sales Basic Interest Scales

The Basic Interest Scales (BIS) on the pages 1 and 2 of the Strong Profile show how your interests match those of people working in various careers. Your BISs show the things you like to do, as opposed to just interest you. This time we'll look at three BISs on the Strong and which careers they match. You'll notice these three BISs are all from the Enterprising General Occupational Scale. We'll look at the jobs that match these BISs to give you a better idea of where you might enjoy working.

Let's start with the Public Speaking BIS. The six professions with the highest scores on this scale are Elected Public Official, Minister, Public Administrator, Public Relations Director, Broadcaster, and Social Science Teacher. In contrast, the lowest six professions on this scale are Auto Mechanic, Farmer, Veterinarian, Chemist, Radiologic Technologist, and Biologist.

For the Law/Politics scale, the highest scorers were Elected Public Official, Public Administrator, Social Science Teacher, Sociologist, Lawyer, and School Administrator. Many suspect Lawyers would be number one and are surprised Social Science Teachers score higher. The lowest scores were found among Auto Mechanics, Medical Illustrators, Child Care Providers, Dental Assistants, Farmers, and Home Economics Teachers.

On the Sales BIS, the highest scoring professions are Realtor, Life Insurance Agent, Agribusiness Manager, Store Manager, Buyer, and Optician. The lowest are Biologist, Physicist, Mathematician, Chemist, Computer Programmer/Systems Analyst, and Geologist.

You'll notice that the same professions cluster in the highest and lowest scores. Public Administrators score high on all two scales, while Auto Mechanics score low on the same scales. This makes great sense, as the Enterprising scales are most distant and dissimilar to the Realistic scales. This makes it quite difficult for those who have high scores on both scales to find a job that combines both scales. One profession that combines Enterprising with Realistic is a Sales Engineer. Another is Sports and Fitness Administrator.

It's important to remember the matches on your BISs are frequently a better indication of where you might like to work than the General Occupational Themes. That's because your answers are compared to people who are working in these particular professions.

 

The FIRO-B: Innovation and Creativity

Innovation and creativity are frequently mentioned as desirable qualities for leaders as well as rank and file members of organizations. The old joke is the only thing constant is change, so innovation is essential to the growth and success of both individuals and organizations. There are instruments designed to measure these two traits. Several studies compared the results from these other instruments to the FIRO-B.

In the first study, the researchers found that those who scored as Innovators on another test had much higher scores on the Expressed Control scale than most. Adaptors had higher scores on the Wanted Control and Expressed Affection scales. The researchers thought that perhaps Innovators were more likely to take control of unknown situations and push their own agendas. Conversely, Adaptors are more likely to maintain the status quo and work for consensus in the group, which could be a reason they had higher Expressed Affection scores. Wanted Control scores could indicate their willingness to come up with ideas and solutions that would work in the current situation.

In another study, researchers found that the Expressed Control scores of people who had been identified as innovative were three times higher than those considered to be non-innovative. They thought perhaps those with high Expressed Control scores wanted to shape their environments to match their reality.

Finally, in a study of creativity, there were positive associations with Expressed Inclusion, Wanted Inclusion, Expressed Control, Expressed Affection, and Wanted Affection and a negative association with Wanted Control. These effects were fairly modest. Remember, association does not mean these scores caused these people to be creative.