Making the Most of Your Style: Tips for Using ISI Results in the Job Search and Interview Process

The interview is the most important 60 minutes of the job search. It is also a complex social interaction, where first impressions play a prominent role. The actions and behaviors required in employment interviews are dictated by several factors, chief among them the personality of both interviewer and interviewee. Employers are increasingly looking at personality factors as a way of improving selection decisions. They suggest that knowledge of personality and personality type can help job candidates improve their chances of adapting to the interviewer’s personality style. Candidates will be more successful in interviews if they can take advantage of their strengths and overcome their weaknesses. Knowing one’s interview style—based on personality type—provides an easy framework for understanding those strengths and weaknesses and adapting a more successful approach. Although being aware of your own interviewing style and being able to adapt to a variety of interviewer personality types and styles is critical, no assessment has been available to help job seekers explore interview styles based on their personality. The ISI was designed specifically for this purpose