Introverts at Work – Does Your Personality Style Work Against You?

Let’s make one thing clear, being an Introvert is NOT a bad thing! It simply means you simply tend to recharge by spending time alone. This article about Introverts is the first in a series about personality style* and work.

5 Must-knows about an introverted personality style* and work:

1. Myth vs. truth: myth – Introversion is about being shy; truth – Introversion is about energy and focus; Introverts direct energy to their inner thoughts and feelings, and gain energy from reflection on their inner thoughts and feelings.
2. Career fit: preference for working alone and intermittently, one-on-one, or with a small group in a calm, quiet environment; time to reflect on ideas, solutions and decisions.
3. In meetings: can appear uninterested, but actually is processing information internally; may not participate unless knows the topic and/or people well.
4. Stressors: continuous interaction with others; noisy atmosphere with numerous interruptions.
5. Communication & social style: prefers to avoid small talk with new people; favors written communication; tends to keep feelings and opinions private, except for a few close individuals.

Are YOU an Introvert?**

• You may see some points that hit home, but keep in mind this article offers just a few common identifiers of Introverts. Unless you have statistically valid assessment results interpreted by a trained administrator it’s hard to know if it’s your true style.

 5 Career tips for Introverts:

1. Career fit: select a role in which you have periods of solitary time to work uninterrupted, in a quiet space.
2. In meetings: recognize when your participation is necessary; prepare in advance by reflecting on ideas you can contribute; realize when others need your input; tell them you need time to weigh options and will provide your input soon.
3. Job promotion: don’t keep your achievements a secret; communicate your accomplishments during one-on-one or email conversations with influential people.
4. Networking: build relationships, one at a time, with strategic contacts that you share common ground with.
5. Communicating & socializing: use active listening to demonstrate your engagement in conversations; choose structured social situations focused on your interests.

Don’t Miss – my next blog entries about:

• Extroverts at Work
• Sensing Styles at Work
• Intuitive Styles at Work
• Thinking Styles at Work
• Feeling Styles at Work
• Judging Styles at Work
• Perceiving Styles at Work

*Personality style referenced in this series of blog articles uses information from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator© (MBTI©), which is one of the most widely used and well-documented personality style assessments. In order to determine authentic personality style an assessment should be used that has been statistically shown to be reliable and valid.  The assessment report results then need to be further validated through an interpretative session led by a trained administrator.

**Information presented in these blog articles is for the purposes of general information and is not intended to represent or take the place of a statistically validated assessment.  In order to gain a validated personality style result, consult a trained administrator for information about validated assessments.

***Generally speaking, individuals do not solely or entirely function in only one style; variability exists among individuals and personality styles.