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Running head: MBTI PERSONAL ENTRY
Objective Number 1: Theoretical Foundations
MBTI Personal Entry
Melissa Hawkins
McDaniel College
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MBTI PERSONAL ENTRY
Objective Number 1: Theoretical Foundations
MBTI Personal Entry
Objective number one of the McDaniel College Human Resource Development (HRD)
program is to understand the theoretical foundations and their related practices in the core areas
of career development, training, and organizational development. The personal artifact I am
presenting in support of this objective, is my result sheet for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
(MBTI) ©. This inventory, based on the work of Carl Jung’s personality studies, was created by
a mother and daughter team that wanted to develop a tool that would measure personality
preferences (Kennedy, R.D. & Kennedy, D.A, 2004). This assessment has since become one of
the most popular measures of personality that is used today across numerous fields.
In human resources, the MBTI is used foremost as a tool in career counseling to help job
seekers receive “self-information relevant to career counseling” (Pinkney, 1983, p.174). My first
introduction to the MBTI was in the Introduction to Human Resources course and then again
when was revisited in the Career Development course. Everyone in my cohort took the MBTI
assessment to help us learn about our own personalities. In this course, our professor wanted us
to learn about ourselves and one another because we would be working together for the next
several years. Furthermore, we would be working in groups on several projects. In order for us to
be successful, we were going to need to know how one another worked best. The MBTI helped
us to do this because it provided each individual with a unique four letter code that described
their personality style. The letter codes are: Extroverted (E), Introverted (I), Sensing (S),
Intuitive (N), Thinking (T), Feeling (F), Judging (J), and Perceiving (P) (The Myers & Briggs
Foundation, n.d.).
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MBTI PERSONAL ENTRY
The letter codes are designed to measure four key areas such as focus of interest, how
information is gathered, a person’s involvement with information, and deposition of that
information (Pinkney, 1983). Additionally, each letter has a definition that depicts its meaning.
In order for an individual to get their letter code, they must complete an assessment consisting of
several questions. The answers to each question are analyzed, and based of the responses, a code
is developed. My result was an ESFJ or extrovert, sensing, feeling, and judging. While I knew I
was an extrovert, I learned that I tend to perceive information through all five of my senses
versus focusing on just one area, I am eager to please people, and I look to approach projects in
an organized, and systematic approach. All this information was valuable to me and my
classmates. This assessment allowed us to learn about each other’s strengths and weaknesses
prior to having to work together. This information was also conducted in a safe environment
making everyone more eager to share. Having this information allowed us to plan and schedule
project tasks according to our individual strengths and let us help one another become successful
in other areas where we were not as strong.
I am submitting my MBTI results as a personal artifact for objective number one because
it helped to solidify my decision to go into the human resources field. Prior to enrolling in the
HRD program at McDaniel, I had been working at Renaissance Salon and Spa as the Spa
Manager. As part of my daily duties, I had a minimal amount of human resources
responsibilities. When I decided to enroll in the HRD program, it was because I had reached a
plateau in my position. With my psychology and salon background, it made it tough to find
another position because a lot of organizations did not value my salon experience. I thought that
if I coupled my current business background with a Master’s degree, it would make me a more
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desirable candidate to employers because it would showcase my dedication and commitment to
accomplishing goals.
The main purpose of my enrollment was to find a better paying job, more so than my
desire to be in human resources field or so I thought. One of the first tasks we completed in the
HRD program was to take the MBTI. After taking the MBTI, it confirmed that I wanted to be in
a position where I could work with people. I had studied psychology as an undergraduate
because I enjoyed helping with and learning about people. It was not until I began my studies at
McDaniel that I realized that human resources is basically psychology for the business world. In
my attempt to look for a job, I had become so blindsided by the need to move on that I forgot
“what I wanted to be when I grew up.” What the MBTI I did for me was to remind me of what I
wanted out of a career instead of focusing on getting a job.
I am competent in career development because I know that an assessment like the MBTI
can teach an individual about their personalities. I am also able to look at various assessments
and inventories collectively to draw broader and more complete conclusions. For Example, John
Holland’s Theory states that people often select careers based off their personalities, and how
well vocation and personality complement each other determines job satisfaction and
performance (Nauta, 2010). I also know that many factors such as economic status, familial
responsibilities and physical ability often times inhibit choices people are able to make when it
comes to choosing an ideal career. This challenge can make it difficult for individuals to balance
an ideal career and individual responsibilities. As an HRD professional, my role in the career
development process is to use tools such as the MBTI or Holland’s Theory to help clients to
learn about themselves by showing what types of careers match their interests. The most
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important step in career development is to follow through on what Holland or the MBTI teaches
you. I would do this by developing a career action plan with my client.
The first step would be to have clients evaluate where they are now in their career
development and determine where they want to go from here. The next step is exploration where
I would work with the clients to help them determine what they need to do to reach the goals set
in the evaluation stage. This is the stage where clients would work to balance their personality
needs based off Holland or the MBTI with real life demands. After this process, I would direct
my clients to the decision making stage. Evaluating the research in the exploration stage, I would
coach my clients on ideas on how to overcome barriers to their success. After brainstorming and
preparing for any potential challenges, the next step would be for my clients to actually put these
steps into action. This is the stage where clients would begin to try and make the changes or take
the steps to begin their own career development.
Having used this process for my own career development, I am competent that I would be
able to successfully lead anyone through this process by providing them with the correct
resources and tools to learn about themselves and helping them to explore their career needs. For
example, when working with existing staff at my company, I would use this to help determine
their interests and help them to transition to a different position with the company that is better
suited to their skills and interests together to plan their future with the organization. By having
this knowledge, I am also benefiting my employer because having HR staff with these skills
enables them to ask interview questions that ensure the right people are being hired which in turn
saves costs. I am competent in objective number one of the McDaniel HRD program.
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References
Kennedy, R., & Kennedy, D. (2004). Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® in Career
Counseling. Journal of Employment Counseling, 41(1), 38-44. Retrieved from Academic
Search Complete.
Nauta, M. M. (2010). The Development, Evolution, and Status of Holland’s Theory of
Vocational Personalities: Reflections and Future Directions for Counseling Psychology.
Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57(1), 11-22. doi:10.1037/a0018213
Pinkney, J. W. (1983). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as an Alternative in Career Counseling.
Personnel & Guidance Journal, 62(3), 173. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete.
The Myers & Briggs Foundation. (n.d.) “MBTI Basics.” Retrieved from
http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/