The Introvert’s Guide to Myers-Briggs and Other Personality Test Fakery

Mr. Spock would have flunked a personality test at a startup.

During my corporate career, I experienced many strange office rituals and customs, but I was lucky to not come face to face with personality testing. I’ve breezed through aptitude and general knowledge exercises but never had to ponder questions over which I’d prefer more, an evening out with friends or reviewing a collection of rare Victorian-era daguerrotypes accompanied with an appropriate libation.

The answer of course is being with your posse! That’s a sign you enjoy the crowd, and have the social skills to interact with other hominids — know when to laugh, look concerned, tell the harmless white lie to make a story more convincing — and employ other talents that let you fit smoothly into the corporate gear casing.

As a long-standing member of the introvert community, I’d have to struggle with the aforementioned question, but probably would lean towards being with friends, by just a hair. I can attest that the corporate world, and even the tech world I’ve been part of for too many years, abhors introverts.

Intros vs Extros

Introverts are not wanted, and even in areas of the typical organization where you need someone to actually bring reality to all the lies and delusions spread by the leadership class — say accounting, financial analysis, and the IT crew that has to make the soon-to-be-shelfware product, the one…