What is a type c personality

Understanding the 4 Personality Types: A, B, C, and D

Each person is a unique combination of four personality types. Over the centuries, these basic categories have gone by several names and designations, but for our purposes, they're known as the director, the socializer, the thinker, and the supporter. As shorthand, though, we refer to those types of personality as A, B, C, and D, respectively.

Learning how to identify people by personality type can bring a higher level of understanding to interpersonal relationships and team building, especially for employers looking for ways to avoid bad hires and reduce turnover. Indeed, a good personality test may be the most valuable tool in a hiring manager's toolbox.

Table of Contents:

Type A personality
Type A vs. Type B personality
Type B personality
Type C personality
Type D personality
Type X personality
Other personality types and theories

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What is a Type A personality?

A Type A personality likes to be in control of their environment and their lives. They're normally not very detail-oriented, choosing to delegate details to others. They're usually very goal-oriented and practical in their solutions. They arrive at solutions and goals with a no-nonsense, bottom-line approach.

Type A personality characteristics

While some Type A personality traits vary from person to person, certain traits are common. The best example of a Type A personality is someone who is:

Take-charge and highly competitive
Fast-paced and impatient
Entrepreneurial, workaholic
Embraces change
Ambitious
Works well independently
Passionate but short-fused
Demands maximum freedom
Dominant and stubborn
Multitasking

What are other names for the Type A personality?

Here are some other names for and best examples of Type A personalities.

Personality Tests & Approaches	Type A Personality Name
The Hire Success^® System	Director
Hippocrates	Choleric (bodily humor: yellow bile)
Plato	Guardian
Jung	Sensor
DISC	D; Direct/Controlling
Insight	Blue
Myers-Briggs	ESTJ, ENTJ, ENFP
Enneagram	Adventurer/Achiever
PSI	Controller
Biblical character	Paul
Cartoon/comic characters	Lucy (from Peanuts) / Rabbit (from Winnie the Pooh)

How to test Type A personality

A Hire Success^® Type A personality test assesses behavioral characteristics. You'll get an idea of how well positive aspects like drive, perfectionism and ability to work independently balance negatives like impatience, hostility and low empathy. The test is quick, easy and even fun for employees-and gives you valuable hiring and managing insights.

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Type A personality at work

When it comes to work personality types, employees with Type A personalities can typically be identified by the following traits:

Goal-oriented
Risk-taking
Good under stress
Works well independently
Direct management style
Good delegation skills
Good administrative skills
Workaholic

Type A personalities don't like a lot of restraints or restrictions placed on them. Instead, they prefer to work independently and set their own schedules. Since they tend to be workaholics, it's not unusual to see them put in whatever time and effort it takes to accomplish their goals. They may seem impatient at times, especially if they believe someone is spending too much time going over details with them or impeding their stride.

Don't be surprised to see this personality type in a supervisory position or management. Having an entrepreneurial streak, they may be a business owner or strive to own their own business someday. Type A personalities are confident and not easily discouraged.

Pros and cons of hiring Type A personality

If a Type A personality sees their day-to-day job as routine or repetitive, they'll get bored easily and won't enjoy the work. They'll want others to view them as tough in these situations, but internally they may be miserable if the job is too routine. Dominant in nature, Type A personalities will do whatever is necessary to prevent themselves from falling into patterns or routines and seek freedom instead. They'll also be very dissatisfied if they believe someone is trying to manipulate them.

A Type A personality may not be very good at recognizing coworker's feelings and needs. They're extremely focused on achieving their goals and may not notice. If you're looking for someone who works well under pressure and seems to excel in high-stress situations, the Type A personality is the best pick.

How to deal with Type A personality at work

Managing employees with type A personality traits at work is a balance. They can be valuable in terms of problem solving and productivity, but when unmanaged, can be disruptive. Managing motivations and situations is the key.

What motivates a Type A personality?

Money
Opportunity
Freedom
Favorable risk-reward ratio
Challenges
Urgency
Success
Leadership

What are some common words or phrases that motivate or grab the attention of the Type A personality?

"Let's get it done."
Fast
Results
Immediate/today/now
The bottom line
"What do you think about ___?"
"The best (newest, cutting-edge, etc. )"
Take the challenge
Great return on investment

What are the turnoffs, dislikes, and fears of the Type A personality?

Touchy-feely things
Long explanations or descriptions
Explaining things in emotional terms or more than once to the same person
Looking vulnerable
Falling into routines
Being manipulated
Losing

Which jobs attract a Type A personality?

The best careers for Type A personality include:

President/CEO
General contractor
Salesperson or sales manager
Business owner
Politician
Entrepreneur
Police/military officer
Manager
Executive

Type A vs. Type B personality

Having a mix of personalities on your team and ensuring that they mesh will help your department or company truly excel. Understanding a Type A vs. Type B personality will help you get the balance right between these two working styles.

Pair goal-oriented, future-thinking Type A people with agreeable and present-focused Type Bs.

Controlling Type As can be complimented by Type Bs who work on forging strong relationships.

Self-motivated Type As can keep Type Bs, who are driven by others on the team, focused in the right direction.

