I guess I should probably update my Blog Readers on the status of my job search. As you know, I was called in for a follow-up interview with the Country Club last week. The interview went rather well - I reiterated how wonderful I was and made sure the GM knew I wanted this job. The GM told me that he was just waiting on the results of my background check (step #3 in the inteview process) and that the following day I will received a call from his HR consultant for a phone screening.
We'll call the phone screening Step #4 in interviewing for this position. We spoke for almost an hour on the phone. It was intense and I was exhausted when I came off the phone. I had to relay my previous experience, go through the whole strengths and weaknesses scenario, and explain why I thought moving from strictly marketing to a strictly sales position was a good idea. Of course I told her that this position - while indeed a sales position - was more marketing than anything else. In order to make a membership sale - you have to be a PR person as well as know how to market the course. I also told her the $1000 a week commission potential was highly attractive!! She then asked me to sell her a pen over the phone! This is where my brain stopped working - and I choked. It wouldn't surprise me if I lost the job based on this sales pitch alone. Of course - I came up with a witty sales pitch the second I hung up the phone - it all rushed back to me!
Friday morning I received an e-mail from the HR Consultant - asking me to take a Meyers-Briggs personality assessment. I must have done something good in the phone interview - because that put me through to stage #5. The assessment is similar to this one I found on the internet:
Myers-Briggs Assment . Of course, I took this online before I took the assessment for the HR consultant to see how I would score. It came up that my personality was an INFJ - moderately expressed in all of these: Introverted - Intuitive - Feeling - Judging.
One of the links the test forwarded me to for an analysis of my results states that I'm a
Counselour Idealist! Which is prety much dead on to how I behave. "Counsleors tend to be private, sensitive people, and are not generally visible leaders, they nevertheless work quite intensely with those close to them, quietly exerting their influence behind the scenes with their families, friends, and colleagues. This type has great depth of personality; they are themselves complicated, and can understand and deal with complex issues and people."
The other link states that I am an
Activist - in it for the cause and not the glory. Other famous INJF's are: Chaucer, Robbie Burns, Gahndi, and Mother Teresa. So I'm in good company.
Now - whether this makes me a good sales person is beyond me! Perhaps because I can emphathize with others better - I'll be able to read their needs better - and therfore be more able to sell a membership to them. Who knows!
Now I play the waiting game - again. I'm not going to hold my breath this week. I've got activites to do around the house: fix the screens that were damaged in the hurricanes, pull up an old garden and install a new raised be, and produce my video to send to the Biggest Loser casting directors. Things to keep my mind off the job!
The funny thing is .... even this Myers-Briggs Assessment states that I should be a writer or work in public service. I really KNOW deep down in my heart that this is the feild I should work in. However - I can't locate a poisition that will allow me to do this. I need a job with a high salary so that I can take care of my family. A writer will always be dirt poor. I'll just have to keep saving the world on my own time - and write about it here.
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Update 02-26-06:
I did some more research into the Meyers-Briggs Assessments and found this in regards to my personality trait INFJ. My dad and son probably fall into this category as well:
The Protector
As an INFJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your personal value system. INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals.
Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types. INFJs place great importance on havings things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done, and constantly define and re-define the priorities in their lives.
On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is entirely spontaneous. They know things intuitively, without being able to pinpoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usually right, and they usually know it. Consequently, INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. This is something of a conflict between the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organized as other Judging types tend to be. Or we may see some signs of disarray in an otherwise orderly tendency, such as a consistently messy desk.
INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations. They get "feelings" about things and intuitively understand them. As an extreme example, some INFJs report experiences of a psychic nature, such as getting strong feelings about there being a problem with a loved one, and discovering later that they were in a car accident. This is the sort of thing that other types may scorn and scoff at, and the INFJ themself does not really understand their intuition at a level which can be verbalized. Consequently, most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it. They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand. INFJs hold back part of themselves, and can be secretive. But the INFJ is as genuinely warm as they are complex.
INFJs hold a special place in the heart of people who they are close to, who are able to see their special gifts and depth of caring. INFJs are concerned for people's feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone. They are very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict may drive the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger. They may tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress. Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own instincts above all else. This may result in an INFJ stubborness and tendency to ignore other people's opinions. They believe that they're right. On the other hand, INFJ is a perfectionist who doubts that they are living up to their full potential.
INFJs are rarely at complete peace with themselves - there's always something else they should be doing to improve themselves and the world around them. They believe in constant growth, and don't often take time to revel in their accomplishments. They have strong value systems, and need to live their lives in accordance with what they feel is right. In deference to the Feeling aspect of their personalities, INFJs are in some ways gentle and easy going. Conversely, they have very high expectations of themselves, and frequently of their families. They don't believe in compromising their ideals. INFJ is a natural nurturer; patient, devoted and protective. They make loving parents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high expectations of their children, and push them to be the best that they can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed and stubborn. But generally, children of an INFJ get devoted and sincere parental guidance, combined with deep caring.
In the workplace, the INFJ usually shows up in areas where they can be creative and somewhat independent. They have a natural affinity for art, and many excel in the sciences, where they make use of their intuition. INFJs can also be found in service-oriented professions. They are not good at dealing with minutia or very detailed tasks. The INFJ will either avoid such things, or else go to the other extreme and become enveloped in the details to the extent that they can no longer see the big picture. An INFJ who has gone the route of becoming meticulous about details may be highly critical of other individuals who are not. The INFJ individual is gifted in ways that other types are not.
Life is not necessarily easy for the INFJ, but they are capable of great depth of feeling and personal achievement.
