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How to do well in an interview as an ‘ISFJ’ personality type: The Protector

Written by: Charlotte Rogers
Published on: 19 Mar 2021

The Protector Hero Image

Everyone performs differently in interviews and it can be interesting to find out why. In this week’s article, we will be focusing on an ISFJ personality type or also known as ‘The Protector’. These articles focus on strengths, weaknesses and potential improvements for how people with this personality type can improve their interview strategy.

Interviewing when you have an introverted personality can be difficult for some people. You may feel perfectly fine talking to someone new, but when it comes to talking about yourself and your great experience, you may talk very modestly. Interviews are the perfect place to talk about your achievements and interviewers actually want to hear about them!

Some people with an introverted aspect of their personality know they are good at what they do, but struggle to boast a little. As an ISFJ type, you have many strengths that are worth shouting about, it just takes a little bit of practice to get used to it. As someone that is very likely to be a committed worker, you have nothing to worry about.

What does it mean to be an ‘ISFJ’ personality type?

Typically, an ISFJ type or also known as ‘the protector’ are very loyal and trustworthy people. They tend to have plenty of traits that employers want. They focus on their jobs and their personal life separately but are often more than happy to take on extra responsibility if it means helping the people around them.

However, they also seem to be more introverted people. This can mean that you are a reserved and quiet individual and things like interviews can leave you feeling a little drained afterwards. Introverts also don’t seek out special attention, another reason why an interview, when everything is about you personally, can be hard to grasp.

Your strengths

A very practical person – When given a task, at work or in your personal life, you are very determined to complete said task quickly and efficiently. You are good at solving practical problems and you work on facts.

Motivated – Motivation is a key skill to have in any job and it is especially important when job seeking. You probably know what you’re good at and what you may need to improve on. But the point isn’t your weaknesses, it’s the fact that you are motivated and driven to work on these and make yourself a better job seeker and a better employee. Motivation can take you a long way.

Supportive – One of the things employers look for in a good candidate, is the ability to fit in with their existing team. They want to know that you are going to fit in well and support individuals when they need it, regardless of your role within the team. Being able to help people and not bat an eye lid not only makes you a good person, but a good employee.

Reliable and trustworthy – An employee you can rely on is important. They don’t have to micro-manage you and trust you to get your work done to the right standard. But also, the team you are in trust you as well. They feel comfortable around you and you almost feel a duty to not let them down.

With strengths come weaknesses

Don’t like change – Once you have found something you enjoy and you are good at, it’s not very often that this personality type will go looking for change. But if change happens around them, it can sometimes make them uncomfortable. It can sometimes feel like you’re losing control, especially when you have a routine that you like.

Overwork themselves – The fact that you want to take care and ‘protect’ everyone around you is a lovely trait to have, it shows that you are caring and compassionate. However, this means that you can quickly tire yourself out and you might not even realise. When you take on a new responsibility, no matter what it is, you rarely think of how this will affect you. You are too focused on making sure people around you are happy. But you need to think about your own health, mental and physical and ensure that you aren’t taking on too much.

Persistent – Being persistent can be a good trait to have, however, the strong need to not give up and keep going can be damaging. You take things personally when they don’t go the way you want, and this can end up being obsession.


Taking control and developing your skills

Interviews may feel like difficult situations, but like everything else, they can become better with practice. This personality type are great workers, you want to get the job done, you take care of your team and are incredibly trustworthy. Skills that people don’t highlight enough.

As an ISFJ type, you always want to maintain harmony in the workplace. You aim to create a great atmosphere for people to work in and more often than not, your co-workers really appreciate you. You need to start talking about yourself in a positive light during interviews.

Employers look for skills relevant to the job, but they also want to hire someone that is passionate, wants to work well in their team and overall, a caring and committed person. This is you. You often struggle in interviews because you don’t feel comfortable boasting about yourself, because these traits just come naturally to you. But they are incredibly sought-after personality skills!

Before your interview, take some time to prepare and think about all the things you are good at. Write them down, think about examples of when you showed this skill and picture it. You need to believe that you are the best candidate they could pick and start to speak proudly about yourself. This might be a little bit out of your comfort zone, but it might be time to try something new. And if you feel like you didn’t do as well as you would have hoped in an interview, don’t worry and simply try again.

The good thing about ISFJ personality types is that they are motivated. They are kind and caring people and eventually, you will find what you are looking for in a job and they will appreciate all the effort you put in. It’s just in your nature to be a fantastic employee.

In the next article, we’ll be taking a look into the ISTJ personality type, otherwise known as ‘The Inspector’.