It helps to understand both personality types when balancing out teams. Here is a deep dive into what a Type B personality is.

What is a Type B personality?

The Type B personality is a very outgoing, energetic and fast-paced individual who likes to be around people and enjoys being the center of attention. They're good relationship-builders and most people like them right away. Their driving need is for approval, so they try to like everyone in hopes everyone will like them, too. Compliments, acknowledgement of their achievements, words of admiration, and even applause from these groups are the most important thing you can do for them.

Type B personality traits

Like Type A personalities, Type B personality characteristics can also vary by individual. The best example of Type B personality is someone who is:

Enthusiastic and fun-loving
Persuasive
Friendly
Charismatic and confident
Idea person, dreamer
Short attention span
Motivator
Spontaneous and impulsive
Procrastinator

What are other names for the Type B personality?

Personality Tests & Approaches	Type B Personality Name
The Hire Success^® System	Socializer
Hippocrates	Sanguine (bodily humor: blood)
Plato	Artisan
Jung	Intuitor
DISC	I; direct/supporting
Insight	Green
Myers-Briggs	ENTJ, ENTP, INTJ, INTP
Enneagram	Helper/romantic
PSI	Promoter
Biblical character	Peter
Cartoon/comic characters	Snoopy (from Peanuts) / Tigger (from Winnie the Pooh)

How to test Type B personality

The Hire Success^® Type B personality test helps you assess how a given person will fit within your culture and teams. While you may make you feel comfortable surrounding yourself with people like you, it's better to have a good balance of personalities on your team.

This test lets you find Type B personality traits like being easy-going, optimistic, creative and a team player with weaknesses like being impulsive, needy of validation, and procrastinating. The test is easy and gives you valuable insights for hiring and managing potential team members.

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Type B personality at work

Employees with Type B personalities can typically be identified by the following traits:

Relationship-oriented
Outgoing
Enthusiastic
Doesn't finish what was started
May try to do too much at once
Easily bored
Easily liked by most people

Type B personalities love to talk about themselves. Some may view that as self-centered, but a Type B's real motivation is to be liked. For an extreme example, Bette Midler in the movie Beaches invited an old friend up to see her lavish apartment and told her about her great success. She said to the friend: "Enough about me. Let's talk about you. So, what do you think of me?"

The Type B personality's biggest fear is being humiliated in public, since that might make many people disapprove of them. It could be traumatic for them. The B personality doesn't want to appear unattractive or unsuccessful either, so they'll hide any weakness.

Pros and cons of hiring Type B personality

Some of the strengths you can count on from the Type B personality are their enthusiasm, outgoing behavior, friendliness, and their ability to persuade even the most skeptical of people. They tend to be dreamers and can often turn those dreams into very practical ideas in the workplace. Type B personalities are spontaneous and use their quick wit and humor to make people like them. They aren't very good about hiding their own feelings either, so if they're hurt or disappointed, you'll probably be able to read it in their mannerisms and overall disposition.

Some of the natural weaknesses associated with the Type B personality include being impatience, a short attention span, and not being very detail-oriented. In business, Type B personalities may tend to over-socialize and not spend as much time doing their work because they strive for social interaction. During the hiring process, they may be inclined toward unstructured, rambling interviews rather than structured ones, and bad interviews can lead to bad hires. Despite their natural tendency, many Type B personalities have learned to keep their counterproductive impulses in check while benefiting from the positives.

How to deal with Type B personality at work

Put Type B people on teams and spend time working with them directly. Avoid putting them in a solitary position with little interaction because they're most effective in collaborative situations. They're also ideal for positions where they must interact with customers or suppliers and thrive in social settings.

What motivates a Type B personality?

Public recognition
Awards, plaques, certificates
Having picture taken with celebrities
Succeeding, especially beyond peers
Being the center of attention, public speaker, director, etc.
Acceptance
The latest styles and/or trends

What are some common words or phrases that motivate or grab the attention of the Type B personality?

"You look great."
"You're the best ____."
"People love you."
"This will be fun."
Entertaining

What are the turnoffs, dislikes, and fears of the Type B personality?

Public humiliation
Being unappreciated
Appearing uninvolved
Nonsocial types
Appearing unattractive
People and things that distract attention
Appearing unsuccessful
Appearing unacceptable

The best careers for Type B personality include:

Public relations
Salesperson
Entertainment
Personnel interviewer
Professional host(ess)
Politician
Recreation director
Party planner
Customer service/relations

What is a Type C personality?

The Type C personality is a very detail-oriented individual who likes to be involved in things that are controlled and stable. They're interested in accuracy, rationality, and logic. People who can't seem to control their emotions will bother them because Type C personalities believe being emotional makes objectivity difficult. They also dislike being around people who are full of hype, since they desire facts, accuracy and logic. Other people's emotions may not be a priority for them, as they tend to strive for the facts and let the chips fall where they may.

