Victoria, British Columbia, Phone: 250-744-1731

Explorer Career Success Stories and Strategies

A request from Donna Dunning

Please Share Your Story or Strategy

Although I have studied personality type for over 20 years, I still find it most helpful to hear from the experts on the different types. That’s you. To help others learn and develop, please share your stories. How does your career suit who you are? What have you learned to do to be successful? Thanks for sharing.

To find a sample of type-preferred occupations go to the Explorer occupations page.

Not sure of your type? Learn more on the What’s Your Type pages.

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If you want to share your career success story or strategy on our web site, please fill in the form below. *All fields are required. By submitting your story you are agreeing to let us publish it. We may edit your story for length and clarity. Thank you.

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17 Responses to “Explorer Career Success Stories and Strategies”

  1. Donna says:

    Personality Type: ENFP

    I have been teaching the MBTI certification program for over 10 years now. I enjoy interacting with learners who are interested in personality type and at every workshop I learn more about myself and about how people express their preferences. During the workshop participants also gain and share many insights about themselves and others. The learning is rich, the interactions are fun, and the atmosphere is respectful and collaborative. The work also fits in well with my lifestyle. I work for 4-5 days, and then I’m done until the next session, providing me with time to pursue other interesting projects. This flexible, interactive work, focusing on helping others learn and grow, is very rewarding for me.

  2. Lee says:

    Personality Type: ENTP

    My work in publishing is perfectly suited to my preferences. I spend much of my time interacting with others, but am equally nourished by reading and analyzing, which uses my introverted Thinking. Without quiet time for this analysis I would feel totally out of balance. I love the spontaneity of new ideas and new people, of not planning but letting things unfold, both at work and at home. Everything is a work in progress! Especially during free time hiking or biking, it’s the road or path I’m not on that draws and sparks my imagination. My career lets me respond to ideas and people constantly, but with the freedom I need to explore and analyze to get great results.

  3. K. says:

    Personality Type: ENTP

    My career has always consisted of dealing with internal and external clients in fast paced environments. Whether I’m leading, managing, training, or consulting in various industries, I’ve always had to find solutions for people through analyzing, evaluating and recommending options to clients. This has led to me working in consulting for a product/service. This fits well with who I am, as I like to work with people, and seeing new possibilities and new ways of doing things helps me in finding win-win solutions. The atmosphere I work in allows me to work with people as well as alone, do needs analysis, make recommendations and continually learn about our client’s business needs. The continuous learning in my job allows me to complement my desire for higher education through practical on the job learning. My work allows me to travel and meet clients face to face at conferences, networking, seminars, training, and provides me with variety to use my skills and abilities in different ways. My work is fast paced, creative, collaborative and influential to clients and fits very well with who I am. My work is challenging as I’m driven and energized by the opportunities as it allows me to be true to who I am and love what I do everyday.

  4. Deb says:

    Personality Type: ENFP

    I have worked in Human Resources for 20+ years. I was drawn to HR because I love the constant variety of activities and interacting with people. It seemed to be a perfect fit for me! I started out in recruiting (constantly meeting new people), from there I moved into Training and Development where I got to teach workshops (including MBTI) again, this fit very nicely with my type. Then I moved into a leadership role with lots of variety and again working closely with people. At this point in my progression I bumped into an issue of procrastination. When I stopped to assess what was behind the procrastination I discovered I was avoiding all the things that I didn’t like to do that were basically counter to my type (report writing, budgets, more of the detailed, sensing activities). Of course I had sensing activities in my previous roles but it hadn’t been as much of an issue until I moved into leadership.

    One of the strategies that has never failed me (at work and at home) is “eating my vegetables before I get dessert”. For me, what that looks like is I line up my To Do List with all the activities I have to tackle (there is always a mix of those things I enjoy and the things I don’t). Then I dive into the ones I’m not crazy about FIRST and get them out of the way so that I can reward myself with the “fun activities”. Of course it isn’t always possible to do them in this order but whenever possible that’s what I do. When I’m not able to do this – I make it a conscious choice and I check myself to make sure I’m not in the “avoid mode”. I use this strategy for exercise, cleaning the house, etc.

