As an INFP, career satisfaction means doing work that:

1. Is in harmony with your values and beliefs and allows you to express your vision through your work.

2. Gives you time to develop substantial depth to your ideas and maintain control over the process and product.

3. Is done autonomously, with a private workspace and plenty of uninterrupted time, but with periodic opportunities to bounce your ideas off people you feel respect you.

4. Is done within a flexible structure, with a minimum of rules or regulations, letting you work on projects when you feel inspired.

5. Is done with other creative and caring individuals in a cooperative environment free from tension and interpersonal strife.

6. Let you express your originality and in which personal growth is encouraged and rewarded.

7. Does not require you to present your work frequently in front of groups of people or be called upon to share before it is completed to your satisfaction.

8. Allows you to help others grow and develop and realize your full potential.

9. Involves understanding people and discovering what makes them tick.

10. Allows you to work toward fulfilling your ideals and not be limited by political, financial, or other obstacles.

Work-Related Strengths and Weaknesses of INFPs include:

Strengths:

1. Prefer working toward causes they endorse.

2. Work well alone, with frequent, meaningful supportive interaction with others they admire.

3. Faithful to duties and obligations.

4. Inspired when working at a job they believe in.

5. Able to understand and communicate one-on-one with other people.

Weaknesses:

1. Can be unrealistic in planning a project.

2. Want control of their projects and may lose interest if control is lost.

3. Can become discouraged if work is not directed toward the purpose they believe in.

4. May be inflexible about making necessary changes in their ideas.

5. Can have trouble working in competitive environments.

Pathways To Success In The Job Search Process

As an INFP, your most effective strategies will build on your abilities to:

· Readily see possibilities that don’t presently exist. Use your creative energy to look beyond what is known, and imagine jobs that you might be satisfied with that meet the needs of the market or employer. Generate as long a list as possible of all the ways you can use your skills in fields that interest you. After you have created a lengthy list, research each option so you will be able to put together a more realistic plan of attack.

· Give thoughtful consideration to all potential career opportunities. Your patience with complex tasks will serve you well if you give time and thought to each possible career avenue, and you will be better prepared to talk about why you are the right person for the job. Time spent in reflection will give you the chance to clarify your true feelings and motivation before accepting or rejecting an option.

· Express yourself well, especially after thinking things through ahead of time. Whenever possible, find ways to express yourself in writing through letters of inquiry, cover letters sent with a resume, or follow-up letters. Use words to help you verbalize your vision for your career or for how you see yourself adding to the growth and development of an organization.

· Demonstrate your motivation and commitment to causes you believe in. Allow prospective employers to see and hear your enthusiasm for a position you want. Most employers are impressed with a candidate who is direct and clear about his or her interest in a job. When discussing how a potential job fits with your ideals, use your natural persuasiveness to convince potential employers of the intensity of your desire for the position.

· Use limited, targeted networking. Start with close friends from your professional or personal life. Carefully select other people to help you, relying on people who know you well or are directly involved in the field you seek. Plot out your strategy, including a timetable for accomplishing objectives to keep you from becoming overwhelmed or discouraged.

Possible Pitfalls

· Develop realistic expectations for yourself and your job search. Realize that finding the right job takes more time than you expect or wish. Paying attention to the facts of the situation and including them in your vision of the right career choice will make you more efficient during your search. You may have to decide to compromise some of your less central personal values from time to time. There may not be the “perfect” job for you at the salary level or in the geographic area you live at least not at this time. Learning when to compromise on the less critical points is a valuable lesson.

· Try not to take criticism or rejection personally. Bear in mind that many people offer criticism in a very objective fashion and expect that you will take it as it was intended. Try to look at it as “constructive” criticism and use the knowledge to improve your approach. Draw some boundaries and don’t try to please too many people at the same time. A career search is a time-consuming task. Being willing to say no to others when necessary will help you conserve needed energy and maintain your focus.

· Look at the logical consequence of your actions. Try not to make important decisions relying exclusively on your personal feelings. Get input from trusted, more objective friends. Take a break from the situation to think more clearly about it. Imagine what might be the logical cause and effect of your choices so you will have a more balanced picture.

· Resist the tendency to avoid eliminating options and to put off making decisions. Take charge of your job search by eliminating less desirable options rather than waiting so long that more attractive options are eliminated for you. You may find the whole process less overwhelming if you remove from consideration those possibilities that don’t fit with your most important criteria for career satisfaction. Don’t spend so much time in reflection that you leave no time for action! Develop a timetable and stick with it. Remember that getting started is often the hardest part, but once you do, you will gain momentum from your actions.

Ken Meyer
Myers Briggs Master Practitioner and Retired Senior Career Coach at Eastern Michigan University