You Can’t Argue With The Science of Fascination
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been charmed by personality tests. Based on my experiences, as much as we claim to know ourselves there are always traits that are in the shadows as some overbear others or some we are scared to say loud and proud in fear of being perceived as narcissistic. However, as the saying goes- you can’t argue with science, and in this case, you can’t argue with the science of fascination.
While my first experience with “personality” quizzes started in elementary school as an avid reader of J-14 magazine to reveal my perfect summer shoe, I matured to Buzzfeed quizzes in high school. Fast forward to today, I’ve thankfully learned the importance of data and have taken reputable quizzes such as the Five Love Languages Test and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Test. While I believe these tests helped me better understand how I see the world, The Fascinate Test created by Sally Hogshead opened my eyes to how I’m perceived by others, and the traits that make me valuable after answering only 28 questions. This test is meant to inspire you to further develop your personal brand by knowing how others see you, how to bring forth your best traits to make positive first impressions, and how to communicate with confidence. There are 49 archetypes that help bring these notions to life.
My Initial Reaction- I can finally create a LinkedIn bio!
After viewing my results, I felt inspired and had a smile on my face as I felt that “ah ha” moment going page by page through my report. Describing myself in a concise yet accurate manner has always been difficult for me, which might be obvious after looking at my LinkedIn and noticing that I do not have a bio. I could never find the right words to describe myself on a professional level to articulate the value I could add to a team or organization without sounding robotic or cliche. With the help of these test results, my first reaction was that I now had all the tools I needed to make those first introductions, whether it’s in person or via a LinkedIn bio.
My Archetype: The Talent
According to the test my archetype is “The Talent” with my primary advantage being “Passion” and my secondary advantage being “Prestige”. The report also noted that the adjectives that describe how the world sees me include expressive, stylish, emotionally-intelligent, energetic, and academic.
Taking a deeper look into my primary advantage, the report explained that “Passion” means I communicate expressively, use colorful words and body language to drive people in, and create warm emotional connections. Diving into “Prestige”, it means I set and uphold high standards, that I’m very detail oriented, and add value by showing people how they can improve themselves in their delivery.
I appreciated that the report went beyond describing how I’m seen by others, but specifically how I provide value and where my weak spots are when it comes to how I contribute to a professional setting. According to the report, Talents are respected and well liked team members who display enthusiasm when it comes to new ideas. In addition it stated-
“Whether writing the weekly e-newsletter to retailers or posting social media updates, you know how to capture the most effective tone.”
This line is what sealed the deal that the results were spot on. All of my friends, family, and colleagues know that something I strive to accomplish is capturing the tone of different brands- especially through social media. I call these brands my “alter egos”. As a food blogger, I strive to attract followers through visually pleasing content and descriptive language, while as a shuffle dancer my tone is more as a teacher hoping to inspire others to give it a try and post what they’re passionate about. I now also run the social media of a restaurant who trust me with presenting their brand with a playful tone to attract both followers and customers.
On the other hand, the report did reveal that being a perfectionist can have its drawbacks, and that sometimes delivering results on time is more important than achieving superb results. With presentations, photo and video editing, and even these blog posts, I can definitely see how I could use some practice prioritizing all of the items on my to-do lists. It also made me laugh to myself that the results noted that others shouldn’t expect me to use a lot of statistics to persuade a buyer or memorize facts and figures because this describes me to a T. While as an analyst a lot of my work is number driven, I always tend to focus on the overarching theme that the data displays when delivering it to clients.
Next Steps
With these results, I feel comfortable taking the next step in my personal branding. I feel more confident knowing how others view me and how to use that to my advantage. It’s extremely important to know how to stand out when presenting work, how you express yourself, and how you can contribute in a collaborative setting to achieve a task. I look forward to creating my anthem, putting my best foot forward, and gaining the trust of clients as a marketer. First, however, I’m going to start working on my long awaited LinkedIn bio!