Type C personality characteristics

Type C personalities come with considerable variations, however, the best example of a Type C personality is someone who is:

Accuracy and detail-oriented
Creative
Dependable
Skeptical
Independent and can appear anti-social
Lawful
Organized
Analytical and critical
Worried about progress
Detached and disengaged

What are other names for the Type C personality?

Personality Tests & Approaches	Type C Personality Name
The Hire Success^® System	Thinker
Hippocrates	Melancholic (bodily humor: black bile)
Plato	Scientist
Jung	Thinker
DISC	C; indirect/controlling
Insight	Gold
Myers-Briggs	ESTJ, ESFJ, ISTJ, ISFJ
Enneagram	Asserter/perfectionist
PSI	Analyst
Biblical character	Moses
Cartoon/comic characters	Linus (from Peanuts) / Eeyore (from Winnie the Pooh)

How to test Type C personality

The Hire Success^® Type C personality test helps you find people with traits in this cluster. You will be able to quickly assess the positives, like detail-oriented focus, ability to work alone, troubleshooting and planning skills. You will be able to manage the negatives like social inhibition, conflict avoidance and anxiety.

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Type C personality at work

People with Type C personalities can typically be identified by the following traits:

Detail-oriented
Logical
Prepared
Likes to do things their own way
Worry about progress
May never have personal expectations met
Quality control

Type C personalities tend to be quite controlling, both of themselves and others. They don't like things to get out of hand and may appear stoic because they don't really want themselves to display a lot of emotion. They're very outcome-driven and will be sticklers for following protocol.

They're careful, resourceful, and, above all, excellent thinkers who will look at all aspects of an issue before taking a stand. Once they take a stand on an issue, though, they'll have the facts to back it up, so anyone who challenges them better be prepared. If you have a Type C personality on your job candidate shortlist, you'll want to prepare some thoughtful interview questions if you don't want a carefully rehearsed response.

Pros and cons of hiring Type C personality

Type C personalities like their jobs to be clearly defined and want to know their expectations. Knowing those facts, they will be able to prioritize their tasks and see them through to completion.

In managerial roles, they're cautious and logical and require many details and facts before they make a decision. People who try to sell them something with emotion usually fail. The Type C personality would consider such an effort to be hype and would wonder what facts the other person is trying to hide.

In more public roles, Type C personalities will strive for originality, cleverness and uniqueness in all things. Because of their detailed orientation, they're meticulously prepared to defend their decisions against any possible objections. Many accountants and lawyers are Type C personalities. They're excellent for any job that requires creative thinking based on patience, facts and accuracy.

How to deal with Type C personality at work

Those with Type C personality traits can play valuable roles on your team. They're motivated to handle important tasks that require determination and an eye for detail. They're less comfortable in leadership positions and prefer to work alone.

What motivates a Type C personality?

Control
Opportunities to be independent and analytical
Challenges
Problem-solving

What are some common words or phrases that motivate or grab the attention of the Type C personality?

Perfection
"How does that work?"
Quiet, solitude
"Tell me more about ____."

What are the turnoffs, dislikes, and fears of the Type C personality?

Uncontrolled emotions
Irrational acts
Indecision
People who are self-centered, or self-aggrandizement
Loss of control
Being subject to control or supervision by people they don't trust or respect
Distractions or distracting people

Which jobs attract a Type C personality?

The best careers for Type C personality include:

Forecaster
Troubleshooter
Critic
Investigator (police, crime scene, private, etc. )
Engineer
Technical support
Research scientist
Game designer
Data analyst
Pilot
Programmer/analyst
Artist
Actuary
Musician
Accountant/auditor
Inventor

What is a Type D personality?

A Type D personality takes a slower, easier pace toward their work and life in general. They seek security and longevity on the job and are very happy doing a repetitive task day in and day out. The repetition allows them to become very skilled. Likewise, they won't like it if the rules change a lot. That's contrary to their desire to minimize change and stick with what they know works. For the Type D personality, even though the current way may be unpleasant, they worry that the unknown may be even worse.

Type D personality traits

As with the previous personalities, you'll find plenty of variation with Type D people. The best example of a Type D personality is someone who is:

Shy, low-key and observant
Caring
Sincere
Consistent, dependable
Calm and stable
Fair and equitable
Looks approachable
Avoiding confrontation
Resistant to change
Self-confident

What are other names for the Type D personality?

Personality Tests & Approaches	Type D Personality Name
The Hire Success^® System	Supporter
Hippocrates	Phlegmatic (bodily humor: phlegm)
Plato	Philosopher
Jung	Feeler
DISC	S; indirect/supporting
Insight	Orange
Myers-Briggs	ESTP, ESFP, ISTP, ISFP
Enneagram	Peacemaker/observer
PSI	Supporter
Biblical character	Abraham
Cartoon/comic characters	Charlie Brown (from Peanuts) / Winnie the Pooh

How to test Type D personality

Because Type D personalities are anything but easy going, finding out what makes them tick can help you get the most from hiring this type. While they're highly trustworthy, compassionate, and deep thinkers, they can suffer from low self-confidence and pessimism. The Hire Success^® Type D personality test will help you find the right place for them on your team.

