What's Your Type of Career?: Unlock the Secrets of Your Personality to Find Your Perfect Career Path (Paperback)

by Donna Dunning (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Dunning, a psychologist specializing in career issues, identifies 16 personality types using the Jungian-based Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Self-evaluation focuses on several areas: processing information by linear thinking vs. wondering how others will be affected; focusing on facts vs. intuition; the preference to take immediate action vs. the preference to wait and deliberate. Once people identify their type, Dunning (Learning Your Way) proposes eight corresponding "Ways of Working" that suggest promising fields and positions for different personalities. Although Dunning's writing is clear and accessible, readers may have difficulty identifying their primary personality type. Still, her answer to this problem is persuasive: "one core preference will define your characteristic approach to work. The other approaches will be used in support of, and secondary to, your preferred approach." First-timers as well as those familiar with self-assessment tests will find the final two chapters the most practical. "Taking Stock" and "Shaping Your Career" focus on options such as part-time work in making a career change or determining which variables matter most, from salary and job stability to handling a variety of tasks, helping society, etc. (Apr.)Forecasts: Lacking a fresh approach or a well-known author, this book will have an uphill battle against more established books on this subject, such as Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger's Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type. Still, a glowing cover endorsement by Richard Bolles, author of What Color Is Your Parachute, along with planned radio and print campaigns may give it an initial boost.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review
A practical workbook to those planning their career or need to change jobs...should be helpful to many people. -- Bulletin of Psychological Type, Summer 2001

Encyclopedic in scope. Designed to be used by anybody looking for a career direction, particularly handy for career guidance counselors. -- Adyar Booknews, August 2001

Here are the top five best-selling career-related books: #3 What's Your Type of Career. -- Edmonton Journal, July 2001

Here are the top five career-related books this week: #3--What's Your Type of Career? -- Edmonton Journal, July 31, 2002

Looking for a career change or not sure what to do, Dunning may steer them in the right direction. -- The Capital Times (Madison, WI), November 8, 2001

Most valuable section, for many, will be the one on each type's greatest challenges. Most effective learning sytles are outline for each type, as well. -- Calgary Herald, April 7, 2001

Once you understand your personality type, it's easier to choose a profession that would be a good fit. -- The Orange County Register

People trying to make career decisions can find direction in this book, designed to help shed light on new possibilities. -- Toronto Star, December 17, 2002

Using this book can help you learn more about yourself, and the career in which you would be happiest. -- Employment Review Online, June 2001

Utilizes a personality approach to finding the perfect career for you...guides the novice through the options for each type. -- Book Page, May 2001

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Davies-Black Publishing; 1 edition (April 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891061541
• ISBN-13: 978-0891061540
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #180,277 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very insightful!, September 6, 2005

By	A Life-long Learner (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This book was recommended to me by my company's HR training manager and it is brilliant! Written for people who know their Myers-Briggs type, it describes the sort of work environment your type would thrive in along a continuum; meaning, it allows for a range of behavior and is flexible enough to avoid rigidly defining you and your options, yet it's defined enough to be helpful. I know that many people consider Myers-Briggs to be hocus-pocus, but if you found the typing to be insightful, you'll find the book to be doubly so. For someone who is job hunting -- or in my case, considering switching careers -- it really gave me a new perspective on how I work, and what works best for me, along with suggested fields and suggested positions in those fields. One caveat, this book isn't a job-hunters guide. It just helps you find your direction, and reminds you of your work preferences to guide you when you are considering a potential job.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not complete, but better than anything else, February 18, 2002

By A Customer

This book is the best MBTI career book I've found. It has none of the breezey overproduced style of the Tieger books. Dunning conveys information in rational categories with a friendly manner. The reason I didn't give her book more stars is that Dunning (like all the other authors who use the MBTI approach) fails to help the reader to decide on a career because she merely lists compatible jobs at the end. Sure, they are grouped into "professional", "business", "Art and design", etc but what does "art and design" have to do with "business"? It makes more sense to group jobs into personality based catergories. It's also frustrating that the author does not go from a type's description to an analysis of that type and a particular job. Dunning does have lengthy anecdotes about representatives of each type but these stories are not enough. This failure to connect personality type to a job characterizes all the personality based career guides. This situation makes me believe they don't know much about careers or personality types. Please, someone write a real MBTI career counseling book!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Career Book I've Read, April 5, 2003

By	A. Botnick "AJ Botnick" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm 32 and in the midst of a career change which has involved extensive self assessment. Prior to reading this book I visited several career counselors, took the PAR Self Directed Assessment and Myers Briggs assessment and read numerous books on careers. This book really surprized me. At first I was skeptical but after going through it I was very impressed with the personality typing system and how well my personality type matched me. The only warning that I would have is that since the listing of the possible careers are in broad categories a person needs to spend some time learning about different careers by talking to people in them, reasearching and shadowing at the workplaces before jumping ahead. For example, I might be excellent as a dental researcher but hate the routine of the day to day practice of dentistry. However, this is a great book and I recommend it highly as a starting point in any career search.

"Know Thyself"