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Professional Career Planning
Chapter 2
Self Assessment for Career Planning

Exercise 2 - Understanding Your Personality

Overview
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

In this lesson, you will learn about some of the influences on personality and personality types. A professional's personality has a significant effect on which career path will be most successful.  You have your won unique personality and it is valuable to understand the nature or your personality.  There are two major areas that affect your personality and its development. 
     The first is heredity which dictates many physical characteristics - - how tall you are, the color of your eyes, the shape of your nose -- but it also affects how you learn, how you react to certain situations, and how you interact with other people.
     The second is the environment in which you grew up.  The culture you were born into, the family that raised you, the friends you had, the schools you attended, etc..  Your religion, the size of you family, your role models, the leisure activities in which you participated are all examples of environmental influences on your personality.
     You will be asked to take a personality inventory and evaluate whether the information collected from it matches with what you know about yourself. The inventory you will be taking is "The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II."  This inventory has been used by large numbers of people and related to their occupations.  This inventory should be fun and should give you insight into yourself.  Take your time and answer the questions to the best of your ability.   The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II is one of the most widely respected inventories used to give professionals feedback about their personalities.  It is your personality that directs you toward some approaches to life and away from others.  While most all personalities can take you where you want to go, it will make the journey easier if you understand why you choose the goals you do, and why you approach tasks the way you do.  This exercise should take about 30 minutes, so make sure that you have that amount of time available before starting. 

You will need to save or print out three (3) web pages while taking this exercise.  After you have progressed beyond a feedback page it may be difficult or impossible to get back to it.  So when you come to a results or feedback page, either printout the page or save it in a file folder set up as "Personal Assessment.":

  • Keirsey Temperament Sorter II Results
  • Temperament description
  • Variant temperament description
It is a good idea to Bookmark this page or use your back key to return to this page as the Keirsey Sorter is located at another site.  Please go to the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II now and take the inventory. 
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Evaluating The
Data
When you have completed the inventory and submitted it, you will get a report that lists your Temperament and your particular Variant Temperament.  These terms will be explained in detail as you examine the information under each of these categories.  Print out the information on the inventory analysis with the graph and both the Temperament and Variant Temperament pages. The Keirsey Character Sorter is designed to identify different kinds of personalities. The questionnaire identifies four temperament types: 
  • Guardian ["SJ"]
  • Artisan ["SP"]
  • Idealist ["NF"]
  • Rational ["NT"],
Each of the four types also have four variants for a total of 16 personality types.  The variants are detailed profiles of different orientations in that personality type.  If you missed getting the temperament and variant temperament type while in the instrument you can now go back and access the same information. Evaluating the Inventory.  Read the material and evaluate whether it matches what you know about yourself.  Give the information to others who know you well and ask them whether it matches what they know about you.  If this information does not match contact us and ask for a way to obtain a better match.

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Assignment Format When complete with the analysis of this exercise, write several paragraphs about your personality type and the implications of this information on your career plan. When finished with this exercise, put the results in the file folder or if completed on a word processor save in your "Personal Assessment" file.
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When you have completed all of this assignment you may continue with the third exercise in this chapter, Charting Your Values & Priorities, or return to the Career Chapter Index page.

 
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