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Type D personality at work

People with Type D personalities can typically be identified by the following traits:

Task-oriented
Stabilizing
Cautious
Going along when they don't agree
Easily used by others
Uncomfortable with constant change
Good at routines or repetitive tasks

They seek the respect, sincere admiration, and acceptance of others. The Type D personality will gladly work hard to please the people they work for as long as they feel appreciated and receive plenty of reassurance that they're needed. They need that sense of security. Type D personalities often think the Type A personality is crazy for taking so many risks and not showing much concern for security and longevity.

Pros and cons of hiring Type D personality

People with Type D personality traits are usually very organized; being around a messy environment or disorganization will bother them. They're also good at playing a very supportive role with others and are normally very caring, thoughtful, and compassionate. They're patient, tend to be good listeners and will persevere when all others have given up. A stabilizing force, they especially like working in a group or on a team.

Although they may not be as fast as others, they're accurate and thorough. They'll usually keep their feelings to themselves and are reluctant to express themselves, even if a more assertive type seems to be taking advantage of them. They tend to go along with anything.

To attract the Type D personality in a job ad, be sure to talk about the company benefits package and the long-term growth potential within the company. Having a secure, stable environment will be very important to Type D personalities.

How to deal with Type D personality at work

Managing a Type D personality takes some finesse. You cannot let their natural pessimism and social comfort issues bring down the team. Their hard-working nature, compassion and honesty are valuable strengths. They're keen at observation and think things through, so they can be valuable at solving problems and reducing risk.

What motivates a Type D personality?

Stability
Benefits
Security
Low risk
Routine
Team/group opportunities
Calm work atmosphere

What are some common words or phrases that motivate or grab the attention of the Type D personality?

"Help others in need"
Relaxed atmosphere
Logical
Rational

What are the turnoffs, dislikes, and fears of the Type D personality?

Risks
Pushy people
Change (especially frequent change)
Instability
Disorganization
Aggressive behavior
Disruption in routine
Surprises
The unknown
Conflict

Which jobs attract a Type D personality?

Considering the benefits they bring to your organization, the best careers for Type D personality include:

Secure team position
Administrator
Financial services
HR manager
Social worker
Bureaucrat
Family doctor/nurse
Assembly line worker
Residential/community services
Mechanic
Teacher
Counselor
Personal assistant/secretary
Minister
Insurance agent
Supervisor
Librarian
Security guard
Customer service representative

What is a Type X personality?

Whenever two or more personality types are equal in strength within a person, that person is considered a Type X personality. For example, if an individual's two highest-strength personality types were A and B, they might be identified as AX and BX. In the rare event that all four personality types were identical, that person would be considered simply as a Type X personality.

Type X personality traits

The X indicates a cross or an intersection of two or more types. It's not unusual to see the X between two of the four personality types, and it doesn't necessarily have to include the primary personality. However, when it does include the primary personality, the individual in question may have a tendency to be like one type in one situation and the other type in another. When all four temperaments are very close in strength, the individual may seem like a mixture of personalities.

This can be beneficial for many jobs, especially when it's important that the person gets along with almost everybody, such as consultative sales people. The Type X personality tends to change personality "colors" as needed based on their surroundings. Although unpredictable at times, this rare combination could be an important asset if fully utilized.

How many personality types are there?

Depending on the model, you can have just four or five personality types or sixteen or more. Here are the most common ways of categorizing personalities.

The Big Five personality traits

This model looks at how a person thinks, feels and behaves. What is called “openness to experience” refers to curiosity and creativity. "Conscientiousness" measures affinity for organization and responsibility. Measuring "extraversion" provides insight as to sociability and being assertive. "Agreeableness" refers to getting along with people, being compassionate and showing respect. Finally, things like anxiety and depression are measured by "neuroticism".

Myer-Briggs Type Indicator

This test measures how people perceive their worlds, make decisions, and interact with others. It's not ideal as a pre-employment test because it can be easily manipulated. People can guess what answers might seem most desirable for a given role. It also outputs rather complex results, making it impractical for hiring and managing people.

16 Personality Types

The Myers-Briggs^® model identifies four personality trait clusters that can combine in multiple ways, leading to sixteen distinct combinations. While valid results can be fascinating, they're just not practical or reliable for managing teams. The Type A B C D personality test model that Hire Success^® uses evaluates 20 different trait scales independently, providing three-dimensional insight in a simple format. It reveals the individual without forcing them into one of four boxes.

How to use the 4 basic personality types: A, B, C, and D

Expect similar descriptions printed on the Hire Success^® Overview Report. Each applicant is instructed to respond to the Hire Success^®Personality Profile form based on how they work. The results will indicate which of the four personality types they draw from most. The system automatically provides a description of the primary personality at the beginning of the Overview Report. Variations of the above will be printed if the test taker is a combination of more than one personality type, or a Type X. You can compare the results against the baseline you developed to help speed up your hiring process.

In the Summary Report, a bar chart is provided along with a percentage, or strength, of each of the four personality types. The higher the percentage, the more dominant that personality type. When two or more types of personality are close, or the same, in strength, the applicant may be characteristic of both types.

