Week 4: We’ve Got Personality (MBTI) & A Road Trip Ahead!

In today’s class we introduced the personality attributes based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI assessment is a psychometric questionnaire designed to measure psychological type (described by Carl Jung) and how people perceive the world and make decisions.

In learning about the psychological types and preferences, we have gotten and idea of where preferences lie for the energizing preferences extroversion (E) and introversion (I), the attending preferences are sensing (S) and intuition (N), the deciding preferences are thinking (T) and feeling (F) and the living preferences are judgment (J) and perception (P). We have also started the conversation on how MBTI types exhibit particular strengths and weaknesses in the workplace environments. This conversation will continue, so please hang onto YOUR MBTI Assessment report for future class use, and to share your thoughts on your WP Post #4 in 300 words minimum blog post DUE by 11:59 pm TONIGHT (9/17) answer the following questions using your MBTI REPORT:

• Did you guess your MBTI 4-letter combination (p. 3)?
• What do you think about your MBTI report & results? (p.3)
• How will your MBTI affect your career exploration? (p. 5)
• Using Page7-8, select ONE of the “Job Families” for your MBTI Type and use the O*NET Online to share why this occupation might be relevant to you. Pick one that you might be interested in to research. Look at their skills, tasks, job expectations, salary, etc on the O*NET. Ranking of Job Families (p. 8)
• Compare and contrast your Most Popular Occupations (p. 9) & Least Popular Occupations (p. 10) for your MBTI. Is this accurate? Thoughts? Please describe.

ROADTRIP NATION PROJECT:  Who will YOU Interview for the Roadtrip Nation (RTN) Project?

RTN Group 1	RTN Group 2
Samantha, Brendin, Ryan P., Rachel	Ryan H., Amanda, Jessica, John
RTN Group 3	RTN 4
Jade, Logan, Greg, Julia	Denise, Chrystal, Ashley, Greyson

Here are a few suggestions for the ONE (1) professional EACH that you will interview for the Roadtrip Nation (RTN) group project [the group is welcome to interview more than 3 people if there are other professional interests]. HINT: You  may want to find this person NOW since proposals with scheduled interview dates/times/locations are DUE in-class Tuesday, October 1 st, 2013:

• Referred by someone you know – ask your parents, relatives, friends, past/current instructors, past employers, student organizations connections, UNT alumni office, Career Center events, Mentor Match database
• Be resourceful – flip through magazines, surf the Internet, read the newspaper, watch a TV show, check credits of movies, CDs or books
• Be an investigator – attend & talk to professionals at the industry days or career fairs, check out company websites, research local organizations, identify the industry of interest
• Use Your Campus Resources – Career Center, Eagle Network – Mentor Match, instructors/faculty, departments/offices.

Asking for Interviews

The Cold Call

Be polite and informative to the professional, or their administrative assistants

• Never call on a Monday.
• Avoid leaving a voicemail until necessary.
• Leave a succinct message.
• Be patient. They may not call back right away.
• Know when to give up!
• Avoid the PR and human resources departments.
• Follow up ASAP!

Email: Instead of calling, you may opt to send an email. Keep in mind that the response might be slower or even go to spam. If you do write an email, please ensure that it is professional, is from your UNT e-mail address, and details the goal of your project. Be sure to include:

1. Introduction: How you found the person
2. Second Paragraph: You story
3. Third Paragraph: What you want (and don’t want)
4. Closing: Specific meeting request

The Pitch

You should WRITE THIS DOWN to be prepared what to say:

• Introduce yourself.
• Say who referred you or how you got his or her number.
• Explain your situation – the Roadtrip Nation Project
• State your request.
• Be clear that you’re not asking for a job.

The Response

If they accept or decline, please be sure to respond with a thank you message within 24-48 hours of their response. If they accept, be sure to confirm the time, day and location for your interview. Here are suggested meeting options:

• Wednesday, Thursdays or Fridays
• Lunchtime
• Late-afternoon coffee
• The twenty-minute meeting at their office or place of work

Reference:

Marriner, M. & Gebhard, N. (2006). Roadtrip Nation: A guide to discovering your path in life. New York: Ballentine Books.

Homework

• BLOG: WP Blog Post #4 (See Above)
• RESEARCH: Start thinking about who you want to interview for your RTN project, reach out to them (cold call), & chat with your RTN group.
• ATTEND: You should have your ticket to see Rainn Wilson already, right? creator of SoulPancake  http://studentaffairs.unt.edu/wilson THIS THURSDAY (September 19th at 7 pm); print your tickets!
• ALTERNATIVE Session to Rainn Wilson: Reality Check! – How far can your future paycheck take you? Thursday, September 26    5-6pm   Business Leadership Building 255.