Introverted individuals tend to avoid the spotlight. But this personality trait should not hinder their career progression and if used to their advantage, can indeed help advance their career. In this series we share some tips on how you can advance your career while staying true to your (introverted) self.
We have compiled a (long) list of tips to help introverted individuals not just to get the desired job, but to succeed on their career paths. In order to keep this short and sweet and to let you focus on your personal need of getting the right job or advancing at your current job, we split the tips into a small series of three blogposts according to the relevant phase. This first one covers the basics.
Click on the links to get to the relevant tips for the phase you want to explore:
Introverts Make Great Leaders
Several successful personalities, such as Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Angela Merkel, are considered introverts and exceptionally successful ones, too. You cannot believe, that they are introverts? Just ask yourself the following questions:
Despite being in the public eye as the German Chancellor, did Merkel deliver grandiose speeches like her predecessors?
Why would Zuckerberg need to create Facebook to meet women?
How much do you know about Bill Gates’ private life?
These individuals have proven that being an introvert does not limit one’s career prospects. Still not a believer? Let us look at some findings from studies and surveys to prove a point here:
According to different studies, up to 50 percent of the population share this trait. That should cover more than few impressive careers…
A study of 4,000 professionals by the Harvard Business Review, researchers found that introverts were more likely to be top performers in their roles than extroverts
The most spectacularly creative people in many fields are often introverted, according to studies by the psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Gregory Feist
Another study by the Harvard Business Review found that introverted executives are more likely to listen to and value the input of their team members, and are less likely to be overconfident or take unnecessary risks
Source: Myers-Briggs
Are you getting unsure of whether you are an introvert or extrovert? Myers-Briggs offers a nice intro and test in case you feel like checking 😉
How to Advance Your Career as an Introvert
Advancing your career as an introvert consist of two phases: getting the right job and once you are in it, taking steps that help you advance your career.
Getting the right job can already face introverts with some real challenges, as they prefer not to talk or reveal to much of themselves, prefer and need time to make real connections and, are more considerate and therefore often less spontaneous with their answers.
Overall, these basic tips will prove useful when trying to advance your career as an introvert:
Soft skills training: It does not matter whether it is rhetoric techniques or personnel management aspects. It is crucial to position oneself as an expert in an area. Choose one that you want to improve in.
Taking on different roles: Joining a theater group (rather than just joining the circus at the office 😉) might be an unexpectedly good idea. You get the opportunity to play a role which can help you learn to speak in front of larger groups. Plus, you can gain a different perspective by playing leadership roles.
Discard perfectionism: Perfect sounds great- or does it? It adds pressure for sure, so it might be worth to lower your expectations (also towards yourself). There is a reason for the often-quoted 80-20-rule: perfection at least in a person is overrated. Learn to be ok without perfection, learn to balance pressure and expectations. It can make discussions easier.
Talk about your personal successes: Some people tend to be too critical of themselves. You do not have to brag, but plainly stating the fact of your success actually is more than ok and, can even boost self-confidence and leave you energized. As a result, you will find it easier to communicate.
Do not sabotage yourself: There might be times where your inner voice is trying to tell you to stop sabotaging yourself. If that is the case with you, check out our Take Aways on the topic from our #wetechtogether 2022 workshop.
