Do What You Are summary

So, how do you find out which of the 16 personality types is closest to you? As mentioned in the previous blink, the MBTI® involves four preference scales, essentially asking you to put yourself on a spectrum between two choices.

The first scale involves your preference for how you interact with the world and asks you to place yourself on the spectrum between Extraversion (E) and Introversion (I). Extraversion can be described as looking at the world and asking yourself, “How do I affect this?” While Introversion asks the question, “How does this affect me?”

At this point, you have a good idea of whether you’re an extravert or introvert, and more of a sensor or an intuitive. Now, let’s put together the last two aspects of your personality type.

The next preference scale is between two styles of decision making: Thinking (T) and Feeling (F).

Now it’s time to bring all your choices together to find out your personality type. Next to each choice was a letter, so your type should look something like this: INFP for introvert-intuition-feeling-perceiving or ESTJ for extravert-sensor-thinking-judging. Altogether, there are 16 possible types that can help you become more aware of your potential strengths and pitfalls when it comes to finding a satisfying career.

For example, ENFJ, or an extraverted-intuitive-feeling-judging person, is usually what you’d call a people-person, as one of their biggest concerns is the well-being of others and forming strong relationships. This makes them well-suited to being leaders, as they also tend to be charismatic and good at negotiating. However, they can also become too involved in drama and get immersed in problems that aren’t worth their time and effort.

Of course, no two people are exactly alike, but in a general sense, those with the same personality type, or even just two or three of the same preferences, can have a lot in common – especially when it comes to work. So, while there are 16 personality types, those who share specific preferences will fall into one of four Temperaments.

The first Temperament encompasses traditionalists, who are people with S and J in their personality type. In other words, they are sensing judgers. Some will be extraverts and some introverts, so there will be significant differences among them, but you can think of Temperaments like instrument sections in an orchestra – you’ll find a lot of differences among the instruments in the string section, but there is a fundamental commonality to them as well.

Next on the list of Temperaments are the idealists, otherwise known as the intuitive feelers since they share N and F in their personality types.

The motto for this group is, “To thine own self be true,” since idealists are all about personal growth, gaining knowledge and finding satisfaction in authenticity and integrity. Idealists are drawn to meaningful work that explores new possibilities and often deals with the philosophical or spiritual aspects of life.

Knowing your personality type is great, but it’s just the start! With every personality type, you’ll find a Dominant Function, or the strongest aspect of your personality, and an Auxiliary Function, as well as a third and fourth function that are less influential in your day-to-day life.

It pays to be aware of your Dominant Function because when you’re using this function at work, you’ll find it easy and pleasurable. In other words, it’s like being aware of your natural talent.

Unfortunately, there’s more than one way to end up with an unsatisfying career. Due to expectations placed on you from an early age, you may have been pushed in a direction in which you had no interest. But many people end up going down the wrong path because most traditional educations put us in the position of choosing a career when we’re barely out of our teens.

Our skills and abilities are always developing and changing, and to form a well-rounded personality and stay satisfied, we should plan on a career that changes along with us.

The perfect career path is one that brings together two things: what you’re good at and what you’re interested in. And the only way to combine your strengths with your values and interests is to have the kind of self-awareness that comes with knowing your personality type and everything that goes with it.

Of course, there’s little chance someone’s just going to suddenly email you to offer a dream job. Instead, you’ll need to do what can feel like a job in itself: a job hunt. Here, an effective search brings together everything you can gain from knowing your personality type.

As health care costs and life expectancy rates rise, older people are increasingly hanging on to their careers for longer periods of time. In fact, 40 percent of Americans are planning to “work until they drop.”

Whether you want to keep working past retirement age or are just looking for a fresh start, it’s never too late to find new work that better suits your personality.