Q&A with the Experts: Talking Type with MBTI Expert Edythe Richards

Interviewed by Phaedra Brotherton, CPRW, JCTC, CDF

Master MBTI® practitioner and veteran career counselor (and fellow UD alum!) Edythe Richards of A Top Career about MBTI  agreed to share some of her insights into how knowledge of Type® can help in career management.

Q. Can you give us an overview of the purpose of personality assessments, such as MBTI, and how they can be useful in managing your career?

The purpose of the MBTI is to provide insight and awareness into yourself and others. This insight enables a deeper understanding of yourself and can help provide a foundation for better communication with others and career management.

 Q. Can the MBTI tell people what career they should go into or what career is right for them?

When administered and interpreted correctly by a trained practitioner, knowing your MBTI type can be incredibly empowering and useful in seeing how certain careers line up with the various aspects of your personality.

However, assessments should not be the sole factor in a career decision. Your personality is a complex mix of many factors and no assessment can give you a complete picture.

Additionally, the MBTI does not measure skills or ability to perform at a job, thus it should not be used to screen and/or categorize employees and potential hires.

Q. I sometimes hear people say, “I used to be X type, but I took an online survey and my Type changed.” Is this possible?

Although free, online tests may provide some insight into your personality, these tests and surveys are not statistically reliable or valid and consequently do not report your true MBTI Type preferences. To get your true MBTI result, make sure you consult a certified MBTI practitioner.

As far as your Type changing, although we’re born with a certain Type or set of preferences, as we grow and mature, so does the manifestation of our Type. So you may find that although you’ve been an Introvert all of your life, as you grow older you find that your preference for Extraversion has developed, making you seem more outgoing to others.

However, your natural preference as an Introvert means that you’ll continue to need your private time to recharge--you just may not need as much of it.

Q. Any final thoughts or tips?

It’s important to keep in mind that although the MBTI can provide great insight into your personality, no assessment can explain all human complexity. Whatever one’s Type, we ALL use both sides (i.e., Extraversion and Introversion), yet we also have a preference for one or the other.

Thanks, Edythe!

Edythe Richards, MA, MBTI MP, GCDF, is a Myers-Briggs Master Practitioner, career counselor, job coach, education program manager, speaker, and author. Check out the MBTI resources on Edythe’s website, www.atopcareer.com. She can be reached at edythe@atopcareer.com.

If you're interested in getting some personalized feedback on the benefits of personality assessments, please feel free to contact Phaedra at info@resumesandcareerstrategies.com to learn about her complimentary, no-obligation consultation.