Yaritza Rendon

March 4, 2021

Professor Buckler

Personality Test Assignment

INFJ-T

Introverted(I), Intuitive(N), Feeling(F), Judging(J), and Turbulent(-T)

            Did you know that Advocates are the rarest personality types in the world? Advocates approach life with deep thoughtfulness and imagination. They are introverted. Therefore, they enjoy being self-sufficient, prefer working with ideas rather than people and do not need great numbers of friends. Socializing depletes their internal energy quickly, and when that happens, they need alone time to recharge. These individuals tend to be compassionate, sensitive, and highly emotional. They are likely to fight for their values and beliefs. Advocates tend to have a strong work ethic, putting their duties and responsibilities above all else. The greatest goal for Advocates involves coming to terms with their true selves.

I agree with the results because I find myself to be quite introverted and needing a lot of alone time to recharge, improve myself, and explore my inner world. I work well in groups but prefer to work on my own. I do not socialize much and have a few friends. For me, it is quality over quantity. I am picky when it comes to choosing the company I keep around me because I am sensitive to people’s energies. I tend to feel people and situations out. I am not afraid to wear my heart on my sleeve because I crave authentic connections with others and that only happens when one has the courage to be vulnerable. Part of reading energies is knowing who to become vulnerable to because not everyone I come across deserves access to my heart and my generosity. I may come across as reserved but once you get to know me, I am magnanimous and have a warm personality. I am extremely self-sufficient and thoroughly enjoy my independence. I am proud of who I am and do not feel the need to prove myself to others.

Some strengths of the Advocate include creativity, insightful, principled, passionate, and altruistic. There have been times when I have surprised myself with my own resourcefulness and ingenuity. I like finding creative solutions to problems and working with my hands. If it is broken, I can most likely find a way to fix it. I also love a good strategy. Being insightful comes naturally to me. Being the highly sensitive person that I am, I use empathy to figure out people’s true motivation, needs and feelings even if they do not verbalize them to me. I am passionate because I am a determined person. I reach my goals by planning and even when I fail, I get up, brush myself off, and try again. Being principled and altruistic go hand in hand for me because I always try to use my strengths for the greater good. I think about my actions beforehand, try to figure out the consequences, and then ask myself how they would affect other people. I tend to take great care of the feelings of the people I love and care about but also care deeply about people I do not know. I always try to add value in the lives of others and help in all the ways I can.

Some weaknesses of the Advocate include sensitivity to criticism, reluctance to open up, perfectionism, avoiding the ordinary, and prone to burnout. Yes, I am sensitive to criticism because I am a sensitive person but after the sting leaves, I try to figure out if there was any truth to what was said and wonder how I can improve myself. I do find it difficult to open up because I am self-sufficient. I rely on myself to solve my problems and do not want to be a burden to others. I am learning to ask for help when I need it. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” I am not sure if being a perfectionist resonates with me because while there are times I would like things to be perfect, I am learning that in life, that is not always the case. If anything, I am learning to embrace and see the beauty in imperfections. Avoiding the ordinary for Advocate personalities, is that they tend to be motivated by a sense of having a greater purpose in life but consider it unnecessary to break their vision into small goals. I am greatly motivated by my goals and the vision I have for my life, but I know the key to success is in creating small, manageable goals. A little each day add up to big results. Advocate personalities are prone to burnout if they do not find a way to balance their work and self-care. This is true for me as well. As much as I love helping others, it is crucial that I spend time alone to recharge and take care of myself. I cannot pour into the cup of others if my cup is empty.

I do not think personality tests are an effective way to determine if a candidate is right for a role. It is similar to saying only people born under the sun sign of Aries should be hired as managers. But then Virgos and Libras would make great managers too! I believe each person comes with their own experience, skills and strengths and a personality test is not the complete picture. It is only a part of it. I believe personality tests can be useful in the workplace to figure out how people work best with each other. I think it discourages people to improve and grow and sends a message that their ability to do something is fixed rather than something they can hone over time.  I think certain personality traits are not relevant to job performance. But if a company believes that they are, they might miss out on talented people who do not fit the personality type, but whose skills, motivations, and other attributes bring a lot of value to their company.