- ISBN13: 9780316167260
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
Already a classic in the genre, DoWhat You Are has helped hundreds of thousands of people find truly satisfying work. Do What You Are introduces Personality Type – how you process information, make decisions and interact with the world around you – and shows you which of the 16 types describes you best. It lists dozens of occupations that are popular with people of your type. Then, using workbook exercises and real-life examples to highlight the strengths and pitfalls of each personality type, it shows you step-by-step how touse your unique strengths to customise your job search,ensuring the best results in the shortest period of time.And if you plan to stay in your job, Do What You Are provides savvy advice for getting the most out of your current career.Every other career guide offers generic, one-size-fits-all advice. But because it is based on personality type, Do What You Are helps you determine what you need to be more successful and satisfied.
Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type
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I’m a career counselor in private practice, working with mid-career changers and young people making these decisions for the first time. This is one of the two truly extraordinary career books I ask all of my clients to buy. It was written for people who want to choose a direction that is a perfect fit with their personality. It does a wonderful job of introducing you to the 16 types. However, personality type is only one of many important factors in making a satisfying choice of direction. I recommend that you also get yourself a copy of: “The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success”, by Nicholas Lore. It is by far the best guide to picking your career. Whether you are thinking of changing careers in mid-life or are a student trying to figure out how to be successful and love your work, buy both of these books, and use them! Together they will guide you to putting the pieces of the puzzle together in a way that will keep you getting out of the right side of your bed for years to come.
Rating: 5 / 5
I had several very smart and successful mid-career changers tell me this was a must-buy book, so I bought it.
I think it’s also a must read for anyone putting together a business partnership or management team that seeks personnel that will complement each others’ strengths.
I wish I had read this book years ago. The authors have written a book around the Myers-Briggs personality type concept. Many other career advice authors may devote a chapter to this, but the Tiegers have really delved into this more than others. For instance, each of the sixteen 4-letter Myers-Briggs personality types (INTJ, ENTP, etc.) gets a full chapter on that type, including the person’s strengths, weaknesses, typical best job fits and 2 or 3 case studies of men and women with those personality types. After I took the test, I found their chapter on my particular type captured me almost perfectly and taken 20 years ago, would have predicted many of the career successes and challenges I’ve experienced.
The original pioneers of the Myers-Briggs methodology were Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother, Katherine Myers. Starting in the 1920s they identified 4 different aspects of personality (introverted vs. extroverted, sensing vs. perceiving, etc.) to come up with 8 traits. There are a total of 16 possible combinations of these traits and these are the “personality types”.
While some may find some fault with Myers-Briggs personality type theory, it’s sure good enough to be a powerful, insightful tool. The official Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test has been around for decades and has been thoroughly researched and critiqued as well as widely used by millions.
The Tiegers also cover additional Myers-Briggs material I have not seen in other career advice books. An example is how your personality evolves with age — certain Myers-Briggs traits become more pronounced at different times in life.
The buyer should be aware of two things, however, when they buy this book:
1. First, this book does not cover other aspects of career planning, self-assessment and job-hunting. It’s 95+% personality type material. You’ll still want to get another book (or books) on other aspects of career planning and job-hunting.
2. The true Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Test is copyrighted and available only through organizations, counselors and therapists approved by the Myers & Briggs Foundation — see myersbriggs.org (their site has also has a lot of other useful stuff).
The authors cannot include the test, but they describe each of the 8 traits in sufficient detail that you can estimate what you are — BUT you may be wrong, as I found out when I took the actual MBTI test. My estimate was very accurate for 3 traits and way off the mark for the 4th. As I read over the material in the book, I could see how I was wrong. I recommend paying the extra money, taking the real test and going over the result with someone certified by the Myers & Briggs Foundation — they can interpret those results that may surprise you. After speaking with the counselor and re-reading the relevant sections of the Tieger book, I could see how I made my mistake. The meanings of some of the terms — introverted, extroverted , judging, etc. — are subtly different in the psychological type world from the way they’re used in daily conversation.