    Some time ago – one of our team members moved from HR to Accounting. She had been in an Administrative role in HR. I had an exit interview with her before she left and when I asked her what appealed to her about Accounting versus HR she replied “I’m looking forward to coming to work and knowing exactly what I’m going to work on… I can’t stand the constantly changing priorities and demands that we have in HR”. When she made this comment I had to chuckle to myself because what was causing her to leave the department was exactly what has kept me here all these years!

  5. Harish Davda says:

    Personality Type: ENTP

    When I saw my score and understood what it meant….I could see myself almost totally in the interpretation of my score. I’m open, connect to people easily, very creative…etc. I’m totally suited to my work which takes me in new situations….I work as Management consutant and trainer and happy to enable my clients to explore, for example their strategies for developing their business. I’m grateful for MBTI score which has helped me to understand myself and other people…vital in providing excellent services!

  6. Rebecca Z says:

    Personality Type: ENTP

    As an ENTP, I am constantly exploring ideas and debating the benefits of each idea. I find myself wanting to know the big picture and planning a number of possibilities to get there. Thoughts and ideas are more intriguing to me than details, which allows me appreciate my colleagues that are SJs. As a Career Counselor, I love relating to new people, building relationships, and helping my clients find their passions. The brainstorming and strategic planning of how to accomplish goals is fantastic and working with lots of people keeps the variety in place for satisfaction. My skepticism sometimes makes me feel too negative, but I am really just poking holes to ensure a better process or solution.

  7. Storm says:

    Personality Type: ENFP

    I started modeling in a very young age, being 16-17 I lived one feet in milan one home. Then stoped for 1 year to finish high-school, in that year get into sport so stay at home. Went to university for management of tourism, quit without finishing first year convinced to change into sport academy. Started new studies and keep doing sport. In summer met a Guy from the City! fall got injury. Lost scolarship in academy.For sure there was a way to get back into track and get back scolarship in academy. But in the darkest period i considered all posibilities and decided that i wont win world champ or whatever anymore and to be average stuck in one place with no money and no fun times at all is just not worth it. So i got back to modeling (BIG BIG reason for this step was the GUY, because now i can move to NYC and be closer to him also i missed crazy times and spontanious lifestyle i guess) So i gone to milan again, and planning to move to NYC in fall. Also i traveled a lot with friends in these year met sooooo many diferent people, buisines people, fashion people, musicians, artists, teachers, students, bartenders, promonters full rainbow… Im almost 21 and realizing i cant do it forever, also i defenetely dont wanna do it 4ever. So trying to figure what to do next. Just found this test, a lot of information …will try to look it more carefully 2morrow, its already 2am here. Sorry for my grammar im lithuanian. Take care!

  8. JeniRae says:

    Personality Type: Ne/Ti

    I currently work as an analyst in the Contact Center Resources Department of my company, a large insurance firm that conducts a large amount of business through call center transactions. Our department is in charge of assuring that the agents on the phones are “the Right people in the Right places at the Right times,” and we do this by analysing data feeds for any schedule discrepancies, and assuring agents’ vacation time banks are up to date.

    I have been in this position for a little over a year now, and have been with the company for nearly 8 years. I am incredibly fortunate to be performing a task that exercises both my Dominant (Ne) and Auxiliary (Ti) mental processes so well. Our team was initially established as a ‘project team,’ , so we were able to develop and improve many our own processes. I was able to exercise my Ne by looking out for better ways to do things. Because there were few established processes in the beginning, we were able to be flexible and entertain new ideas, as long as they furthered the primary mission of the team. The data analysis role exercises my Ti perfectly, and a ‘perfect day’ for me begins when a spreadsheet of 10,000 lines of data appears in my inbox, and I get to scrub the data, analyse it, and “tell a story” with it– determining what Information/trends are most important, and how to Communicate said information to the appropriate parties in a way that will solicit the desired action in the most streamlined manner possible.
    It was also 10 years ago this month that I received my MBTI Certification (July 2001- back when it was still called a “Qualifying” program.) I was incredibly young when I received this certification, and I am fortunate to have this decade of knowledge under my belt to serve as a basis for many of the important decisions I have made in my life. I also realize that my preferences are not shared by many, even within my own department, so when others seem ‘overwhelmed’ or ‘intimidated’ by my nearly effortless stream of ideas, I know enough to never interpret this as a personal attack. I simply need to call upon my Auxiliary process, the good old Ti, and take a step back and analyse these ideas objectively, to see if they ‘fall into place.’
    I always tell my teammates that my mind works like a “gigantic spreadsheet,” I just need to step back and allow the data to fall into place. And they can certainly call me out on this at ANY TIME NECESSARY.

