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As I was helping a friend re-write her resume this evening, it occurred to me that knowing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) preferences of the interviewer can be a significant advantage in the job search process.
In this particular instance, my friend knew the interviewer was an ISTJ which is exceedingly helpful. I was able to structure her resume in terms of statistics, facts, and percentages. Fluffy language will do nothing to impress an ISTJ. If anything, the more verbose the resume, the less likely the ISTJ will pay attention. We focused on specific deliverable and accomplishments she achieved recently. At all times we made the successes quantifiable- something that ISTJ's love.
An ISTJ interviewer will be more impressed with your previous performance reviews than a glowing letter of appreciation from a customer or client.
You might be thinking- that's great Breanne- it makes sense that you should orient your resume style to the type of the person in charge of selection but how do I do that when I'm blindly submitting my resume?
As a former recruiter, I understand your challenge. I did my best to remain anonymous and face-less until I was interested in the candidate. Good luck reaching me by phone if I wasn't wow-ed by your resume!
Here are a few suggestions:
1) According to the MBTI Type Tables for Occupations, the most frequently occurring type for a recruiter is ESTJ (so if you're blindly submitting to HR, stick to facts and details to get their attention. Most HR Assistants are ISTJ or ISFJ, and HR Managers are generally ESTJ.
2) If you know you will be sending the resume to a manager in your area/trade, look up their occupation in the Type Tables for Occupations and move forward based on that estimate (it's better than a gamble). For example, if I knew the person reviewing my resume was a Financial Analyst, I'd structure my resume for an ESTJ (because 16% of individuals in that role are ESTJ). Whereas, if i were applying with a Nurse, I would structure my resume toward ESFP (13.3% of those in that role are ESFP).
3) Include multiple documents when you apply for the job. Write the cover letter for an NF, write a resume for a NT or ST, and a Curriculum vitae that focuses on the skills/experiences related to the particular job you are seeking (ST focused). This will also help when multiple people are reviewing the information- such as in a panel interview.
Of course, finding out the MBTI preferences of your interviewer is much easier when you are applying for a position internally. Being able to source information about the person reviewing the resume will give you a huge advantage.
If you don't know your interviewer, never underestimate the value of your network. Check LinkedIn and see if anyone you know is linked with that organization. Any information is helpful information. Do a quick Google search of the HR contact you've been given. Who knows- maybe they will have a Twitter or Facebook account that will give you insight. There is no such thing as too much research or preparation when it comes to your job search!
When you can, make calculated hypotheses about the individual you will meet with. If his/her FaceBook page is filled with colorful artistry and imaginative poems- the individual is more likely NF or NT than a ST. Of course I rely on statistical information so I always go to the Type Tables for Occupations first!
Breanne, interesting concept, and definitely could give candidates an edge. What happens, though, if a recruiter pre-screens your resumes before sending them to the hiring manager/recruiter? They could (and probably do) have a different MBTI type.
Furthermore, occupation doesn't tell you much about type, so your suggestion about looking up their type based on job seems like it would be a bit of a crap shoot. Your best piece of advice is probably #3 - diversify your documents to cover a few types, and hope that whoever looks at it reads all of them.
Wouldn't it make more sense to include a little of bit of everything in a single document? For example, hard data to appeal to the more logical, and some fluff language as well to appeal to the more emotional?
- Chris
Chris- thank you for the reply. I'm quite a fan of your blog!
However, I have to correct you on the 2nd paragraph. Personality type absolutely relates to occupation. Certain types are more drawn to certain careers. ISTJ's are the most frequently occurring type in an engineering role for instance. Boeing's staff is heavily weighted toward ISTJ, whereas a company like Hallmark is more weighted toward INFP. We seek out a job type that matches our natural preferences and the way we view the world.
The Type Tables for Occupations is a statistical analysis of over 200 occupations for which there is a statistically significant most frequent type.
I train for this in terms of sales people too. For instance, the most likely personality type of a pharmaceutical sales rep is generally opposite that of the physicians they are selling to. Therefore, we train how to sell to that opposite type.
Breanne, thanks for the kind words. My understanding of MBTI is that it should NEVER be used as a recruiting determinant because it has zero indication on how well a person is able to do their job. Extrapolating that further, its quite possible for people with a variety of MBTI types to thrive as accountants, cops, HR pros and so on.