There are thousands of people out there certified to do this and many college career placement offices also administer the test to students for free. You can also take the test online using a link at myersbriggs.org site and then discuss the results remotely with a trained counselor. Some of this control may be due to the foundation wanting to preserve test revenues, but it’s also driven by concerns about untrained people administering it inappropriately (for instance, to identify some neurotic boss’s idea of “bad personality types”) or interpreting it incorrectly.
Also, I tried two different on-line free sites that offered seemingly similar tests to come up with a Myers-Briggs type. These tests gave wildly inaccurate and conflicting results — I recommend staying away from them.
Rating: 5 / 5
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a personality test based on Jungian theory. In a nutshell, it states that every person falls into one of sixteen categories, and each one of these categories or “Types” has distinct needs, ways of interacting with others, manners of processing information, etc.
“Do What You Are” attempts to help individuals plot their own careers based on their own Myers Briggs “Type.” Before finding this book, the only other career-related thing I had read was “What Colour is your Parachute,” which was terrific. But I loved “Do What you Are” because it stated something that is so rarely said today… that you should find a job and career that suits who you really are. I passed this book around to all my friends and family, and most (but not all) loved it, too.
Something I found particularly delightful was that it affirmed a lot of things I had been thinkingabout my own situation, but had considered “unimportant.” My type is “ENFP” (I know it might sound like jibberish to you now, but it will make sense if you read the book). This is a type that thrives on creativity, feels confined by rigid rules, and needs lots of friendly social interaction on the job. But, since I have a high IQ and did well at school, others have constantly tried to push me into “status” fields like medecine and litigation. In my heart, I had always felt those kinds of careers would kill me, but I couldn’t really articulate why. After reading “Do What you Are,” I was better able to accept my instincts and explored PR, fundraising, and finally settled on a job in publishing. I LOVE my job, and although I think I would have arrived here eventually, I do think that it would have taken me twice as long to arrive had I not read this book.
Rating: 4 / 5
“Do What You Are” is about finding out what job is best suited for you based on your Myers-Briggs personality type. I was highly excited to read this book as most books don’t take your personality type into consideration.
First off, you will probably get a lot more out of this book if you have already determined your Myers-Briggs personality type. The beginning of the book does try to help you determine your type, but it is mostly just picking one type over another when the actually score is really based on a continuum.
After determining your time, the book has a chapter for each personality type. Since you only have one personality type, you only need to read one of the 16 chapters.
The chapter written specifically for your type was just ok. The chapter was filled with examples of people who are that type. I just wanted to read about how my personality type applies to the job situation, not read example about my type. Eventually the chapter did get to what jobs would work best for you and things you should keep in mind when selecting a job. However, I was hopeing for a more in-depth explanation and analysis.
While the book does an excellent job of focusing on your personality type, it does next to nothing to help you with determining your interests, passions and goals, all of which are vital to picking the correct job.
So… if you know your Myers-Briggs type, which you should before you read this book, you only really need to read 10-15 pages out of this book. If you are really stuck on what job you are best suited for, pick this book up or just skim it in the bookstore. 3 out of 5 stars.
Rating: 3 / 5
This book is well written, fun, and a great source of ideas if you already know your Myers-Briggs type. If you don’t, the section on identifying your type is weak; I recommend Kiersey’s “Please Understand Me” instead (or inquire at your local educational institutions: I took the Myers-Briggs, had it professionally interpreted, and got loads of helpful reference material from a $40 seminar at a community college).
The book is most useful if you’re discontented with your present career (or have qualms about the career you’re preparing for, if you’re a student). I was railroaded into a career that didn’t suit me because of my family’s expectations, although I was determined and intelligent enough to become moderately good at it. But I never felt comfortable with it, and it was only after many unhappy years that I realized I was in the wrong job and broke away to find a more congenial career path. I wish this book had existed 30 years ago!
I agree with other readers that the book is short on practical guidance as to WHICH career you should choose — I’ve found Barbara Sher’s books much more helpful. Nonetheless, this is a good place to start, at a reasonable price, and it’s excellent as far as it goes.
Rating: 4 / 5