What's your MBTI?: Sentinels

Every week in February we'll be posting a discussion on one of the four big personality types in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator - a collection of 16 different personality types that can help you figure out what you're best inclined towards in work or life! Figuring out whether you're a decision-making leader a number-crunching analyst or a kind-hearted mediator can help you slide right into your role and feel comfortable doing what you love.

All done? Great! Now read on to find out more about this week's featured personality type: the Sentinels!

The Sentinels may sound like a collection of Avengers more than they do regular businesspeople: that's because they're Earth's greatest heroes but for managing and protecting other people! You've got your ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ and ESFJ in this group, all connected because they're all Sensing (S) and Judging (J). Between the four of them, the Logistician, the Defender, the Executive, and the Consul will have everything under control and out of your mind, ensuring that everyone around them feels at peace, even if their personal world gets a bit more hectic and stressful as a result.

Read on to find out more about each of the Sentinels and what they're best at!

We're willing to be that if you got the Logistician on your MBTI test, that you've actually said the phrase "Well, actually..." out loud before. And so you should, loud and proud! You're a clever person, driven by facts and logic, and you don't really let your emotions sway what you believe is the right decision. You're a list-making, schedule-following, box-ticking BAMF and you always reason your way through anything that's worrying you. You're the person your friends come to for advice - even if they don't always actually take it.

The integrity and reason of Logisticians means they're well suited toward jobs that follow strict traditions, like police officers and the military, regulatory bodies or investigators. They're also pretty savvy with technology and science, since you love stuff that just works and follows the rules, so you might do well as a researcher. You'd make a great detective like Sherlock, thinking through all the reasonable excuses and facts and figuring out exactly what's been going on. You're also dependable, and take pride in what you do, so you'd make a good non-fiction author or hard-hitting TV interviewer, since you're not afraid to ask the tough questions to get to the truth. 

If you're a Defender, you might be used to people thinking you're a bit of a hypocrite sometimes. Sure, you can be a little sensitive sometimes, but you've also got a good eye for analysing weak points. Sure, you're never going to be the crazy life of the party standing up on the table, but you care a lot about other people and you're always dependable and ready to have a good time. Sure, some people might see you as quite conservative, but you believe in change so long as it's for the good of everyone.

Truly altruistic to a fault, Defenders are most often seen in the public sector, working as nurses, aged care workers, teachers and early learning educators. They also gravitate towards jobs that have a lot of history behind them: they like to see themselves as continuing on a grand tradition of helping people throughout the centuries, perhaps as an academic assistant or working with a charity. Most of all, Defenders can be found whenever there's people who are a bit down on their luck, helping get them back onto their feet, whether that's doing social work or being a psychologist, cooking in a soup kitchen, or running a program for disadvantaged youth to get into jobs - whatever you're doing, it's guaranteed you're doing it because you believe it helps people for the better.

Executives are organised. Capital-O Organised. Sure, you might come across sometimes as a little bit of a stick-in-the-mud, but we don't put much truck in that. After all, it's Executives who make the world go 'round. Without them, all us less-organised types would be left here spinning our wheels with nothing to do and nowhere to go. The Earth runs on Executives, so while your job isn't glamorous it's necessary and sometimes you have to tell people pretty firmly what you need from them to do it. This is your permission to be bossy if you need to, because bossy people get stuff done.

Getting a spot on the PTA or chairing the general meeting of your local football club is all par for the course for the Executive, who thrives on getting things squared away. You would be amazing on any kind of community outreach or decision-making bureau, because not only do you stand up for what you believe in but you say it loudly enough and with enough picket signs that very quickly other people believe in it too. You're a natural organiser, and you'd work well as a football manager, office manager, store manager - basically any kind of manager! Schedules and timesheets and sending important letters are your bread and butter, so try being an executive (haha, perfect!) assistant or a paralegal.

In ancient Rome, Consuls were an elected office for the people, the highest one that any Roman could aspire to hold. In the Myers-Briggs test, it's a relatively rare personality type which is heavily focused on how other people perceive them, and how they perceive the world. If you're a Consul, you probably scrolled all the way down here to find your section first, and that's totally valid. After all, you can't pour all your self-care from an empty cup, so you have to look out for yourself first before you take care of everyone else around you! You're a fashionable, aesthetic person who's quite popular.

You are at your best when you're creating the trends, not following them. You're the captain of the cheer squad who's staying up late watching Youtube videos for new routines to try, or you're the president of a club. You'd be amazing as a content creator or social media influencer, since you have a natural ability to spot what's going to be cool before it hits the mainstream. You'd make a great party or wedding planner, interior decorator, or real estate agent. You also really genuinely care about everyone you chat to, so working as a help desk agent or a social worker would suit you to a tee!

Interested in how the other MBTI groups stacked up? Check them out here: