Among the many personality types, INTJs are not common. In the United States, there is only an estimated 2% who are INTJs. When broken down by gender, only about 2% are women and 3% men. But this may work to everyone’s advantage considering that INTJs are collectively called “masterminds”, and hold themselves to high standards. If there were plenty of them, the world could be a battlefield, what with one trying to outwit the other. But they’re all not bad, however.

In a nutshell, INTJs are individualistic, visionaries and skeptics. They have a strong desire to execute their ideas and reach their goals. This is because when they dedicate themselves to a task, they will work hard to accomplish what needs to be done by establishing patterns and staying organized.

1. They are strategic and quick in thoughts.
INTJs take pride in the way they think and use whatever knowledge they have for many purposes. They grab every opportunity to learn something new and use it to their advantage. They are always curious and will never back down from an intellectual challenge, which is why they can see things from different perspectives. They are also very imaginative, but they don’t use their imagination so much for artistry but in planning the next course of action to take in dealing with certain scenarios, and in setting up contingencies.

2. They are highly confident in their thoughts and capabilities.
Rationalism is a highly prized commodity for INTJs that, when they arrive at a conclusion, they will have no doubts about the veracity of their findings. No amount of handholding or politicking would change the fact that they are right. Because of this, their approach to communication is honest and direct and not held back by any perceived social role or expectation.

When it comes to what they can achieve, they also have complete faith in their abilities, which allows them to realize their goals. When they put their mind to something, they will do everything in their power to see it through.

3. They are decisive and independent.
Given their logic, self-confidence, and strategic thinking, INTJs can definitely stand on their own. They’re not afraid to say a piece of their mind. They even know when it is right to end a relationship and do just that. They’re not easily impressed by authority figures, and they are not held down by traditional social conventions. This is because they know they have a better idea and might even try to change others’ mind in order to conform it to their own.

4. They are not threatened by conflict, criticism or confrontation.
When they know they are right, they are right no matter what other people think or say. So even if they are criticized or confronted for any reason, they will hold their ground. What is even better is that they stay calm, indifferent and detached during emotionally charged conflicts, which can raise other people’s ire.

5. They are efficient, determined and hardworking.
These characteristics make up a really amazing employee, and bosses would just love INTJs. Not only are they dedicated to their work, they are also incredibly efficient. This is especially true if the task assigned to them meet their criteria. There are instances, however, when the need to be efficient leads them to bypass seeming redundancies. This could result in risks and errors because they could skip double checking.

6. They are open-minded.
When thrust into unfamiliar territory, INTJs will use receptiveness, independence, and aversion to rules and traditions to open their mind to new ideas. Combined with rationalism and logic, they can have a liberal social sense.

1. Their arrogance overshadows their positive points.
Because of their strong belief in their personal opinions and abilities, they tend to be arrogant. They would not accept other people’s opinions, especially those coming from someone whom they believe to be intellectually inferior. Because they have an aversion to social conventions, their direct honesty often make them brutally insensitive, and out of tune with other people’s feelings.

2. They are judgmental and over analytical.
INTJs think highly of themselves and would often look down on others. Add to this their inability to express their feelings and emotions properly, they often end up being insensitive. Perhaps it is also their detachment to human emotion that makes them overly analytical, choosing to allow logic to rule over their feelings. In situations where logic doesn’t rule, being an INTJ can be a disadvantage.

3. They do not conform to a highly structured environment.
INTJ loathe rules and authority figures, so being given stringent policies or told what to do would be distasteful to them. They would also end up hating anyone who prefers the status quo and who would exchange self-determination for stability and safety. This can cost conflicts, but things can get even worse for INTJs because their aversion to structure applies equally to the law of the land and other social conventions.

4. They are incapable of having a good relationship.
Although they are great listeners and put in high priority commitment and relationships, their lack of emotional involvement and difficulty in expressing emotions and feeling often make them a less desirable partner. Apart from being out of tune with others’ feelings, they also have the tendency to restrict all or part of themselves. Combined with their other traits, such as being judgmental, arrogant, and non-conformity to rules, they are often labeled as clueless in romance.

Knowing their strengths also makes them incapable of pursuing someone. If they are unfortunate the first time, being turned down or something, they would sooner give up the search than try again. For some reason, however, such characteristics are what make INTJs quite attractive for other people. So perhaps they are being clueless is not so bad. The friends they have would also take time away from them to take a break from their seeming lack of human connection.

Although no personality type is perfect, INTJs can have more shortcomings, especially if the focus is on their strong and overpowering points. But if they can strike a balance, they might be able to forge a good relationship and still succeed in realizing their goals.

09/07/2015/in Careers /by Joseph Chris