MBTI is one of the most widely used personality assessment tools. Learn how to us MBTI to build and manage talent acquisition teams. www.willardpowell.com

1. Using Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to
Build and Manage Talent Acquisition Teams
David C. McInnis
- Founding Partner, Willard Powell
Caroline L. Swanson
- Head of Willard Powell University, Willard Powell
- MBTI Certified Practitioner
- MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology
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2. What is MBTI?
● Myers Briggs Type Indicator is one
of the most widely used
assessments of personality type
● It is based on the theory that
people act in a particular way given
how they prefer to:
○ Interact with others
○ Learn
○ Organize
○ Make decisions
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3. What does MBTI
assess?
● Attitudes (how we interact with
others):
○ Extraversion / Introversion
● Functions (all the things that we
do in our mind):
○ Sensing / Intuition
○ Thinking / Feeling
● Lifestyle preferences (how we
organize the outside world):
○ Judging / Perception
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4. How can MBTI
be used to
manage a Talent
Acquisition
team?
● Build a diverse team of recruiters
● Understand individual team
member personalities and their
unique approaches to teaming
with other recruiters
● Leverage team member strengths
and support weaknesses when
completing recruitment tasks
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5. How can MBTI
be used to build
a diverse Talent
Acquisition
team?
● There are 16 unique MBTI types
● MBTI results show preferences
across 4 categories with a visual
spectrum for each
● Group preference similarities,
view a range of results and
clearly understand team gaps
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6. How does
knowing MBTI
position
recruiters to
communicate
better?
● Almost everything recruiters do
requires communication with
others, and personality affects
how recruiters prefer to
communicate:
○ electronically
○ verbally
○ using structured data
○ unstructured data
○ etc.
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7. How can MBTI help
managers assess
how recruiter’s
approach daily
tasks?
Know each Recruiter’s:
● Method of creating and
executing tasks
● Preferred communication style
● Level of attachment to candidates
and willingness to let them go
● Attention to detail when
following processes
● Flexibility to identify new talent
pools
● Ability to focus on the big picture
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8. How can
understanding
personality types
highlight
recruiter’s
strengths and
weaknesses?
Recruiter’s personalities influence their
ability to:
● Plan a search from front to back
● Make quick decisions on candidates
● Influence hiring managers and
candidates throughout the process
● Compile patterns and produce market
intelligence
● Extract important details on different
requisitions
● Learn from previous engagements
● Adapt to new ways of recruiting
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9. What are a few
common recruiter
tasks?
● Conducting research
● Networking, marketing jobs and
sourcing talent
● Assessing talent
● Selling and negotiating
● Ensuring HR compliance
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10. What recruiter
personality type
shows strength
when conducting
research?
● I - Introversion
○ Why?: Intellectual and
reserved
● N - Intuition
○ Why?: Creative / imaginative
● T - Thinking
○ Why?: Logical and precise
● P - Perceiving
○ Why?: Flexible
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11. What recruiter
personality type
shows strength
when networking,
marketing jobs
and sourcing?
● E - Extroversion
○ Why?: Outgoing
● S - Sensing
○ Why?: Realistic and action
oriented
● T - Thinking
○ Why?: Pragmatic
● P - Perceiving
○ Why?: Spontaneous
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12. Which recruiter
personality type
shows strength
when assessing
talent?
● E - Extroversion
○ Why?: Friendly
● S - Sensing
○ Why?: Practical
● F - Feeling
○ Why?: Helpful
● J - Judging
○ Why?: Organized and
productive
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13. Which recruiter
personality type
shows strength
when selling and
negotiating?
● E - Extroversion
○ Why?: Outgoing
● S - Sensing
○ Why?: Realistic
● T - Thinking
○ Why?: Efficient and
analytical
● J - Judging
○ Why?: Dependable and
orderly
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14. Which recruiter
personality type
shows strength
when working to
ensure HR
compliance?
● I - Introversion
○ Why?: Reserved
● S - Sensing
○ Why?: Realistic
● T - Thinking
○ Why?: Systematic
● J - Judging
○ Why?: Practical
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15. How can
understanding
MBTI preferences
help design
effective Talent
Acquisition teams
and processes?
● Get a sense for how your team is
currently collaborating
● Understand why recruiters have
strengths or weaknesses when
completing certain tasks and
visualize gaps
● Assess potential new team
members for unique attributes
that fulfill team gaps
● Design processes that capitalize
on recruiter strengths
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16. For more information on Willard Powell’s
Talent Advisory and Consultng services visit:
www.willardpowell.com
David C. McInnis
- Founding Partner, Willard Powell
Caroline L. Swanson
- Head of Willard Powell University, Willard Powell
- MBTI Certified Practitioner
- MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology
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