Comments on: Do You Have a "PR Personality"?

By: jrandom42

jrandom42 — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:35:51 +0000

Find it amazing that the INTJs would make good PR pros. As a strong INTJ, I find it difficult not to get totally drained dealing with people all day. That, along with my abilities in mathematics, science and engineering lean me as far away from public relations as possible

By: Sean

Sean — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:16:08 +0000

Good thoughts, Brandon. Thanks for the input.

By: Brandon Croke

Brandon Croke — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:52:58 +0000

Hi Lindsay,

Great blog, keep it up. Quick question about the Myers Briggs.

Sean I have also heard those claims about the test. I was curious what your degree in psychology was in? You’re absolutely right though, it should never be used in hiring decisions and this is widely known to MBTI professionals. (should be at least)

You may already know this, but Carl Jung developed the original theory, he was pretty big in psychology. Isabel and Katharine did endless statistics based off of behavioral analysis. I don’t know what their deal was, but they made a pretty popular test.

Of course popular usually equals awful, so I’m glad you think for yourself. And yes, it is a self reported test, so it can be easily flawed by choice, environment, lack of self knowledge etc.

I would critique the authors representation of the MBTI, and not necessarily the instrument itself. If you eat your fork at a restaurant, don’t complain about the food.

By: Ann Marie Ricard

Ann Marie Ricard — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:32:47 +0000

This post hits home for me. Shortly after college, I was fortunate enough to land an interview with a very hot Bay Area agency. At the end of the afternoon, I was heartbroken when the managing partner pointed out that I must be in the wrong place. She kindly explained that my personality test clearly showed I should be an accountant. My mistake was that I didn’t have a response to tell her why these same skills (attention to detail, stable, practical) could translate very well to PR, thank you.

I didn’t get that job, but I didn’t give up, either. Just days later, I received an offer for an AC position at a leading firm. 15 years later, I still love what I do.

I agree with Alison. It takes all kinds of personalities to create a winning team. Know your strengths and be able to confidently showcase how this will help your potential employer/clients shine.

By: Sean

Sean — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:23:46 +0000

Interesting points in your article – thank you.

One thing: Myers-Briggs is about as accurate as reading tea leaves. It was developed by two people with no training in psychology or psychiatry. It is easily fooled and should never be used in making hiring or promotion decisions. In practice, it’s like going to see a storefront psychic. Any M-B exam should be stamped with the words “FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.”