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Careers For Introverts [Introverts in the Corporate World an Invisible Battle]

Article by Cynthia Schultz

Careers For Introverts [Introverts in the Corporate World an Invisible Battle] – Business – Workplace Communication

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While watching the only season of The Apprentice I had a stomach for, when I saw who won, my heart leapt for joy. So often careers for introverts go way off track.

An introvert became the winner of a coveted top corporate role. What a feat, particularly in the corporate world.

You probably wouldn’t recognize Stephanie, the Apprentice winner as an introvert. She’s a force, someone who stepped up to get the job done and more. Trump said she came in under the radar and this concerned him. She balanced introversion with the environment extremely well. The battle of corporate introverts typically happens at lower management and employee levels. By the way, that battle is rarely seen because the typical corporate introvert is fighting on a daily basis to change their style so they can get ahead. This is an uphill battle that can handicap the talented introvert because the current perception in work is:

Fast or Loud = Quality

This poorly conceived precept makes for bad decision-making and costs companies millions. Yet companies continue to hire the fast-talking, fast deciding, fast implementing consultants and staff – and to the company’s dismay three years later they’re not much farther ahead. Are you the introvert at work? Do you reel at the pace of ideas thrown out in meetings? And while digesting the discussion, your gut tells you you’re right and your idea is a winner, but it just never gets out there? Being an introvert doesn’t mean taking second seat or second row. It definitely doesn’t mean lower quality. You can use being an introvert to your advantage. Listen carefully (you’re good at this) during those meetings. The fast talkers, the first to speak up to throw out their ideas, are typically assumed to be leaders. Ever notice when you listen closely, the ideas thrown out so fast frequently fall short on substance or real solutions? True, these are some of the basis for brainstorming (your strong suit) so take advantage of the first 15 minutes of the meeting to listen. Then make your move. I was recently part of a large software project during a company’s restructure. The pace was break neck. As an independent contractor, every meeting held the opportunity to stand out, say something and get noticed. Not only am I left handed, creative and have an endearingly sarcastic wit; damn if I’m not an extreme introvert. It has to qualify me for a handicapped tag somewhere, but that’s a discussion for another day. I didn’t stand out as a superstar in meetings. I worked like a superstar in every respect. It takes time to be recognized this way; it’s the road traveled solely by the patient and determined. There’s also a risk that you’ll never be noticed. Corporate culture can suck that way. Use your natural introversion to stand out. You can help your supervisor see you in a totally different light when you understand he or she doesn’t instinctively know what you’re thinking. (As much as you wish this could be, most managers have zero mind reading ability.) Because we introverts tend to be the ‘look before you leap’ types, use this thinking process or digestive time to communicate in ways that suit your style. Don’t be pressured to change your style unless you choose to. Most important, talk with a trusted superior to take the steps to get the backing you’ll need in order to accomplish your goals. Email your supervisor occasionally with your best ideas (of course with the ways to implement them so your impact is maximized). Hey, stretch a little and go to lunch once in a while or better yet, take the step to set up a lunch – you’ll blow them away.

About the Author

Cynthia is a writer, consultant and introvert. Her company Foothold Services provides small businesses a boost to their online presence with great services.Visit Introverted By Design to read more articles about introverts…where normal lives.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

Cynthia Schultz

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Find More Introvert Articles

by Black Glenn

Introverts In Jobs With Significant Public Contact

An introvert is an individual with a preference for remaining alone. Such a person is uncomfortable in social circles given the fact that he/she can be easily misunderstood in those circumstances. However, it should not be assumed that introverts are necessarily shy; they just prefer spending their time in deep thought. As a matter of fact, most introverts have very carefully crafted ideas, they however get minimal airtime from other personality types who dominate the social and business climates of the world today. Introverts are not fond of small talk because their conversations are well laid out. This has been the reason why most of them have been misunderstood as arrogant or detached. (Robbins & Judge, 2007)

Numerous psychologists/sociologists have come up with theories linking personality type or emotional behaviour with performance at work. Consequently, these theories indicate that one’s personality can affect satisfaction at work. In line with these thoughts, it would seem plausible to select a certain job type to suit a certain personality type. The validity of this argument shall be examined below with specific reference to introvert personalities in jobs with significant public contact.