I can see, for example, accounts being detailed oriented and therefore more "Thinking", but they could also be an E or an I, an S or an N, and a J or a P and still be "thinkers".
I just sat in on an MBTI training for a group I support who have a new manager. They're all super techy service engineers, and there was an incredibly diverse range of MBTI types, mostly in line with national averages not tied to any specific profession.
I think you and I may have to agree to disagree on this one.
- Chris
No, you are 100% correct that the MBTI is NOT approved for selection. It would be unethical for someone to assume that an individual would be unsuccessful in a certain role because of his/her preferences. However, that does not mean that individuals are not naturally drawn to a certain profession based on their preferences. It's just not okay to refuse to select someone on the assumption that they can't do it.
I'm a great example of someone who is an unlikely candidate for my role (consulting, training and sales) as an ISTJ. However, if you combine that information with the Strong Interest Inventory, it makes total sense (but that's a whole extra blog post). That being said...if someone interviewed with my team, they better format their answers for an ENFJ or they will have trouble.
So, the difference we're talking about is where people naturally self-select themselves into careers. This is also the information used to develop the MBTI Career Report.
If employees in a given profession TEND to be of a certain MBTI type, but aren't always, then couldn't you set yourself up for horrible failure by assuming they're of one type based on the database you noted, when they may actually be of an entirely opposite type?
"That being said...if someone interviewed with my team, they better format their answers for an ENFJ or they will have trouble." I find this statement a bit troubling. Candidates should be honest, they should be comfortable, and they should be themselves. That's when interviews (which, in and of themselves are only 50% accurate in selecting a good performer for the job) go best for both parties involved.
If I had to coach a prospective candidate to answer question by marketing to a certain MBTI type before sending him or her to a hiring manager, he or she would have to be REALLY slick and confident not to get a little nervous and throw his or her whole game out of wack.
I like the notion of diversifying your resume, as you suggestion in point 3 in your article, but I think the rest of your suggestions may actually be damaging to a candidate.
I'm not saying you look at the type table and take those statistics as gospel. I'm a gambling person and I would rather play the odds than walk in blind! Obviously, with this approach you still have to read your interviewer and watch for signs of whether or no you have engaged them with a certain approach.
As far as my statement about my team- that was an overstatement. What I mean to say is that someone who crafts their responses in an ENTJ way will receive stronger engagement from those interviewers because they are communicating in a language that the interviewer prefers.
If you knew the hiring manager was all about data, wouldn't you prep your candidate to talk about specifics, detail everything in terms of numbers when possible, etc? You're giving them a leg up on the competition.
Similarly, if I knew I was meeting with a strong F, I would talk about the meaningful connections I've made with customers. I wouldn't talk about my success rate, ROI, etc...I would talk about the times I went the extra mile for one customer and made their lives so much easier that they now send me a Christmas gift each year. That information will resonate with an F, and will fall flat with an ST.
This approach is no different than Neurolinguistic Programming. You create a better connection when you match the speaking tone, rate, and speed of the other person.
I'm not talking rocket science here. Very simple small adjustments could make a big difference.
When I was a recruiter, I worked hard to learn as much as possible about my hiring managers. I prepped my candidates for the manager's pet peeves and the things that would stand out. This is no different...this is just playing the odds and then observing cues from the environment to make logical adjustments.
Fair enough. Perhaps I was just misunderstanding what you were saying.
The general point here is well-taken: Know your audience. Estimting probabilities based on an occupational table of MBTI distributions is somewhat of a curve-fitting strategy, however.
I much prefer finding out about the person's schooling and relating that to thier age and current role.
Example: Someone who granduated from Princeton in 1987, yet is still in lower-middle management, probably exhibits a general risk-aversion and fear of being proven to not be as smart as they think themselves to be. In such a case, you'll want to err on the side of not challenging this person's ideas in an interview.
However, the opposite would be the case for someone who went to a state school and is young relative to others in thier position. Such a person probably prefers slightly more iconoclastic viewpoints and a more outgoing personality.
Chris and Anon- your points are well taken. Now I'm thinking this deserves a second post more oriented toward taking cues from the environment and reading your interviewer. Chris, you're right, I definitely did not explain my thoughts well enough. It's a curse of the ISTJ- the need to write short succinct posts and also believing that everyone thinks the way you do! :)
That's the nature of posts today - short and digestible. I'm a longer-post guy myself, but I wonder how much of that is that I just love hearing myself talk ;)
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