Best Career Paths For ENFJ Personality Types

Are you happy in your present career? If you have discovered that you just don’t like your job or you don’t think it’s a good fit for you, it might be time for a career change. But how do you find the right job, one that matches your personality?

One great way to match a job to your personality is to learn more about your personality type. The Myer’s Brigs Type Indicator® personality test is a good place to start.

This test is very popular and reliable as it’s built on the work of psychoanalyst Carl Jung. Jung’s theories were based on the idea that personalities are made of cognitive functions. The order the functions appear in the person determines their personality and behavioral traits.

If you take this personality test, you’ll be given a result that is represented by four letters. Each letter and the order they’re in are important. They can also be used to help you find a career that fits your personality traits.

What Is an ENFJ?

If your Myers Briggs test result was an ENFJ, then your personality is defined by:

• Extroversion

• iNtuitive

• Feeling

• Judging

Each letter, ENFJ, stands for a personality trait, and their dominance appears from the top down:

• Extroverted thinking in ENFJs means they are energized by spending time with others. They’re considered the best personality type when it comes to dealing with others. If you’re an ENFJ, you’re a people person. They also like to look at things with a big-picture mentality rather than focusing on the details.

• Intuitive means they’re good at sensing things and can make pretty good connections and fuel their intuition. They can reach conclusions that are logical at a fast pace.

• Feeling is the third letter in this personality type, and it defines how the individual makes decisions. A feeling person makes decisions based on how that decision will affect others and what feelings those decisions will prompt.

• Judging means that the individual tends to judge the outside world and how it affects them or how their thoughts align with others. They aren’t judgmental; that’s a misinterpretation of the term. Rather, the judging personality trait means they’re more concerned with the outside world than their internal world.

Strengths and Weaknesses of ENFJ People

People who find that their personality falls into the ENFJ category are enthusiastic and love to solve problems. They’re very intuitive, and they like using that power to help other people. Because they’re considered the best communicators and superior when dealing with others, they’re great leaders and live to help or support others.

ENFJs can be too hard on themselves. They are so hopeful that things will work out that they take it personally when things don’t.

Some strengths that you might find in an ENFJ personality type include:

• Outgoing and caring

• Empathetic

• Organized

• Persuasive

• Affectionate

Some weaknesses that ENFJs possess include:

• Desire approval

• Very sensitive

• Self-sacrificing

• Overprotective

• Manipulative

Top Careers for ENFJ Personality Types

If you’ve taken the test and discovered that you have an ENFJ personality type, then you might want to make the most of your strengths. The odds are that you’ve always wanted to help other people in some way. Now you know that a career doing that is what’s best suited for you. You’ll most likely succeed in the following careers.

1. Counselor

   Average Yearly Salary: $37,000

   When your driving personality trait is a need to connect with other humans, and you’re compelled to help them, being a counselor is an easy career choice. The ability of ENFJs to put other’s needs ahead of their own can make them even better at their job.

   They’re good at putting their current, individual concerns aside and focusing on the people they’re treating.

   This personality type is also very organized and persuasive. These can be important qualities when you’re classifying an individual’s issues and coming up with solutions. Since they thrive on helping others, this career is an easy choice.

   Find Counselor jobs near me.

2. Teacher

   Average Yearly Salary: $46,000

   Teaching at any level is usually a great career option for ENFJs. They connect with their students, and their ability to speak to them and communicate effectively inspires them to learn. ENFJs are those teachers that everyone likes, and most students want to do well in their class because they don’t want to disappoint their teacher.

   Their ability to help students on an individual level is what makes them so effective. Rather than teaching to the masses, they can pull out bits of information and relate it in different ways so everyone can grasp the lesson.

   Find Teacher jobs near me.

3. Parole Agent

   Average Yearly Salary: $41,502

   Parole agents might not be the first career an ENFJ considers. Working with criminals and people who don’t follow the rules might not feel comfortable at first, especially when you consider that most of those criminals have victims.

   But the best parole agents can help these people overcome their crimes and pasts and find a way to be productive in society.

   This is a challenging job, and there’s no doubt about that. But when an ENFJ goes into this field, their desire to help people pushes them to make this decision. It’s their ability to get along with anyone that makes them so successful.

   Find Parole Agent jobs near me.

4. Social Worker

   Average Yearly Salary: $51,000

   Social work is another field where it’s all about helping others. Usually, the people a social worker is assigned to represent and assist have suffered quite a bit and really need a champion. This is right in the wheelhouse of an ENFJ, and the feelings they get of being needed are enough to fuel their drive to do a good job.

   Often, social workers see the really bad side of humanity. Their ability to put others first helps them take what they see on a daily basis and not internalize it. They understand that it’s not their issue, but they get to be the ones to provide help.

   Find Social Worker jobs near me.

5. Speech-Language Therapist

   Average Yearly Salary: $64,000

   There are many different specialties in the medical profession that are fantastic ones for an ENFJ to explore. Speech and language therapy is at the top of the list. Teaching people how to speak correctly teaching them a new language gives them exponential benefits.