  9. Catherine says:

    Personality Type: ENTP

    Marketing and Business Development Consultant – Help business owners communicate effectively with customers for business growth. Lot’s of variety, lots of trouble-shooting and joining the dots, plenty of reading the situation – love it. Also, being challenging, outspoken and sometimes controversial is regarded as an asset rather than a flaw. And it wouldn’t be right for me to take on the detail of implementing these strategies now would it . . . so I happily encourage clients to get on with that themselves, which of course suits them as they remain in charge.

  10. Chelsea says:

    Personality Type: ENFP

    In high school and college, I never really focused on academics. I joined the theatre club, swimming varsity, and mountaineering club. After gaining my bachelor’s diploma, I was a preschool teacher for 2 years while being involved in the theatre on the side (teaching children acting and creating prop designs). I became a burnt out teacher after my 1st year in teaching but stuck with my job as I wasn’t sure where else to go. I had a child development degree and was uncertain about graduate school in art therapy and marriage family therapy. Did I really want to be a full-time counselor? I had already anticipate being burnt out from counseling, like I did teaching. I went backpacking throughout Europe for a couple of months and came back home still uncertain about the next steps to take. I couldn’t stand another day in the classroom as I was still very much burnt out so I utilized my expertise in swimming and became a full time swimming instructor. This fall, I’m taking my postgraduate studies in product design and I think, HOPEFULLY, this field will keep me interested, engaged, and happy as it gives much leeway to creativity, spontaneity, and possibilities.

    I chuckled when I read “follow your dreams” to be an ENFP’s mantra. It’s definitely evident in my own story. We all have different paths to discover and I hope you enjoy every minute of yours as it unfolds. It’s not always going to be easy or smooth, but the excitement and uncertainty is a huge part of the fun. As they say, big risks give way to big successes. Good luck! 🙂

  11. Jorge says:

    Personality Type: ENTP

    Biologist with a Masters in Industrial Ecology. Working as a career director in Corporate Environmental Management, the first of its nature to be launched in the country and probably in the region. I designed the course structure from scratch and am currently working to position it in the market. My goal is to promote creative ways in which environmental performance can result in higher corporate profits.

    My passion is evolutionary psychology. I struggle with procrastination and in finishing what I start. I am a big fan of the horror genre and am working on incorporating more emotional components into my decision making, mainly in how my actions make other people feel.

    My long-term goals are to look for market niches that require people like me or to start my own business. My long-term challenge is to get my procrastination under control and to be able to put all my good ideas into practice when I want to.

    I would eventually like to have a daughter.

  12. Travis says:

    Personality Type: ENFP

    I have been working with individuals and teams using Myers-Briggs for the past two years. It’s helped me to understand me a bit more. I was a music major out of high school for three years but decided I didn’t want to teach. I floated around for several years trying to decide. Seven majors and 13.5 years later, I finished my bachelor’s degree. In that time I worked in retail but each job lasted about one year. I got bored with the same thing every day. I loved working with people but disliked the same boring thing every day. I coached little league soccer in this time.

    I finally finshed my degree and was working at a county health department. As I began to work on my master’s in Adult Ed, I moved into a training role with the health department. That led to furthering my education by completing a Ph.D. in Applied Technology and Performance Improvement. I currently work in executive development for a Fortune 125 engineering and construction company. I get to work on lots of different projects, but my most rewarding work is coaching individuals and teams using Myers-Briggs and FiroB.

