"Type A Personality" = Negative Connotation?
umm, my... friend, let's call him... "Fan Sranciscan," wants to know: If a candidate were to tell you he had a "Type A personality," what would you you think of him?
Would that phrase make you imagine: 1.) an energetic, outgoing, and driven guy who plays to win and makes a great leader
or
2.) a wound-up, hyper, impatient, competitive asshole who would potentially blow up in a rage induced fit if the wrong situation presented itself
or
3.) the first and second descriptions are the same guy
In general is being "Type A" considered negative or positive? Would describing oneself as such be a weird thing to say in a cover letter or interview?
Fan Sranciscan would appreciate your thoughts!
Type A is looked at positively by type A people and negatively by type B people. If you want to work in banking you probably want to be aggressive and competitive.
Thanks Anthony.
Is this something I should mention strategically when I look into the culture of a given group?
I wouldn't outright say you are a Type A alpha male, your resume usually indicates this. High GPA, leadership involvement, competitions, internships, powerful adjectives, etc all pain the picture.
Tell them no vazhin sleeve can accommodate you.
I would delve deeper into what a Type A personailty really consists of. I also wouldnt rec. saying that you have a Type A personality straight out to your interviewer. You could though say that you have some TA traits and name them because when it comes down to it, there are TA personailty traits that are admirable but there are just as many that aren't.
Type A can mean different things. A "type A" sales/trading guy would eat the asshole and murder the family of most "type a" banking types. I think the competitive side is a positive, but if type A means being an overbearing, loud, boor, negative.
Hahahah
Eat the asshole out of type A bankers LOL.
There are definitely better ways of getting this point across. I would go with competitive, out going, etc. No reason to put yourself in a difficult position.
Been asked this question before. This has typically gone over well:
"In regards to fiduciary responsibilities and being a professional, I would very much consider myself a "type-A" individual. However there is a time and place for everything, and being balanced is vital in my opinion if you want to get the most out of interpersonal relationships; professionally and personally. That said, if it's pragmatic to do so I try be as laid back as possible."
Saying "I have a Type-A Personality" sounds pretty corny. Just say you're competitive, driven, etc., and you sound more like a real person and less like someone who rehearsed a catch phrase before the interview. And it gets the exact same point across. Plus, you stress only the positives and none of the negatives associated with that personality type. Win-win.
Not saying you were planning to use the exact phrase "Type-A," just warning you not to... lol
please don't say you have a type A personality if you are interviewing with me. I deal with enough overaggressive aholes already.
Listen Up, Type A Personalities! (Originally Posted: 08/20/2013)
I have been an avid reader of WSO and I absolutely respect the audacity of our community. In the light of our on-the-scene-reporting post regarding Erhardt’s sudden death, I feel some of our monkeys are missing the point. Since we know press is increasingly quoting WSO, getting accurate confirmation is definitely a priority. However, the tragic death of Erhardt is the biggest wake up call to all us Type A personalities.
I totally relate to the idea of working your ass off while you are young and achieving your full potential. Trust me. After I had my heart set on the Consulting industry sophomore year, I did over 20+ case competitions and landed several internships. I rarely slept and sometimes sent out emails at 4am, which prompted a new professor tease me in class and said “Rumor has it that Presley never sleeps, I hope he doesn’t do it in my class”. Senior year winter break 2012, after I landed a big4 consulting NY offer, I went home for Christmas and was immediately hospitalized. I was diagnosed with Leukemia. Yes. That’s cancer and I just went through chemotherapy twice.
Will anyone do what I did definitely get cancer? No. Had I not done what I did, would I still get cancer? Too late. But will I pay attention to my body while working to the best of my potential to fulfill my life’s dream when I am able to? You bet your ass I will.
Skepticism helps us mitigate risk. I was a bit skeptical when no other new source could confirm the Erhardt story. So what? What is the implication of such a “story”? We can blame BAML for running their intern into the ground, but while there are measures BAML could have done to prevent this tragedy, it is not uncommon for us to ignore our bodies’ signals and take our health for granted, because we are surrounded by young and healthy.
I do not know what the future holds for me. What I do know, is I have to be physically and mentally healthy to fulfill my dream in life. Everyone has his or her own physical limit. That’s why we have to pay attention to our bodies. So monkeys, stay healthy to turn our aspirations into reality.
Sounds like Erhardt was a solid guy and I have no intention of implying anyone is to blame. Therefore, I am leaving you guys with his noble life goal extracted by one of us from his Seelio page.
Best wishes to you and I hope better health is in your future, Prilee.
This has nothing to do with personality, A, B or whatever other fiction the psychiatric community is pawning off on the public.
This is about people taking care of their health. America has a very serious culture problem: we're penny wise and pound BROKE when it comes to prevention. This is just how our country thinks, mostly because everyone is trying to push off responsibility onto other people....but in the case of health, there is no place to run.
People with self control issues are elevated to the status of demi-gods here, it's truly bizzare.
in b4 NorthSider posts about how there's no proof he died from overworking
Pure gold.
Reply, quote, etc are all broken on IE at my workplace (aka right now) - can't use them so have to use the @ .
