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That depends. For example I was trained and tested to meet with a person and determine not only their MBTI type, but also their preferred cognitive processes, w

That depends. For example I was trained and tested to meet with a person and determine not only their MBTI type, but also their preferred cognitive processes, without ever talking about personality type with them. The testing was extremely difficult. But the skill is extremely valuable in knowing which questions to ask people as they try to navigate career and life change. You might be surprised to find how easy it is to make a very good guess, after all there are 16 types and this usually narrows down to 3-4 common applicant types given the job and field. If you know how to differentiate between those types, or have friends who are of those types, it's going to be hard not to make a close guess. If you want to take on the global MBTI cabal it's important to learn the game IMO. The obvious weaknesses will become your friend rather than a point of defense to get intense about. Less MBTI-sucks and more MBTI-meh. It's also available in other disciplines, e.g. I once took a course on how to determine personality characteristics from texts and emails. Some obvious stuff, but also some really fascinating ideas in there.

mistrial9 4y ago
physical health conditions, context of the meeting, significant recent events and naturally, drug use, can all skew these kinds of interview classification.. not to mention motive on your part.. lots of good reasons to discard this kind of human classification as psuedo-science IMHO
- themodelplumber 4y ago
  Who is trying to use it as a science? That wasn't mentioned anywhere. Of course there are millions of factors. Usually the interesting ones call for follow-up thinking or discussion, not outright classification...
- User23 4y ago
  Classifying humans into hire or no-hire is literally the point of every recruiting process. I’ve heard that random selection is as good as various interviewing techniques, but I have to admit I’m skeptical. Though I do agree that doing better than drawing lots should definitely be table stakes for any hiring or promotion process.
Aeolun 4y ago
It does help that like 50% of people fits one of 4 types in the first place :)
- themodelplumber 4y ago
  Depends on the workplace for sure
JohnFen 4y ago
> If you know how to differentiate between those types, or have friends who are of those types, it's going to be hard not to make a close guess. But it's still a guess. You don't actually know. But it's irrelevant in a sense. As you say, there are so few types that it's not hard to make a better-than-chance guess for pretty much anybody you meet. As a job applicant, this is no different than what I expect -- the interviewer is going to be making a subjective assessment of me and how well I would fit into the team. I wouldn't ever take an actual personality test for employment, though, because a company's willingness to engage in straight-up psuedoscience as a factor in making important decisions tells me something important, and unflattering, about that company.

mistrial9 4y ago

physical health conditions, context of the meeting, significant recent events and naturally, drug use, can all skew these kinds of interview classification.. not to mention motive on your part.. lots of good reasons to discard this kind of human classification as psuedo-science IMHO

themodelplumber 4y ago
Who is trying to use it as a science? That wasn't mentioned anywhere. Of course there are millions of factors. Usually the interesting ones call for follow-up thinking or discussion, not outright classification...
User23 4y ago
Classifying humans into hire or no-hire is literally the point of every recruiting process. I’ve heard that random selection is as good as various interviewing techniques, but I have to admit I’m skeptical. Though I do agree that doing better than drawing lots should definitely be table stakes for any hiring or promotion process.

Aeolun 4y ago

It does help that like 50% of people fits one of 4 types in the first place :)

themodelplumber 4y ago
Depends on the workplace for sure

JohnFen 4y ago

> If you know how to differentiate between those types, or have friends who are of those types, it's going to be hard not to make a close guess. But it's still a guess. You don't actually know. But it's irrelevant in a sense. As you say, there are so few types that it's not hard to make a better-than-chance guess for pretty much anybody you meet. As a job applicant, this is no different than what I expect -- the interviewer is going to be making a subjective assessment of me and how well I would fit into the team. I wouldn't ever take an actual personality test for employment, though, because a company's willingness to engage in straight-up psuedoscience as a factor in making important decisions tells me something important, and unflattering, about that company.