Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. It is a simple fact that is a recurring theme in today’s workforce. As potential job seekers become more and more educated in understanding their own personality traits, they are better able to select opportunities that they will succeed in. If a job is not properly suited to an individual’s unique idiosyncrasies, the perspective employee may have a difficult time in that work role.

Historically, noted psychologists have identified what is known as the Big Five personality traits while examining predictors of job performance (Hurtz; Donovan, 2000). The five traits most valued when matching individual behaviors with job types were: comprising openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

While useful, the Big Five has become a bit outdated as an effective tool due to its overly complicated analysis. Instead, job seekers in today’s market are turning towards more user-friendly resources like the Myers-Briggs (MBTI) assessment tool. With the MBTI test, prospective employees are able to break down their personality traits into very specific categories that will help them find the right job for themselves. The test starts by identifying core personality types and then matching them up into groups of four to find a perfect fit for each individual. The core types are: introverts (I), extroverts (E), sensors (S), intuitives (N), thinkers (T), feelers (F), judgers (J), and perceivers (P).

Below is a list of the MBTI personality types along with descriptions on their unique behaviors.

• ESTJ – Often called realists, these are people quick to make practical decisions.
• ISTJ – Responsible and committed, these are the hardest workers of the group.
• ESFJ – Social butterflies eager to help others in the office.
• ISFJ – Modest employees who are willing to lend a helping hand.
• ESTP – Busy bodies who love excitement and excel in a crisis.
• ISTP – Honest, hard-working people who prefer action over conversation.
• ESFP – Playful people with a lot of common sense.
• ISFP – Sensitive and always willing to help.
• ENTJ – Natural born leaders with very logical minds.
• INTJ – Creative perfectionists who add their own twists on everything they touch.
• ENFJ – Very energetic people lovers.
• INFJ – Thoughtful and creative, driven by personal integrity.
• ENTP – Creative people that love new challenges.
• INTP – Problem solvers who think independently.
• ENFP – Confident employees who see potential in everything.
• INFP – Motivated by deep personal values.

People are complex. Personality types matter, especially when selecting the right job. A person’s understanding of their own unique behaviors and traits will play a crucial role in finding the right job for themselves.