Your Unique Strengths
- You thrive on social interactions – lots of them. Your focus is outward and you seldom feel the need to withdraw from people. Thus you are always ready for networking opportunities; in fact, you look forward to them and seek them out.
- You are at ease with small talk and can easily engage others in conversation. You process the information you receive in conversation easily.
- You think things through by talking, so people know what’s going on with you. This makes it easier for others to know what assistance you need.
- You tend to be more assertive so asking for advice, counsel, and help from others is not as difficult for you. Because you ask easily for what you would like from the other person, you tend to get more of what you want.
- You are an excellent brainstorming partner because you don’t force yourself to think things through before speaking. Similarly, you can make quick decisions and take immediate advantage of opportunities that present themselves.
- You get your energy from outside activities, making it possible for you to be around people and stay involved in the networking process for a long time.
- A key rapport-building technique for extroverts is called “matching”. This means you that you consciously match your energy level, tone and enthusiasm match that of the person you’re talking to.
Working with Your Unique Style
Sometimes people feel extroverts can be inconsiderate, though that is not true. You can appear that way sometimes because you may speak before thinking through what you want to say or how what you say may be taken.
Extroverts may be having so much fun with the social aspects of a meeting that they forget that networking is part of their objective. It’s important to learn when it is time to switch gears and listen.
You can make decisions quickly – and often make very good ones. However, it is often important to include others in the decision making process.
Because extroverts can process information quickly, they may inadvertently skip that step. As a result, other people can feel their thoughts and ideas aren’t valued.
You have self-confidence and can converse easily with others. Sometimes extroverts can come across as intimidating and aggressive to people who are less extroverted.
Take time to:
- give attention to others,
- find out what others want to talk about,
- show an interest in other people by asking a question (which means they will get a chance to talk), and
- stop every so often to get a sense of how others are feeling.
Extroverts can easily make a lot of the kinds of connections that will help them succeed in their job search and career.
Capitalize on your ability to start conversations wherever you go.
And best wishes for a fast and fabulous conclusion to your search!