As part of career coaching, I ask my clients to take a Myers Briggs personality assessment. This isn’t intended to label someone as a particular “type” – we’re all too complex to be pinned down in this way. I ask them because it provides thought provoking information to bounce off and is particulary good for reflecting on values and strengths.
Raising your awareness about these is an important part of choosing a career direction that’s a great fit for you. There are 16 Myers Briggs “types” and the assessment captures your preferences against four indicators:
- where you get your energy (extraversion v introversion)
- how you perceive information (sensing v intuition)
- how you make decisions (thinking v feeling)
- how you approach the world (judging v perceiving)
We all have elements of each pairing, for example, we make decisons based on logic and analysis (thinking) as well as on empathy and our values (feeling) and our preferences will vary depending on the situation too.
The profile you receive can sometimes feel highly accurate – some clients have described it as “like looking in the mirror”. For others, their result might largely ring true for them but in some areas feel inaccurate, mainly because their preference against the four indicators is less defined in one area. When this happens, a profile which is close to it might feel more true for them.
You’ll find plenty of free assessments online but I’d recommend 16personalities I talk through the results with clients to help them get under the skin of their profile. So, if you take an assessment, try doing this too, with a friend.
Bear in mind that your preferences can change over time. For example, it’s not unusual for someone who might score high on extraversion to continue to gain their energy mainly from being around others, but to find that they might need more time on their own to recharge than they once did, which is the introversion preference.
Finally, it’s important to remember that the strengths included in the profile aren’t the only ones you’ll have but it can also provide some good food for thought about some which it might benefit you to develop.
© Michelle Bayley 2025
Find out more
Michelle Bayley is a Certified Professional Life, Executive and Career Coach based in Twickenham, South West London.
Read about Michelle’s career, life and executive coaching services, or contact Michelle to arrange a free consultation.
