Introversion

Post date: Jun 24, 2012 10:03:51 PM

I've always considered myself an introvert. Perhaps it's one of the reasons I find parent-teacher interviews the most stressful two days of the year. The rest of the year I don't mind being an introvert, but I think it has harmed my success in a few instances. I didn't do particularly well at either of the two software firms I worked for, in part because my introversion was interpreted as a lack of interest in the business. I can also remember an interview I had for a trading position with Powerex. The interviewer thought I was too introverted for the job. All his traders were boisterous and outgoing. In the months after the interview I kept coming up with counter-arguments (none of which, of course, I was able to come up with during the interview), such as the fact that he had probably never hired an introvert. I also came across an article on Robert Rubin who had been a star trader at Goldman Sachs before becoming co-managing parter and then Secretary of the Treasury under Clinton. He was most definitely an introvert. Now, there's a new book that discusses introversion and the role of introverts in society called Quiet. I've got it on hold at the library (I'm #204 in line!). In the mean time, I just read a very interesting interview with the author, Susan Cain, and watched her TED talk. I highly recommend watching it and reading the interview.