These Type A, B, C, and D personality descriptions are classic descriptions designed to provide you with some background information about a personality. The Hire Success^® system uses these descriptions for contrast to the specific descriptions and values found in the traits section of the report. In many cases, the applicant's individual traits may differ from what you may see described in the overall personality description.

The Hire Success^® system determines traits independently and doesn't base trait information on what might be expected from a particular personality type. The inclusion of these expanded traits is one of the ways the Hire Success^® system differs from other systems, like Myers-Briggs^®, and opens the door to highlight those differences that make the applicant a unique individual — not one squeezed into one of four boxes. If and when you see a trait differ from what might be described in the personality overview, it's not a mistake. It's most likely the trait you can expect to see from the applicant on a day-to-day basis and not just an expectation based on a traditional Type A, B, C, or D personality description.

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Type C Personality | Thomas.co

You will have heard of someone having a “Type A personality” but what about the other types? Yes, there are three more, B, C, D. Well, today in this guide you are going to learn more about Type C personalities.

In brief, the Type C personality is the detailed one. They thrive in environments where things are controlled and stable. Understanding this type of personality along with the other three is going to be key in getting a better understanding of your workforce and how it can affect recruitment decisions.

We are going to take a look at this personality type and understand in more detail what it means to have a Type C personality. In this guide, we will get a better understanding of the impact of this behaviour and why understanding this personality type is important in the recruitment process. Finally we will discuss how the Thomas range of tools can help you find out what personality type your candidate has.

What is the Type C personality type?

The Type C personality can be better described as someone who thrives on being accurate, rational and applying logic to everything they do. Demanding logic over emotion is a natural dominant feature. They do not suffer from hype or drama, in fact, they dislike it because they want facts and data.

It is easy to get carried away with the idea that Type C individuals are lacking in emotion or show empathetic tendencies. Whilst they rarely get emotional over work, it is due to the nature of the personality type that drives them to promote logic, data and science beyond all other things.

Defined as detail orientated, logical and prepared, this careful, resourceful and thinking personality is very good in a situation where everything needs to be analysed before any stands are taken.

However, this is one of the more passive personality traits, preferring cooperation over conflict. It can be hard to get the person to open up and they need to have trust in the relationships they have built before they do, leading to a lot of built up tension when decisions are based on anything but the facts laid out.

In a working environment, they are meticulous with the information and the data that they have to hand. You will commonly see Type C personalities in roles within science, medicine and law.

What it means to have a Type C personality

We now have an understanding of what a Type C personality is and how they can behave within the workplace but what are the main characteristics that make a Type C Personality stand out? Here are just some of the more commonly associated traits.

Consistent

Having a consistent workload, performance, results based centre for their work is essential. Fundamentally, this is the approach they take to solving problems and working with others.

Controlled

Having a controlled response to anything that is put before them is again, essential. There are no dramatics or emotional swings.

Calm

Remaining calm to establish all the facts is again, essential to how they behave. They will have the data before making decisions.

Cooperative

They love to play along with others, and use their time to develop answers and research and be meticulous with information rather than a scattergun approach to working with others.

Creative

You wouldn’t think that logic based people could be creative but, it is in the data that they see value and find creative ways to either exploit the information or create new solutions to an existing problem.

Conflict-resistant

Type C personalities are very conflict-resistant, preferring to get along with people even if it goes against their natural will to express opinions they believe in.

Perfectionist tendencies

With a meticulous approach to their work, the Type C personality will dedicate a lot of time, even personal time, to ensure that what they deliver is to the best of their abilities.

Difficulty adjusting to unwanted change

Because Type C personalities enjoy consistency in their lives, unwanted changes can cause internal turmoil and disruption.

An interest in small details

The need to be right based on the data at hand can lead Type C personalities searching through all sorts of information and details, even the smallest details to ensure that they are covering everything in their analysis.

Sensitivity toward the needs of others

Wanting to make sure others are happy is again, a very strong Type C trait. Putting others first is very common amongst Type C personalities.

Outward passiveness

Because they are concerned with others, putting other people out there first, it can lead to these characters being very passive towards others, almost getting derailed by them.

Pessimism

Fixating on things that might not even happen is also very common. It means that the Type C personality can fixate on it to make sure that they can control the outcome.

A tendency to deny or avoid extreme emotions

If they can’t control what is going to happen, they can become very self-involved and shut down from external pressure and stress, leading to more stress and anxiety.

How Type C personalities can impact behaviour in the workplace

Any of the four personality types will impact behaviour in the workplace. Understanding the Type C personality will better equip you with the positive or negative impact that can occur. You want to be able to understand the person that has Type C personality and best manage the triggers and even the types of work that each individual does.

Do you work with standard procedures? Do you have the kind of work that requires individuals to pull their own weight but see it through to completion? Then the Type C candidate is perfect for this role. They can manage workloads by themselves and because the nature of the work doesn’t require them to be at the behest of others, they can feel comfortable working alone to complete the task at hand.

However, should it be that the task starts to spiral out of control due to others not working in line with the created rules and regulations, Type C personalities can start to retract from their work and feel overwhelmed, causing them to create a pessimistic view of the work they are doing and of the company.

