Finding the right role in the theater of business
This is a guest post by Kaleb Lantrip, a student at IUPUI and a self-proclaimed introvert. This is Part IV in the five-part Quiet but Mighty blog series exploring ways introverts can remain true to themselves and still experience a satisfying professional life.
If all the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely agents, then how does one who likes performing background and scenery work to be noticed?
I have met individuals who possess better qualifications and instincts for the stage of business, but I have my own skills and values to offer. I am a shameless introvert. I am not ambitious, but I am willing to provide a hard day’s work for a noble production. The trick is getting myself behind the curtain. Establishing myself as a trustworthy and able worker is key.
There is a narrow window of time to catch the training season of the business circuit. What does “internship” mean to me? It is simultaneously a means and mark of marketability. It can even lead to a permanent position.
I want an internship for many reasons: personal, professional, and out of a desire to help people with what I’ve learned. I want to support others who are stars on the stage, winning the hearts and minds of their audience. I can gain vicarious satisfaction from a line well executed or a setting well furnished.
What are my assets as an introvert? Chris Hardwick, founder of Nerdist Industries, put some of them into perspective. Strengths are weaknesses redirected and focused. For example, “nerds” are good at focusing on something so intensely that other aspects of their lives suffer. The trick is to train that focus into profitable areas and activities. Use your memory not so much for entertainment but instead for the nuances of tax law, mathematical formulae and business strategies. Utilize powers of observation cultivated from studying artful films for the purpose of scanning financial statements and business propositions.
I look before I leap off precipices, but staring down them can mesmerize, if not paralyze. There is merit in coming to quick decisions, for whether they fall or retreat, the active are moving on to other things. Standing still and waiting for a divine answer as to the next destination isn’t productive. For example, I would prefer to be contacted in the event of possible employment, but that is an inefficient and egotistical expectation. Putting myself out there is hard, and the results are not always easy to see. Sometimes I feel like I’m stumbling through a monologue in an empty auditorium. However, practice is necessary and failure is a part of the learning experience.
The bottom line is introverts are just as employable as extroverts, and I am fortunate to have access to resources such as Indiana INTERNnet for assistance and encouragement. There may come a day when I am writing the script and recruiting the players, but for now, I will learn to fill sandbags and time the moving of props. I’m learning the art of navigating the business climate, one daily performance at a time.