   For children, they learn to be understood, and that’s a powerful feeling. For people recovering from trauma or illness, learning how to speak again can be very frustrating, but the emotional reward of success is incomparable.

   Other people who visit a speech and language therapist are equally struggling in life, and this one aspect can improve so many other areas of their lives. It’s truly a rewarding profession.

   Find Speech-Language Therapist jobs near me.

6. Career Counselor

   Average Yearly Salary: $41,000

   If you think you’ve got a good idea of what jobs people should have, then maybe a job as a career counselor is right for you. Sometimes you’ll be matching individuals up with jobs, and other times you’ll be informing people about what types of jobs there are in the world.

   Where an ENFJ shines as a career counselor is their ability to read people. They might encounter someone who says they’re interested in one job, but the ENFJ can see that they’re not quite a fit. Instead, they can highlight jobs with similar basic features but more in line with their personality.

   Find Career Counselor jobs near me.

7. Rehabilitation or Addiction Specialist

   Average Yearly Salary: $35,000

   Assisting someone who is struggling with rehabilitation of any kind or dealing with addiction is hard. It takes a unique personality type to watch them constantly struggle, fail, and not give up on helping. That personality type is the ENFJ.

   Not only does it take a certain sort of personal persistence to be a good rehab or addiction specialist, but it takes the right kind of personality. ENFJs have that quality that all people are attracted to.

   They’re the people you want to listen to, you want to make them proud of you, and you don’t want to disappoint them. This helps when dealing with people struggling to recover.

   Find Rehabilitation or Addiction Specialist jobs near me.

8. Personal Stylist

   Average Yearly Salary: $50,954

   You want to help people, but you don’t want to deal with depressing problems like health concerns or addiction. That’s okay because ENFJs can help in other ways. They’re fantastic personal stylists. Whether you’re interested in doing hair and make-up or you’d rather be a clothing buyer, this is an excellent job for an ENFJ.

   This job lets you get to know the people you work for, and the more you know them, the better you’ll be at your job. It’s a fun field, and creative types will enjoy the freedom to let their imaginations go.

   Find Personal Stylist jobs near me.

9. Insurance Sales

   Average Yearly Salary: $49,000

   Insurance can be very boring for some people and confusing to others, but having the right insurance can save the day in the long run. It’s that part of the job that makes it appealing to an ENFJ. It’s also that part of the job that makes them successful. They have a way of explaining themselves that gets through to buyers.

   Some insurance salespeople sound fake and like they’re working for a commission alone, but ENFJs are very genuine. That’s probably because they sincerely want to help.

   Find Insurance Sales jobs near me.

10. Personal Trainer

    Average Yearly Salary: $38,000

    Whether you’re helping someone train for a marathon or lose weight, a personal trainer is all about assisting other people in achieving their goals.

    One of the downsides to ENFJs can be their bossiness. This works in their favor when they’re a personal trainer. Even if you have to yell at them, motivating and inspiring others is what it takes to get people up and moving.

    ENFJs often forget to take care of themselves, but those who enter this field know that their physical health is important to them, but it also serves as a model for customers. It’s a good way to turn fitness and self-care into a priority while still focusing on others.

    Find Personal Trainer jobs near me.

Careers ENFJ Personalities Should Avoid

We’re not saying that you definitely won’t do well or enjoy these professions, but there’s a good chance that they’re just not right for you. ENFJ people have a strong desire to help others, even when other people don’t understand that that’s what they’re doing. The following jobs don’t line up with the ENFJ personality very well.

1. Computer Programmer

   Sitting alone with a computer is going to feel like torture to ENFJ people. They want to interact with people and make human connections. They thrive on feeling needed and useful, and a computer will give them none of that. Computers and the solitude of computer programming are going to be a hard fit for these personality types.

2. Line Supervisor

   While an ENFJ could do well as a manager, a line supervisor is not likely to be a rewarding career. This job is more about following the rules with no leeway for individuals or special circumstances.

   Staying on top of the job and making sure people are doing the same thing over and over is bound to be very boring for people who are driven to be friendly and compassionate.

3. Accountant

   Some accountants get to deal with people, and they can help them out of tricky situations. But, more often than not, accountants are doing solitary work and focused on numbers. ENFJs want more emotion in their life, they want the ups and downs that come with personal connections, and they often shy away from the rigid world of numbers.

4. Electrician

   Electricians need to know a lot about how electricity works and how to manipulate it. They don’t spend a lot of time with people. While they do help when the lights go out, or there are power problems, in most situations, their work just doesn’t provide the emotional boost that ENFJs want.

5. Police Officer

   While police officers get to help people, and they can see what will help them more than the people will, they also need to be unbiased and disconnected. There are some ENFJs who might do well in this field, depending on what they specialize in.

   But most people with this personality type will find this job frustrating and feel that they’re just not doing enough to help or they’re not helping the way they’d like.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.