If your workplace is also subject to a lot of change, this can be uncomfortable for C Type personalities as well. They require reassurance that their work is to the standard that is being set and that any changes are regardless of their input. However, whilst change can be a bad thing, bringing C Type personalities into the discussions from the beginning and tasking them with how to create a structure and new methods and procedures would be of strategic advantage.

How to get the best of out candidates and employees with Type C personality

Understanding you have a Type C personality in your candidates or current employees is a good start. What you do to best manage these characteristics is going to be the key to success. As with all personality types, there will be positive and negative aspects so how you manage and how you understand how to manage is critical.

Going solo or playing with others

This is one of the few personality types that can handle both situations but, you need to be aware that Type C personalities can be sensitive to criticism or not appreciate lack of evidence when making decisions. Teams need to manage the process of decision making with a clear structure to make this personality style thrive. When working alone, setting clear guidelines is also important as this gives them the criteria to complete their work.

Making informed decisions

Because of their nature, Type C personalities like to make informed decisions based on the data they have gathered. Allowing them to make decisions comes with an understanding that this process can take more time. However, once the decision is made, be ready to have all the facts to hand before debating any decision.

Why understanding the Type C personality type is important in hiring decisions

Whether you’re at the interview stage or you’re considering promotions/lateral moves within the business, knowing that you have a Type C personality is going to be of strategic value. From understanding a candidate’s suitability for a role, to seeing how they would behave with others in the organisation before even having the job is of course of great value.

Type C personalities are detail orientated, data driven and surround themselves in facts and logic over emotional qualities. Understanding even these basic principles will make you understand that low stress environments are better suited to this type of personality and that collaboration is ok up to a point. Preferring to work individually but supporting others is a key aspect of the Type C personality.

Other key aspects to consider about Type C personalities is that due to their reserved nature and lack of assertiveness to avoid conflict, they can begin to close down around their co-workers and start missing deadlines or not completing their tasks. Knowing how to manage these personalities to be able to open up and speak to their line managers or colleagues when issues arise is going to be critically important.

In summary

The type C personality can be better described as someone who thrives on being accurate, rational and applying logic to everything they do. They can however also struggle to emote their feelings and hold a lot in when things go awry, preferring to to be less assertive and be more cooperative in nature. When managing this personality type it is important to understand that stronger characters can easily influence Type C personalities without much consideration for their well being.

Thomas’ workplace personality test can be used to help assess and understand a candidates or employee's personality type and wider personality.

Based on the globally recognised and respected 'Big 5' psychological theory, the High Potential Trait Indicator (or HPTI) as we also call it, assesses six core traits (Conscientiousness, Adjustment, Curiosity, Risk Approach, Ambiguity Acceptance and Competitiveness) to help you identify the best candidate for a role and identify leadership potential, adding confidence to your recruitment.

If you would like to learn more about our assessments, please speak to one of our team.

Personality types | 16Personalities

Analysts

Strategist

INTJ-A / INTJ-T

Imaginative, strategic thinkers with a plan for all occasions.

Scientist

INTP-A / INTP-T

Creative inventors, with a strong belief in the power of knowledge.

Commander

ENTJ-A / ENTJ-T

Brave, resourceful and strong-willed leaders who always find a way - or make a way.

Debater

ENTP-A / ENTP-T

Smart and curious thinkers who never turn down an intellectual challenge.

Diplomats

Activist

INFJ-A / INFJ-T

Quiet and mystical, but inspiring and relentless idealists.

Broker

INFP-A / INFP-T

Poetic, kind and altruistic personalities, always ready to stand up for a good cause.

Trainer

ENFJ-A / ENFJ-T

Charismatic and inspiring leaders who captivate their listeners.

Wrestler

ENFP-A / ENFP-T

Enthusiasts, creative and sociable free minds who always find a reason to smile.

Guardians

Administrator

ISTJ-A / ISTJ-T

Practical and factual people whose reliability is unshakable.

Protector

ISFJ-A / ISFJ-T

Very responsible and kind protectors, always ready to protect their loved ones.

Manager

ESTJ-A / ESTJ-T

Excellent administrators, unsurpassed specialists in process and people management.

Consul

ESFJ-A / ESFJ-T

Extremely caring, sociable and popular people, always ready to help.

Seekers

Virtuoso

ISTP-A / ISTP-T

Brave and practical experimenters, masters of all kinds of techniques and tools.

Artist

ISFP-A / ISFP-T

Flexible and charming artists, always ready to explore and experience something new.

Dealer

ESTP-A / ESTP-T

Smart, energetic and very receptive people who truly enjoy risk.

Entertainer

ESFP-A / ESFP-T

Spontaneous, energetic and tireless merry fellows - where they are, it's never boring.

16 Personality Types in Psychology

16 Personality Types in Psychology is a common classification that can also be found under the name MBTI. The testing method was created by Isabelle Myers and Katherine Briggs in the 1940s. Based on the research of Carl Jung. The tool allows people to better understand themselves and others, find a common language, build strong working teams.