@Prilee - hey, I hope you beat cancer quickly and get back to living life. Cancer sucks dude. I wish you the best.
I feel sorry that I didn't meet you in person, dude. You are amazing.
OP, getting cancer is not the end of the world... Just don't give up the fight, if you are a true type-A!
Prilee,
That is quite a story. I hope that you stay healthy and beat your cancer.
Best of luck to you @prilee and I hope you make a full recovery and do well for yourself, but I sincerely doubt that your lack of sleep and personality led to you getting cancer...
Some of the most health-conscious people in the world get cancer...
Hope that you are doing well, how have you been coping with this as of late?Most would be wise to head this advice. As a former athlete, I know all too well the trouble you can get into by ignoring your body. You have to take care of yourself first and foremost and your body will generally give you a good idea when something is wrong.
Your lack of sleep may or may not have contributed to your cancer, it's hard to prove. Anyone that's taken any level of advanced biology or genetics knows that gene expression can be changed with any change of internal environment, including a lack of sleep. A lack of sleep most definitely elevates your stress hormone's and inflammation response. I'm not sure if sleep deprivation is a contributing factor to leukemia but it is associated with certain cancers like colon cancer.
The takeaway from this should be that more people need to put more emphasis on sleep, ignoring your bodies need to sleep is just plain ignorant.
Is it possible for Type A neurotics to get along with Type Z cartoon characters? (Originally Posted: 04/03/2015)
We're all familiar with that freaky manifestation of human that is the Type A tyrant. It's been medicated since the age of twelve. It can't handle there being unread emails in its mailbox or wrinkles on its shirt. All of the files on its computer are nearly categorized into sub -folders in sub-folders in sub-folders. It reads the Atlantic, or the New Yorker, or even Monocle; It has never even been within an arm's reach of that detritus known as "People Magazine." It is never without clean socks. It drinks its coffee black. It scoffs at the notion of there being such a thing as a "semi-target." It goes for runs on Sunday mornings, HYP(maybe other P or C) displayed proudly on its chest. It drinks scotch or bourbon or $17 bottled beer; vodka sodas are for people from Jersey. At the age of 10, It mapped out a 50 year plan, of which It is right on track at year 16. It has two extra Dell chargers at home, just in case one buzzes too loudly -- It hates unnecessary sensory distractions. Its hair is always impeccable. It gets a hard on from scrolling through its own LinkedIn profile, a satisfied smirk on its face all the while.
Then there is the Type Z underachiever, the self-appointed BAWSS of the universe. It smokes weed errday. It doesn't know what a 401k, let alone a Roth IRA (tsk), is. Hell, It didn't know that taxes were a "thing." It puts its elbows on the table, chews with its mouth full, and doesn't leave tip. It thinks that tigers are female lions, doesn't know how to spell, and thinks that its job as a(n) [insert minimum wage "career" sourced from Craigslist here] is so stressful that It just CAN'T EVEN. It thinks that reading is for losers, because only losers don't watch The Bachelor. Despite its being loud, obnoxious, belligerent, and trashy in public when drunk, It is still being "classy" because that drunkness is due to red wine, ya hear? It always promises to pay you back; It never pays you back. It gossips and watches Real Housewives of Abu Dabhi and maxes out its credit card on designer clothing that even Type A's VP would hesitate to purchase. Its job isn't one that progresses, but It is adamant about its being dedicated to its "career." It flirts with middle-aged creeps at the bar to get them to pay for its tab. It complains when that Evercore Associate it'd been fucking picks some mousy betch over It [and proceeds to talk about said Associate for the next six months, and the mousy betch' upper arms and frizzy hair for two]. LOLed at the fact that a company would name itself Evercore; must be a stupid place that people who could not get into Goldmen Sacks go. It goes clubbing on Wednesday nights and sleeps in until noon; It lives in NYC and DESERVES it. It gets annoyed at people who stay late at the office and ruins its dinner plans -- temper tantrum ensues. It does not have a LinkedIn profile; It does not know what LinkedIn is.
I hear that "opposites attract" bullshit all the time, but it can't possibly be true? Especially in a place like LA or NYC, where there seems to be a high proportion of retarded half-adults, meeting and hanging out with your complete opposite is inevitable. How could intelligent people be friends or, Blankfein forbid, lovers, with people who were only "super gifted when [they were] in the second grade -- like, seriously, genius status"? Humans who have different beliefs on everything (education, manners, ambition, effort, the opposite sex, etc.) can't possibly get along, can they?
Discuss.
No, they can't. Not for long anyway.
PS -- I did not think this was the definition of Type A. Can someone please confirm or refute?
Opposites don't attract, complements attract
Can't use a phillips screwdriver on a slotted screw
Type A personality and leadership (Originally Posted: 11/22/2012)
Philosophical question:
How are having a type-A personality and leadership ability related to one another?
Curious to hear your thoughts.
i bet everyone on here probably has a type-A personality, to a certain degree...that said its a natural extension for a type A personality individual wanting to be in a leadership position. this may work, for better or worse - depending on where the person lies on the type A 'spectrum'. i beilve the further you are on that spectrum inversely relates to the leadship ability as the person will become too 'in your face' - not a good leadship trait :P
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