No matter the stage of your career, you need to appear for job interviews. It’s a critical way of evaluating whether you’re a good fit for the role, organization and industry you’re applying to. A popular question in an interview is: How would you describe yourself? The recruiter’s primary intention in asking this question is to check whether you’re self-aware and if your values match organizational beliefs.
There are different ways of finding the answer to this question. You can either pay attention to details or find out more about the personality traits that define you. The Myers-Briggs personality assessment is one of the most popular methods of finding more about your personality type. The ISFP personality type is one among the 16 personalities identified by Myers and Briggs. Let’s look at the ISFP type in detail and what it entails.
What Is The ISFP Personality Type?
Also known as the adventurer personality type, ISFPs are typically quiet, easy-going and peaceful individuals. ISFP is an acronym that stands for Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving. As the acronym suggests, such individuals enjoy spending time alone (Introverted), focus on facts instead of theory or concepts (Sensing), make decisions based on values and feelings (Feeling) and prefer spontaneity to organized schedules and plans (Perceiving). Studies suggest that approximately 5-10% of the population have ISFP personality traits.
Here are some defining characteristics of the ISFP personality type:
- They tend to be kind, friendly and sensitive. They may be open to interacting with others but need some alone time as well.
- They can be quiet and reserved. They have an easy-going attitude, which makes it easier to be accepting and considerate of others.
- They tend to focus on details, which is why they’re likely to think more about the present rather than the future.
- They enjoy hands-on experiences and don’t like to focus their energy on theories and concepts. They want the practical application of objects around them and prefer practical learning solutions. (https://justsayyes.org/)
- They’re likely to keep their options open, which may delay their decision-making. They do so in case new options or changes come up.
All in all, people belonging to the ISFP personality type are known for their innate sensibilities, who don’t enjoy the spotlight but like to extend help whenever possible.
Finding Your Ideal Career Trajectory
While it isn’t always easy to identify the best career path for yourself, having a greater understanding of your personality type and traits can be greatly helpful. Some may debate that personality tests aren’t always an accurate representation but they can help you identify some underlying beliefs and attitudes you may not have been aware of. Some ISFP traits may dominate over others, which is why this personality type has its own set of strengths and limitations. If you belong to the ISFP personality type, here is a list of advantages and disadvantages you should be aware of:
1. Advantages Of ISFP Personality Traits
- They have a ‘live and let live’ easy-going attitude that makes them charming and well-liked by others
- They can be incredibly passionate about things and when they are caught up with something that excites them, they leave everything else aside
- They’re highly imaginative beings; they thrive on expressing creativity in practical ways (for example, through a painting)
- Their creativity prompts new ideas but they need to see and explore these for themselves to believe in their ideas
- They easily relate to others’ emotions and like to maintain harmony and goodwill in situations; they don’t like conflict
2. Disadvantages Of ISFP Personality Traits
- They’re fiercely independent, which means that they like to pursue their beliefs and ideas and are not stick to traditions and rules
- They don’t see the big picture often, which means that they don’t like to plan for the future; they dislike long-term plans
- They can be full of emotions and highly sensitive; ISFP characters are likely to lose control as emotions take over
- They can get overly competitive as they like paying attention to detail and championing their ideas, beliefs and values; they are unhappy when they lose
- They’re slow in decision-making; they like to wait it out for better alternatives, so reaching a conclusion takes time
In addition to these ISFP personality traits, if you want to understand yourself better, try Harappa’s Interpreting Self course. This engaging self-knowledge course, with a world-renowned diagnostic survey, will help you identify your strong points and define your aspirations. Powerful frameworks such as River of Life and the Kaleidoscope will teach you how to leverage your strengths and accomplish your professional goals. Interpret yourself for success today!