How the MBTI

personality type is determined

Personality type is determined by passing a series of tests.

Total uses four groups of parameters presented in the table below:

Extroversion (E) or introverted (I) or introvert orientation in situations

Personality features	Type of type
reliance on material information (s) or intuition (n)
decision making	logic (t) or emotion (f)
preparation of decisions	clear planning (j) or circumstantial orientation (p)

. Below we will talk about what they are and what features correspond to each of the 16 personality types in psychology.

Logistician (ISTJ)

This is a responsible realist with a high level of loyalty and obedience. Inclined to build a clear and understandable organization of tasks with their subsequent systematic implementation. He is hardworking and understands his responsibility to the team. Behaves complaisantly, restrained.

Such employees are especially valued by employers because they do not require constant monitoring. But at the same time, successful work requires a clear statement of the task with clear conditions, prescribed deadlines and other important aspects. A person can also be trusted to perform routine tasks, hired to organize the process for others.

Lawyer (INFJ)

These are shrewd visionaries who rely heavily on their intuition, and for good reason - it rarely fails them. People who are inclined to defend their position in disputes, have a strong creative beginning, can express what worries them directly. Periodically, this can become a cause of misunderstanding on the part of others and various conflicts. An important feature of “lawyers” is empathy. It helps them to better win over other people, even unfamiliar ones.

People with this personality type are constantly generating ideas and perform well in brainstorming sessions. Natural insight helps them to reveal the deepest features of the interlocutor's character and analyze his behavior in various situations.

The downside of the "lawyer" is that he is not very good at expressing his thoughts. Therefore, such people rarely find themselves in the first roles where you need to engage in public speaking.

Architect (INTJ)

This is a conceptual strategist, individual farmer, introvert. It shows itself best in cases that do not require active teamwork. They can be freely transferred to remote work, because a high level of personal responsibility and self-organization stimulates the completion of tasks with high quality and on time.

"Architects" can generate many different ideas and then bring them to life. Weaknesses of this type begin to emerge when you need to communicate a lot with people. They do not like calls, they prefer to communicate by e-mail.

The desire to do everything exactly on time or ahead of schedule can harm both the work itself and the person who is doing it. It is very important to give appropriate deadlines for completing different tasks and to ensure that the person does not overwork or burn out.

"Defender" (ISFJ)

This is a practical assistant, which many call the paradoxical extroverted introvert. He shows himself well in managerial positions, turns out to be very loved by his colleagues because of deep empathy. People are good at rallying a team and leading it.

Attention to detail and meticulousness makes the "defenders" good controllers of the quality of other people's work. They become excellent editors, can adhere to the rules and still not feel any discomfort because of such a need.

Virtuoso (ISTP)

These are logical pragmatists who often defend their position as straightforward as possible. It is difficult for them to work in conditions of strict rules that for some reason they do not understand or cannot accept. It is important that everything comply with the laws of logic that a particular person has personally established for himself.

"Virtuosos" rarely have successful remote work. The reason is that they love live communication with people, they show themselves well in negotiations. At the same time, they do a good job even with complex tasks of remote testing of various types of products. The main thing is to control the final quality of work and compliance with deadlines.

"Adventurer" (ISFP)

These are universal helpers who build their lives on the ideas of altruism. It is easy for them to understand the problems of others and really penetrate them deeply. Easily find a common language with people, trainable, rarely come into conflict. This makes them popular, helps to make many friends.

"Adventurer" is one of the 16 personality types in psychology who quickly plunges into work. At the same time, people are prone to burnout, they need to switch their attention between different activities, constantly reminded of the need to take a break. Good motivation is also very important. It is important for people with the ISFP personality type to understand that someone appreciates their efforts, and they are not wasted.

Intermediary (INFP)

This is a reasonable idealist who is distinguished by balance. He always has a lot of ideas that he wants to execute and enough sunk to successfully complete what he started. Such people throughout their lives form their own value system and strictly evaluate everything that comes from outside, comparing with their ideals.

It is typical for "intermediaries" to set fairly high standards for people. The disadvantage of this is that the result is often disappointment and deep resentment. Therefore, it is very important to talk with representatives of this psychotype so that they do not accumulate everything in themselves, they can throw out emotions. Accumulated contradictions can lead to an interpersonal explosion.

"Logician" (INTP)

These are objective analysts who rely heavily on their own logic. They show themselves well when you need to find even the smallest errors. People are competent and take what they do seriously. But they are characterized by volatility, especially if something does not meet established internal standards.

"Logicians" always value freedom of action and the opportunity to express personal opinions when it comes to discussing their working conditions and other key issues. They build a serious system for protecting their own views, based on a tough personal position. This sometimes leads them to conflicts with others.

"Entrepreneur" (ESTP)

This is an energetic person who likes to take calculated risks and makes good decisions even in stressful situations. People are reckless and at the same time they can infect others with their excitement. But in sports terminology, these are sprinters, not marathon runners. "Entrepreneurs"

are ready to take on any difficult task at once, but when working on long-term projects, they quickly burn out.

