Recently, on a quest to better understand UNC Charlotte's Career Center - why they offer so many different types of tests as well as the depth and breadth of services they offer - I subjected myself to their Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Profile, one of several self-assessment tools they offer. This was followed by a one-on-one evaluation with Lenore Webb, a Senior Assistant Director for Career Assessment in the Career Center.
The test itself is online, self-paced, and free to students and alumni (up to three years after graduation). However, unless they are part of a group, students and alumni must visit the Career Center to obtain an instruction sheet and password.
Test takers can take as much time as they want, though they are encouraged to avoid over thinking their answers. It took me twenty minutes to complete the test. The test will not be graded or judged and it is impossible to answer a question incorrectly, because it is all about you - your thoughts, beliefs and behavior.
The MBTI, which incorporates 45 years of research, is based on Jungian theory and is the most common personality assessment offered worldwide. The theory, made popular by Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, holds that behavior is predictable and based on preferences. Test takers are sorted into four categories or, "dimensions," each with two possibilities, as a result of the answers they provide. For instance, the test might conclude a person is an extrovert versus an introvert or a thinker versus a feeler.
What the MBTI will not do is suggest how intelligent, skilled, able or mentally healthy the test taker is, nor will it suggest how successful a person can expect to become in the future.
Counselors utilize the MBTI to help patients be more introspective, by employers to gauge leadership qualities and to help them place employees on paths to success, and by educators - like those in our university - to assist with career planning as well as with decisions relating to courses of study.
The UNC Charlotte Career Center offers the MBTI both in group settings and, as in my case, as one-on-one assessments.
Webb, who has 10 years of experience interpreting MBTI results, feels group assessments offer a fun experience for participants because they are able to interact with each other, making their assessment more lighthearted. Some of the role-play games the groups play are "Act out how you behave in an elevator" or "Act out how you behave at a party."
Whether in a group or personalized setting, the assessment begins with a handwriting exercise where participants are asked to first sign their name with their dominant hand and then with their non-dominant hand.
I giggled as I attempted to scrawl my name with my left hand, remembering times as a child when I was determined to teach myself ambidexterity - albeit unsuccessfully.
Once I completed the task, Webb asked why it is more difficult to write with my non-dominant hand. Well, I answered, it is difficult because I do not use my left hand for much besides holding other things still while my dominant hand manipulates whatever the object is, it takes more time, and because I have to think about each letter in turn - something I do not do with my scribble-scrabble signature that, in truth, doesn't spell much beyond my initials.
My response was the exact point Webb wanted me to recognize, the point of the MBTI - if we are not comfortable doing something, we are not as efficient or productive. So, the trick is to figure out what we are most comfortable doing - what our preferences are - and then adapt our collegiate and professional careers to those things.
For the next step in the evaluation, after a thorough explanation of each option, Webb asked me to guess what my MBTI test indicated my type is. I decided I was an INFJ - or an Introvert (I), Intuitive (N), Feeling (F) Judger (J).
Turns out, I was wrong. According to my test results, I am actually an ENTP - an Extrovert (E), Intuitive (N), Thinking (T), Perceiver (P). Moreover, after Webb explained the difference - I agreed. Of course, I am a borderline sensor/intuit and judger/perceiver, so I can likely adapt well when the opposite trait is called for. The test results are not black and white, there is a lot of room for in-the-middle gray.
Webb emphasizes, "There is no good or bad type - just thinking everyone has to watch out for. The Myers-Briggs is not a prescription telling you what you should do - it's telling you what works well for the people with this preference."
I left her office with a detailed description of my type, which includes two important lists - things I am good at and things I need to watch. For instance, I am a communicator who likes to lead groups (yes, I am bossy) and if I over schedule myself I will eventually freak out (which is true).
More, though, I left with a better sense of who I am - both a student and a writer working vigorously to trade words for dollars - and much more confident about my choice to drop my career in insurance (anyone want an equity indexed annuity?) for the more creative life of a freelance writer. I also felt validated for my newfound need to say "no" to opportunities when I know I do not have time for to include them in my schedule, no matter how much I want to participate.
The Career Center is offering a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Workshop on Wed., July 30 from 2 until 3 p.m. and will offer another two workshops during fall semester.
If a group evaluation is not appealing, you can request an appointment for a one-on-one session with a Career Center counselor.
The MBTI is not the only personal assessment test the Career Center offers. In fact, Webb encourages many MBTI test takers to take the Strong test as well so the results can be evaluated in tandem.
Webb, who said she "Wants to help people find their fit," encourages students to take advantage of the Career Center's offerings, which will be expanding in the fall with the addition of two additional assessment opportunities. One good reason to take her up on her offer is that there is no charge. The same assessments can cost as much as $100 when interpreted elsewhere.
For more information, visit the Career Center's Web site at www.career.uncc.edu/
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