Congratulations! You got the job!
You were nervous about the interview, but you aced it because you’re good with one-on-one conversation. The worst part of the process was waiting for the call that would tell you whether or not you were accepted for the position. You made yourself sick with worry. You even practiced how to answer the phone and how to talk without finishing their sentences.
When they called to offer the job, you tripped over yourself saying something like, “Oh, no! I mean, that’s great! I’m sorry. Yes? No! I’ll take it!”
The first day was nerve-wracking what with all the introductions, but now you are several weeks into it and you’re over the bumpy part of being the new person.
The coffee doesn’t suck. The parking isn’t bad. You can bring your lunch without feeling like a dork. It’s not a bad place to spend the day.
But you are an INFJ, so there are issues. This doesn’t surprise you because you are, well… an INFJ.
You care about your co-workers. You remember birthdays. You always ask how their weekend was. You inquire of his mother’s recent surgery. Your co-workers like you. That’s a good thing, but that also makes it difficult to get your work done. You are the first person they come to when they want to be heard. They vent to you about each other, and they run new ideas by you. All the while, management applauds your newbie efforts at teamwork, turning to you each time a new project needs coordinating.
And there you sit on your lunch hour doing all the work that you can’t get done because everyone comes to you with their stuff.
Plug along, INFJ. You’ll find a way to be there for your co-workers and still get the work done. It’ll take time, but you are organized. Be patient with yourself and your co-workers’ needs to come to you. You won’t likely change this dynamic, so understand it and use it to your benefit.
Your integrity is unmatched in the workplace. In the beginning, you’ll look up to your boss. You’ll respect management. After a few months, though, you’ll be reminded that everyone is motivated by different things. (Remember this from those MBTI tests?) You aren’t motivated by money. Just about every one of your co-workers is motivated by money. While they might tell you that customer service is their priority, you will learn that it is not. You will feel the need to remind them that if they made customer service a priority, the money would follow.
They come to you to be heard, dear INFJ. They do not want to be preached to. They think your priorities are endearing, but they don’t begin to understand why you aren’t motivated by money.
Save your breath. Keep working hard. Be the quiet team-player that you are, even if that means that some days you’ll end up working through your lunch hour. Remind yourself that we are all motivated differently and that it is possible to respect them, even if you don’t understand their priorities.
At the end of the day, you’ll be respected for doing your job well, and clients will seek you out because of your excellent customer service skills.