An individual’s personality refers to a person’s traits, situational interactions and even their appearance. Luthans (2005) refers to a five-factor model of personality traits known as the big five. According to the latter author, these personality traits are the most significant in analysing what kind of personality an individuals possess. The five factors include;

Openness to experience
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Emotional stability
Conscientiousness

Openness to new experiences refers to a person’s sense of curiosity, flexibility, creativity and sensitivity. On the other hand, extroversion refers to the process of being talkative, assertive, sociable and outgoing. Additionally, an agreeable person is one who is cooopertaive, caring, good natured, warm and trusting. Emotional stability refers to possessing a sense of calmness, security and happiness. Lastly, conscientiousness refers to the process of being self disciplines, dependable, organised and responsible.

Barrick, Mount and Jugde (2001) assert that there are two personality traits needed in almost all types of jobs. These are emotional stability and conscientiousness. On the other hand, the remaining three personality traits (Openness to experience, agreeableness and extraversion) are necessary only in certain jobs. These authors further argue that jobs involving a lot of interaction with the public such as sales or marketing jobs will be more suitable for extroverts because these jobs require a high level of competitiveness. On top of that, such jobs require quick decisions since parties involved have very little time to spare or the may have very little patience to give a chance to introvert personalities. This means that introvert personality types would not be suitable for jobs with significant public contact such as sales.

Carnevale and Isen (1986) assert that many extrovert individuals are likely to be happier or to have subjective well being. This also means that introverts are less likely to display such personality traits. The latter researchers also argue that happy people appear to be more socially engaged than those who are not. This means that most of them seem to be more helpful than their introvert counterparts.

Carnevale and Isen (1986) further assert that happy people induce positive moods in the people they interact with. This means that the people they have to do business with are likely to cooperate with them after this positive mood induction. The opposite effect can be carried forward to the introvert personalities; an introvert is less likely to appear happy and is less likely to induce good moods in others. This implies that if they wanted to sell something to them, or if they wanted to convince them of a particular issue, it would be significantly hard to do so given the fact that a negative mood would induce poor cooperation from correspondents. On the basis of these arguments, an introvert person in a job that requires significant public contact would not deliver because they solicit negative reactions from the people they come into contact with. Sales men would not deliver high sales because customers would not be induced to cooperate with them.

However, Barry and Stewart (1997) brought a

by latemodelresto

3 Tips to Get Through a Job Interview Using Personality Types

Did you know that discovering your personality type can actually help you during job interviews?

Great jobs are becoming harder to find and lots of organizations are now cutting back, instead of hiring. So when you see your ideal job advertised and you just know you’d be a suitable candidate, how can you ensure you’ll get through the job interview and be offered the job?

It’s a really competitive job market out there and employers are seeking candidates who are self aware, that is, they understand themselves, their capabilities and what they can offer the company.

Understanding what makes you tick in the form of personality preferences can really boost your self awareness and make it easier for you to communicate with others, particularly during a job interview.

Here are 3 tips to help your performance during the job interview, once you are aware of your personality type:

1.

If you enjoy talking and meeting new people, then you’re probably more of an extrovert. This means you’ll have no problem chatting about yourself during a job interview. However, the danger with extroverts is they don’t know when to stop talking. They have a natural tendency to talk more than they listen. They rarely pause for reflection and are constantly thinking of the next thing they want to say. Extroverts need to listen more carefully, particularly to the interviewer’s questions, if not there’s a good possibility they will mishear and go on to provide the answer to a totally different question.

2. If you prefer to spend time alone with your thoughts and ideas and don’t particularly enjoy meeting new people or talking about yourself, then you could be more of an introvert. During job interviews introverts sometimes find it difficult to open up and talk about themselves. They are good listeners and they will take time to understand the interviewer’s question, however, introverts can spend too much time reflecting on their answer. If the recruiter is looking for someone who can ‘think on their feet’ this delay in answering might not work in their favor.

3. No matter if you are an extrovert or introvert, there is no right or wrong way to be, all the personality types are equal. What is important is that you understand yourself and your behavior and this will boost your self-awareness and confidence… even in job interviews.