Ambitious, fearless yet people-oriented, and empathic, ENFJs are the natural leaders and mentors of the 16 MBTI personalities. People with these personality traits have distinct qualities that make them stand out in various aspects of life, including in their professional journey.
People with the ENFJ personality type possess Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging traits. They are great leaders who are also nurturing and forward-thinking. The characteristics of the ENFJ personality have earned them nicknames such as Giver, Teacher, and Guide. Their ambitions are high and lofty yet centered around their genuine care for making a positive impact.
If you have taken an MBTI assessment and discovered that you are an ENFJ, you may wonder, "What are the best ENFJ jobs for me?" Or "How can I find a better sense of purpose in my job?"
If you want to feel part of a greater good in your career, we've curated some career paths that can give you this sense of fulfillment.
However, it is essential to note that even though some careers may suit your personality type, they not be fields that are interesting to you. For better success at finding a job that matches your personality and interests, we recommend also learning about Holland's Theory of Occupational Choice.
So, let's delve into some rewarding career paths for your ENFJ personality.
ENFJ in the Workplace — Strengths and Weaknesses
As someone with the ENFJ, you tend to fit in almost any industry. You display strong ambition but stay grounded in solid values that set you apart in the workplace. Let's look at some of your unique qualities and how they can be strengths or weaknesses in a work environment.
Some workplace strengths of the ENFJ personality type are:
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- Emotional intelligence: As an ENFJ, you are excellent at handling your emotions and those of others. This ability gives you an advantage in people-centric and highly interactive roles.
- Problem-solving: You love a good challenge now and then, and it’s even better when it comes with the job. You don’t shy away from deep, analytical thinking to get the job done.
- Risk-taking: Your intuitive nature lets you see the potential in ideas and make decisions based on that.
- Altruism: Most of your dreams and aspirations are based on your need to cause a change in the world.
Some qualities that may come off as weaknesses in workplaces are:
- Overly intense: As someone on a constant journey of self-improvement and ambitious pursuits, your passionate nature may be extreme in a slow-paced working environment.
- A constant need for innovation: Your need to make a significant impact may restrict you from enjoying minor roles that would have served as an excellent learning experience.
The Most Rewarding Careers for ENFJs
Now, considering the above strengths and weaknesses, here are some carefully selected industries great for someone with the ENFJ personality type.
Community and Social Service
A community and social service career is fitting for purposeful individuals like the ENFJs. This industry comprises various job roles, from health care to legal work and counseling, geared toward improving society.
As an ENFJ, you'd lean towards positions that not only let you help people but also have mentally stimulating tasks. These roles include marriage and family therapist, rehabilitation counselor, behavior analyst, advocate, and researcher.
Public Relations
Public relations (PR) involves maintaining a business or brand's relationship with the public. ENFJs are often associated with having a clear moral compass and a great sense of worth that help them thrive in PR roles.
Aside from the required educational experience and technical skills, public relations roles will also need soft skills like creativity, excellent communication, and multitasking. Some PR roles you'd find interesting as an ENFJ are event manager, copywriter, communications specialist, content strategist, and marketing assistant.
Journalism
Journalism is a profession associated with uncovering truths and serving humanity. As someone with the ENFJ personality type, you will enjoy the sense of purpose of disseminating information and changing people's perspectives via media channels.
Journalism is quite a broad field with many job roles. However, some align the most with your ENFJ personality type. These include reporter/journalist, columnist, freelance writer, editorial assistant, and news producer.
Psychology
The incredibly warm and problem-solving nature of ENFJs helps them flourish in people-focused careers like psychology. This profession primarily involves diagnosing, treating, and counseling people in the mental aspect of their lives. ENFJs also have intuitive and feeling traits that often cause them to be sincerely interested in people's values and motives.
If you resonate with these characteristics, you will enjoy the continuous learning opportunity that a career in psychology offers. You'd also get to play a part in helping people lead a more wholesome life. With a degree in psychology, you can be a clinical psychologist, forensic psychologist, occupational psychologist, counselor, social researcher, psychotherapist, etc.
Entertainment and Art
Most ENFJs are naturally drawn to arts and entertainment. This industry is bustling with creativity, ever-changing trends, and significant opportunities to impact the world. While you may not be pulled toward the spotlight, you'd enjoy being a part of the team doing the job behind the scenes.
Some exciting roles in the entertainment and art industry for an ENFJ are entertainment writer, animator, illustrator, choreographer, producer, art director, photographer, and cinematographer.
Teaching
As someone who naturally loves seeing others as their best selves, ENFJs do well in teaching and coaching-related jobs. It is easier for a people-friendly personality like the ENFJ to warm their way through the hearts of others and help them learn using their unique teaching style.
Some teaching-related roles suitable for your ENFJ personality are career coach, corporate trainer, private tutor, adult literacy teacher, and personal coach.
Marketing and Advertising
As analytical, intuitive, and empathic individuals, ENFJs can make significant decisions regarding a company's marketing and advertising needs. These professions usually involve making plans, increasing awareness, and establishing the authority of a business to drive more sales.
Aside from educational and technical skills, a marketing career also requires excellent problem-solving skills, sensitivity to people’s needs, and the ability to provide creative solutions. Some marketing and advertising roles you’d want to explore as an ENFJ are content strategist, product marketer, social media manager, inbound marketer, brand manager, copywriter, email marketing manager, etc.
Careers ENFJs Should Avoid
While your ENFJ personality may give you an edge in any industry, you may not find ultimate career satisfaction in just any role.
Here are some careers you would likely want to avoid as someone with the ENFJ personality type.
- Research: Since you enjoy interpersonal relationships in the workplace as an ENFJ, you may not enjoy the solitary nature of research jobs.
- Accounting: Your love for constant innovation may not let you enjoy the monotonous nature of accounting roles.
- Law enforcement: As someone who enjoys creative liberty and constant innovation, you may find law enforcement roles too rigid.
Is a Career a Lifetime Commitment?
While many people may be satisfied doing the same thing for a long time, the same may not be true for people with ENFJ personalities. But this poses a bigger question.
Should your career be a lifetime commitment? That depends.
If you love what you are doing and it makes you happy, then stick with it.
If you start to feel the need for a career change, consider whether it’s just a sense of boredom that is common with your ENFJ personality type or a true desire to do something completely different. If it’s the former, asking your higher-ups for new responsibilities might be enough to do the trick. Or, if you like your job (or can’t leave it right now), but are not feeling totally fulfilled, try doing some volunteer work that gives you purpose.
But if you are sure that it’s time for you to do something new, that’s okay, too. Gone are the days when people are expected to stay at the same company or profession until they retire. Find a job that gives you that personal satisfaction you crave!
Are you new to MBTI personalities?
Find out if you are an ENFJ with a quick MBTI self-assessment.