    I never feel fully satisfied. I love the idea of something more than the something itself. I became a notary public because I could. I was ordained through Universal Life Church because I could. In true P fashion, I have been working on starting my own coaching and consulting company for about five years. Don’t want to rush into anything. My company is Leadership X-Factor (www.leadershipxfactor.com). I love having flexibility at work to do many different things and to work on many different projects. That’s what appeals to me about my own consulting business. While it’s work, I get to decide which projects I take and which ones I don’t. And I get to work with so many different people.

  13. B.K. says:

    Personality Type: ENFP

    Balancing with continuity & sustainable development versus novelties, initiations, new ideas, new people. Need to learn about new content, about people, about improvement. No need to dwell on IT etc, rather develop it, master it, and concentrate on the more live parts of work process.
    -Resulted in work as maker of radio programmes (same channel, new programmes with new people) cut my own programmes as well.
    -Resulted in work as editor (writing and editing was always there, subjects and styles were new as well as interviewees, authors etc ) beginning to ready made story / book.
    -Resulted in work as Rights Manager, selling immaterial rights such as publishing and translation rights. Meeting new people, sharing my enthusiasm about books, closing contracts
    -Resulted in work as Producer, common ground plus new territory about finances.
    – Each job so far allows me to learn something new and build on what I have.

  14. Helen says:

    Personality Type: ENFP

    Many moons ago I studied modern languages and wanted to be a translator (so I thought!) but I actually got the chance to do an internship in that role and hated it! It was just so square and boring. At the time I couldn’t understand why I didn’t enjoy it and was rather shocked. I LOVE languages so why didn’t I enjoy translation? I was the tool translating others ideas. I wanted to be the one creating the ideas!! I’ve learned over time that my love of languages stems from my love of people, or communication of ideas, not the technical aspects of how language works. When I discovered my personality type it all made sense. So I had a career rethink. For the past 12 yrs I’ve been working as a project manager. I love the variation, the working with people and getting the team going, I even love the structure of planning as it keeps my “P” in check, but I do dislike all the reports and financials that I have to keep my eye on. Because I’m aware of this weakness I always make sure to get administrative help if I can (not always possible) as well as get on good terms with the controller! I’m also a project manager trainer and I love passing on my knowledge and ideas to others while at the same time learning from my students too! I love my job, it feels more like a hobby and I enjoy it much more, now that I know more about my own strengths and weaknesses.

  15. Dee says:

    Personality Type: ENFP

    Donna, thanks for creating this sharing opportunity. I am finding it very interesting to view others’ career paths. My story:
    After obtaining a Masters in Counseling, I thought to help people live happier lives and went to work in a temp. safe house for runaway adolescents. Looking back, I can see that dealing with families in crisis was not a good fit for my personal values/needs for harmony. Next, I moved into semi-social work helping economically disadvantaged people move from welfare into employment. I loved helping individuals feel more empowered in their lives but struggled with the limitations in my job (gov’t funded with lots of rules and regs). After funding took a dive I had a variety of jobs including doing vocational research on litigated workers comp cases, recruiting and interviewing for the staffing industry, and conducting outplacement and career management services. All of the work was relatively short term (>4 years), and since I enjoy change, that was a good path for me.

    Since 2003, I have been self employed as a career and life coach creating multiple income streams: I teach Small Business Start-up at the UW-Madison, mini-courses of my own design via community ed., coach individuals to make positive career transitions, work within companies to improve employees performance and job satisfaction, and do a little pubic speaking. This variety is a great fit for my type and I utilize the MBTI with the majority of my clients.

  16. Bria says:

    Personality Type: ENFP

    For the past 5 years my best friend and I have been talking about starting an event planning business – It was originally her mom’s idea (and was kind of a joke) but we ran with it. She is an ESTJ who loves business, working with numbers and social networking. I am an ENFP who loves counseling people, especially when it comes to working with creativity and ideas. Whether or not this plan will actually happen I am not certain. This year she will be completing her bachelors in business & me, being the typical ENFP that I am, have been floating from job to job & experience to experience until I get more of an idea for where I am headed. We will see whether or not this plan becomes reality but I think it’s a pretty good idea based on our personality types.

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