Everyone finds applying exciting, but Dutch scientist Anne van der Heijden (30) even hated it. “The feeling that you’re sitting there selling yourself and not knowing exactly what’s coming made it difficult for me.”
She had ten job interviews in the past year, one of which she remembers very well. It didn’t go well. She stumbled, didn’t get her words right. When asked ‘what kind of team player are you?’ doubt struck. “I don’t find it a problem to work in a group, but as an introvert I usually don’t look for the foreground. And I feel like they were looking for someone who can easily take the lead.”
As a result, Van der Heijden continued to dodge the question. The job passed her nose.
Sometimes Van der Heijden got further than round one. In some of the other applications, she missed the position by a hair’s breadth. “Once I was literally told that they were looking for someone more extroverted. I just don’t understand why you have to be extroverted for a job as a web editor.”
More sensitive to stimuli
Introversion and extroversion, what was it again? Both are personality traits. In short, someone with a predisposition to introversion is more sensitive to external stimuli. As a result, they need more time alone to recharge themselves. Someone who tends to extroversion gets energy from social contact and thrives on many and diverse stimuli and impressions. Roughly two out of three people are ‘ambivert’, they have a bit of both characteristics, it turned out research from the University of Pennsylvania. . One in three is strongly introverted or extroverted.
Karolien Koolhof, introversion coach and teacher of professional development at the Breda University of Applied Sciences, wrote a book about introverted leadership. Before that, she spoke to 400 introverted leaders. She explains that the brains of introverts and extroverts work differently. “Ex and intraversion is part of who you are. Sometimes people ask me how they can become more extroverted. But that is impossible.”
From German research shows that introverts need more time to process information than extroverts. And although you can’t speak for everyone, according to Koolhof, you can see that reflected in the behavior of the typical introvert. For example, it is often people who take the time to think before saying something. An extrovert, on the other hand, talks out loud to gather his thoughts.
According to Koolhof, introverts are said to be shy and not social. In fact, she says, they are usually very interested in others, but prefer one-on-one contact over a group.
Applying for a job can be extra challenging for introverts, says trainer and coach Eline Sluys. She wrote the book Successful job application for introverts, which begins with her own experience: “Every job interview felt like a torture that I struggled through with the courage of despair.”
She explains: “A person with a more extroverted personality experiences less resistance to the idea that he or she needs to profile themselves. The average introvert quickly thinks: I have to pretend to be different than I am. That belief creates uncertainty. My problem was that I didn’t know what I was good at.”
That difficulty with applying for a job is recognizable for strategic advisor and introvert Thijs de Wolff (35). He has applied a lot in recent years and that did not happen by itself. „Then you sit there and you only have a few minutes to shine. That has to happen, bam, at that moment.”
But, he wonders, how on earth am I supposed to pour all my thoughts into one succinct answer? To a question like ‘why should we hire you?’ he usually didn’t have a good answer. De Wolff: “What followed was a long story on my part without a head or tail. Instead of showing something of myself, I tried to please my interlocutor.”
How can you profile yourself as an introvert in a job interview? Three tips from experts Eline Sluys and Karolien Koolhof.
1. Prepare well
For introverts, it can be exciting when a question is asked during a job interview that they were not expecting. Introverts often need a little more time to formulate an answer. That is why good preparation is important, says Koolhof. The same questions come up in many job interviews. You can practice this with a friend or family member. “That way you are less likely to be unpleasantly surprised during the job interview.”
Sluys adds that it is useful to read the vacancy text carefully. It often contains the competencies that the employer is looking for. “Then consider in which situations you have shown that you are proactive or stress resistant, for example, and what that says about you as a person.”
You can elaborate and write down the answers, Sluys believes: that way you have something to draw on during a conversation. “It gives you the space to focus more on what the other person is saying during the job interview, and to respond to that. This way you keep control and you focus more on the here and now.”
2. Focus on your qualities
Extroversion is the norm in many organizations, says Koolhof. As a result, people who are not, may feel less suitable as employees. Thijs de Wolff and Anne van der Heijden both say it was difficult for them to accept their introverted nature. “I was unsure about my strengths,” says De Wolff. At Van der Heijden, the umpteenth rejection reinforced the feeling that something was wrong with her. “As a child I was told that I could show myself more.”
After much reading about introversion and its beauty, plus thorough introspection, the two have become more confident. Van der Heijden now looks at her character very differently: “I know what I have to offer and know my strengths: carefulness, planning, keeping an overview.”
According to coach Koolhof, self-acceptance is an important condition for getting better at applying for jobs. Of course, you can try to appear a little more extroverted in such a conversation, but you won’t last long. “That’s why it’s a better idea to learn how to use your character and explore what your qualities are.”
Sluys adds: “And don’t be vague when asked about your strengths. Use concrete and personal examples to show how you do things and what you add as a colleague.”
Because there are plenty of positive sides of introversion. So shows a study about which the Harvard Business Review published that introverts are more effective in team management because they listen better and make people feel valued. Koolhof saw these qualities return in her interviews with introverted leaders. “They often excel at things like empathy, one-on-one contact, and analytical skills.”
3. Ask about the company culture
Sluys believes that selling yourself should not be the purpose of a job interview. “See it as a moment to investigate whether there is a mutual click.”
The current, tight labor market strengthens her in this view: applicants have a choice. This means that during a job interview you also find out whether the company culture suits you.
Koolhof notices that the introverts she coaches tend to ignore and adapt. She thinks it can be done differently. “Try to seize the opportunity to express your own needs. Maybe you need some time to yourself every now and then to recharge, or you like to know in advance what a meeting is about so you can prepare for it. Put that on the table when it comes up.”
According to Koolhof, your personality is really not just about in- or extroversion. “But,” she says, “recognize that it plays a role. “Find out what the culture is like within an organization and whether there is room for your way of working. Otherwise it will work against you later.”
Anne van der Heijden and Thijs de Wolff have both found a job in the meantime, as communications officer at a division of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research and career advisor at Radboud University in Nijmegen, respectively. Lots of practice and a workshop especially for introverted applicants helped De Wolff: “You can try so hard to appear extroverted, but sooner or later that will break you.”
In the end, Van der Heijden could even choose from two jobs. After ten conversations, she switched off: “I have more than enough to offer. If an organization cannot appreciate that, I don’t want to work there.”
A version of this article also appeared in NRC Handelsblad of 23 October 2021
A version of this article also appeared in NRC in the morning of October 23, 2021
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