No INFPs please, and other excesses of the MBTI craze

Industry

Published: 27 Mar. 2022, 17:24 Updated: 01 Apr. 2022, 09:49

No INFPs please, and other excesses of the MBTI craze

Types of MBTIs [JOONGANG PHOTO]

"I lied about my MBTI because I was concerned that the company has preferences for particular personalities," said a 26-year-old job seeker.

In the application, she was asked to describe the results of her Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment, and the advantages and disadvantages of her personality. Developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and daughter Isabel Briggs Myers in 1943, the MBTI involves a series of personality questions and divides people into 16 personality types based on their answers.

"There are no ways to define all human personalities in only 16 types," the job applicant continued. "It is good companies are making some efforts to get close to young people and their interests, but MBTI test results should not be a kind of indicator to evaluate the job applicants."

A growing number of Korean companies are asking job candidates to reveal their MBTI personality test results, angering job hunters who argue that the test is an unreasonable standard to screen and evaluate their capabilities.

An MBTI craze started when 16 personalities, which provides a free test that mimics the more elaborate MBTI test, became popular. Users answer 60 questions, a process that takes about 12 minutes, and results are produced right away.

Many young people have shared their test results online, saying that the test is reliable in categorizing people.

Suhyup Bank recently asked applicants to disclose their MBTI results, explain the advantages and disadvantages of their personalities and describe job positions they think would best suit them.

A website called 16personalities, which provides a “free MBTI Test.” [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Ourhome, a food company, requires applicants to disclose their MBTI results and explain the good and bad parts of their personalities, with examples.

Adnine, an advertising agency that is currently recruiting a marketer, posted a job ad saying it is seeking a marketer with MBTI results that start with the letter E.

The E stands for extraversion, which generally describes people who prefer to direct their energy outwards, and what many people believe companies prefer most.

MBTI results are a combination of letters: E or I, S or N, T or F and J or P. E and I stand for extraversion or introversion depending on how a person directs and receives energy. S and N cover sensing or intuition and relate to how a person takes in information. T and F stand for thinking or feeling and are based on how a person comes to conclusions. J and P are for judging or perceiving and indicate how a person relates to the outside world.

The situation is far more serious in part-time job postings on sites like Alba Cheonguk or Job Korea. Some companies even have the MBTI test as a mandatory step before having an interview or say that some MBTI results are not allowed to apply.

"We hire people based on their MBTI results. People who have MBTI results that start with Es, please apply for this job," read a part-time job posting from a cafe in Mapo District, western Seoul. "ENTJs and ESFJs are not allowed to apply. We also welcome people with Is, but not INFPs, INTPs and INTJs."

Suhyup Bank required job applicants to describe their MBTIs and advantages and disadvantages of their personalities in resumes. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A job posting from Adnine, an advertising agency, says it is looking for people who have MBTIs start with Es. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Kwon Dae-min, a 24-year-old job seeker, recently had a job interview with a company that asked him about his MBTI results.

"Even among people whose MBTI results start with Is, some had 55 percent introversion in the test result, while some had 90 percent," said Kwon. "The two people are certainly different, but the test result is just categorizing them into one group."

"MBTI results cannot be a kind of indicator to judge job applicants."

Three out of five young job seekers in Korea have negative views on using MBTI tests during the recruitment process, according to a survey of Alba Cheonguk. The job searching website interviewed 1,990 job seekers in their 20s.

Some 60.6 percent of respondents said they are opposed to the use of the tests, and of them, 74.8 percent said MBTI tests cannot fully reflect the personalities or propensity of applicants.

Fifty-one percent said MBTI tests are not reliable, while some 48.5 percent said they are worried about companies penalizing "applicants with certain types of MBTIs that they do not prefer."

A cafe's job hiring post says that it is ″recruiting people with MBTIs,″ and "ENTJs, ESFJs, INFPs, INTPs and INTJs are not allowed to apply." [SCREEN CAPTURE]

"The purpose of the MBTI test is to allow people to understand that every human is unique and to make a world that respects their difference and diversity," said Kim Jae-hyoung, head researcher of the Korea MBTI Institute. "Dividing personalities into 16 types does not mean that we can rank them from first to 16th."

"I am worried and concerned that more companies are using the test results to filter applicants," Kim added. "I want to ask the companies whether they really have no stereotypes or preferences over particular MBTIs."

Kim added that 16personalities, the shortened version of the MBTI test that is available online, is not a full MBTI test. Not only does the site not take any responsibility for the results of its questionnaire, but it also denies even using the MBTI model, even though it employs the same categories and initials as the MBTI test.

An MBTI test always comes with follow-up consultation sessions with experts, Kim said. It is available in formal psychology consultation centers, education centers and the Korea MBTI Research Institute, and takes more time and money.

"MBTIs are relative," said Na Jin-kyung, a psychology professor at Sogang University. "For instance, there is no way to distinguish 'tall' and 'short.' In Korea, we could say a man 180 centimeters (5 feet 10 inches) in height is tall, but when thinking of him as a basketball player, he is not considered that tall."

"Like this, there is no absolute standard to distinguish extraversion and introversion, so it is very risky to use the results as a tool to judge personalities in the job hiring process."