People excel when it comes to making quick and decisive decisions and leading by example. They can easily lead others, the main thing is to switch attention in order to prevent burnout. This psychotype suffers greatly from monotonous and routine actions up to the development of depressive states. He also relies on authorities, because the opinion of a leader or a more educated, respected person is very important.

Artist (ESFP)

These are improvisational enthusiasts. They constantly radiate energy, they can literally infect others with it. There are always a lot of interesting ideas in the head of the "artist", he has a penchant for oratory.

People love representatives of this psychological type for their responsiveness and generosity. At the same time, it is very important that the "artist" is not fettered. If you force him to do monotonous routine work for a long time without visible results, the opportunity to prove himself and show off his skills, he will quickly get tired and burn out. In the workplace, people with an ESFP test result are often used as event hosts and presentations.

«Activist» (ENFP)

These are creative motivators that can share their mood with others, encourage them to reach new heights. This is one of the 16 personality types in psychology that have a well-developed intuition.

"Activists" like to experiment, they are distinguished by good insight. They rely on their feelings, which often plays to the detriment of logic. They put intangible values and their own ideals higher than many other things and are rarely ready to sacrifice them.

Work teams often use “activists” as idea generators. They excel at brainstorming sessions, and come up with an out-of-the-box approach when the discussion gets stuck. At the same time, a person may be reluctant to get involved in work, miss deadlines. Constant monitoring and a good understanding of what such an employee is doing now is important, whether he understands the deadlines set.

"Controversial" (ENTP)

These are enterprising explorers who are characterized by charisma and pronounced intellect. With due perseverance, they can actively move towards their goal and achieve leadership positions. In business, they rely heavily on their rationality and logic.

The “polemicists” start to stall if, for some reason, they do not receive sufficient mental stimulation or slip into a routine. Their patrimony is big ideas that require reflection, the search for the right approach.

People around often find it difficult to resist the "polemicists" in disputes. They perfectly defend their point of view, which is also important in tough negotiations. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that such people learn to build a dialogue, and not just defend their point of view without paying attention to other comments.

"Administrator" (ESTJ)

This is an efficient organizer who can quickly assemble a working mechanism from disparate parts. He easily copes with everyday monotonous tasks, the routine does not frighten him and does not discourage him. Such people are characterized by methodicalness and loyalty, the ability to find the best options for resolving the situation, relying on standard tools.

An important feature of the nature of "administrators" is that they are prone to self-organization. At the same time, they are loyal to leaders and do not try to push themselves to the fore. A person is able to explain complex things in simple language, put everything in order. At the same time, he has no inclination to put forward any innovative ideas. In the work you need to use clear instructions that you can always rely on when solving any problem that has arisen.

"Counselor" (ESFJ)

These are reliable partners who are distinguished by a particularly high devotion to the teams, the ideas and ideals embedded in it. They are distinguished by sociability and attentiveness to others, quickly find a common language with them. Often it is team interests that are put by such people above personal ones. On the one hand, it can bring success, on the other hand, it makes you sacrifice a lot and often brings strong disappointment to others.

It is important to use the personal characteristics of "advisors" correctly. They can be entrusted with responsible tasks and be sure that they will cope on time and demonstrate a really high quality result. The downside is that such people are usually not very well suited for leadership positions - they need a strong leader who can always be contacted.

"Protagonist" (ENFJ)

They are sympathetic coordinators, one of 16 personality types in psychology who do not rely too much on rationality and logic. Much more important for them are feelings, sensations, an intuitive approach. At the same time, purposefulness and increased empathy, the ability to penetrate other people who share their problems and thoughts, are often found.

The disadvantage of "protagonists" is that they give their all to those around them. At the same time, they can step over personal tools or simply forget about themselves, neglect rest. It is not surprising that after working marathons, such people often seek psychological help or prefer to keep a lot to themselves, fall into a depressive state.

"Commander" (ENTJ)

These are decisive strategists who can consistently plan even the most complex actions. Usually they do not accept the limits of possibilities, they try to squeeze the maximum out of themselves and those around them.

When describing the 16 personality types in psychology, "commanders" are usually assigned leadership positions. The main thing for them is to have a clear goal, a benchmark to strive for.

For people who define such a psychotype in themselves, it is very important to remember the risks, the dangers of overtime, to correctly balance work and rest.

How to find out your personality type and what to do about it

To take the 16 personality type test in psychology, you can use the materials available on the net. They are available in both Russian and English. The principle is standard - you need to answer questions and then see what indicators correspond to the answers.

Like many other tests, this one should not be taken as the ultimate truth. All people are different, their life experience, features of upbringing, development are different. Sometimes a person may find himself on the border between two psychotypes.

But obtaining general data as a result of such testing is important for several reasons:

This gives a person more information about himself and helps to understand a lot. For example, you can decide on priority areas of work, get to know your strengths and weaknesses better. This allows you to find answers to questions about why you experience psychological discomfort in specific conditions, quickly burn out, or are not adapted to certain types of activities.
Managers and employees of the personnel department can properly form teams and manage appointments.
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