Have you ever asked yourself “What is the right career path according to my personality type?” or “What job will stimulate my creativity and let me help others?” Perhaps you are sick of your old job and you want to head in a different professional direction? Or maybe a friend is struggling to choose a job out of several career options? In this article, we’re going to explore what ENFJs are like in their work environment, by looking at their strongest and weakest personality traits.
If you have discovered you are the ENFJ personality type, then that is excellent news! ENFJs stand out with their selfless nature, their desire to help others, and their ability to organize and schedule tasks. They feel fulfilled when they’ve helped a friend find a job, for example, and they love giving advice if one of their closest friends or relatives is going through a tough time. All in all, most people are pretty comfortable sharing their whole life story with ENFJs, because this personality type makes for quality listeners with strong communication skills.
Having such a plethora of positive traits, you might wonder what career choice will fit them best. Or you’d probably want to know which jobs to keep away from? And for those still looking out for their professional development in the future, you might be interested in the list of college majors we have prepared for you!
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ENFJs at Work
Even at a first glance, you can tell that ENFJs are people-oriented. This extroverted personality is a social butterfly, flying from person to person, being at the heart of a conversation. They are nicknamed “The Guide” because they get enjoyment and pleasure out of assisting those in need. People often come to them for advice and they love to give a wise solution in times of need. They thrive in social gatherings and they refill their emotional battery by communicating and shifting their energy outward. They are energized by their interactions with people. You can definitely say they work well in a team of people because they’re not highly competitive like INTJs, for example, and they tend to believe that everyone is born with their own individual potential and personal skills. All they have to do is develop them! ENFJs are there to help — they are usually patrons of social and professional justice and equality.
Their interest is focused mainly on other people, and they prioritize others’ needs over their own. This is great because they tend to bring out the best in everyone around them. You can certainly say that ENFJs are the givers of the 16 personalities, and relationships are at the center of their lives. Their Judging (J) qualities make them task-focused and able to work best ahead of deadlines, planning the execution of a task in advance. They simply enjoy being organized and creating charts, schedules and lists… and anything else that can help them get a project finished.
Because they combine these analytical skills with their fun, outgoing nature and their Intuitive (N) traits, ENFJs need to look for a job that combines both work and play. Their target is usually something creative with just the right amount of structure and deadlines. Getting a job that involves a lot of detailed analysis or paperwork would result in a rundown of their enthusiasm. They might feel pressured or exhausted by such jobs. Bottom line is, they do great in environments that can bring light to meaningful personal connections.
ENFJ Career Matches
Let’s talk about the perfect profession for an ENFJ. We have established so far that the key lies in their connection with others. It is also worth noting that they prefer a conflict-free environment, due to their Feeling nature (Fe), and they usually look for a harmonious resolve for a conflict. ENFJs employ personal feelings in order to impact others to make a decision about something. They’d rather deal with an argument through a consensus or they often match the popular opinion in the room. You can say that they can be very versatile when exploring career options, but if they are natural at anything, it is employing their mentoring qualities to aid others.
When looking for careers that fit this description, we know that through their desired profession, ENFJs should be able to inspire the personal growth of others, with outlets for organization and problem-solving.
Here’s a highlight of jobs we selected that should be well suited for an ENFJ-type person:
Teacher
You have probably already guessed this — being nicknamed “The Guide” of the 16 personalities, it’s logical that ENFJs are natural teachers. Any altruistic profession is suitable for an ENFJ, as long as it gives them a chance to help others achieve their goals. ENFJs are visionaries, and they want to assist their students in manifesting their dreams independently. They want to create a meaningful impact and change the world, which also makes them selfless and passionate.
Teachers are also required to be responsible, consistent, and honor commitments — something that ENFJs are excellent at. They should be nurturing and supportive of their students, while also working as a team with their colleagues. ENFJs are society’s inspirational guides, with the ability to open up the doors to a person’s vast underlying potential.
Psychiatrist
An ENFJ’s Intuitive (N) quality helps them process information regarding memories and events of the past. They are able to judge repetitive contexts, patterns and connections in their surroundings. These skills are important for any psychiatrist because they can interpret their patient’s behavioral patterns. That way, psychiatrists can also easily make assumptions about the future. This is why it is said that Intuitive people ‘live in the future.’ By gathering knowledge of their surroundings, ENFJs are able to interpret contextually.
That is why ENFJs make for outstanding psychiatrists, therapists, counselors, and any form of consultant. They value imagination and inspiration, so jobs related to the human psyche appeal to them. This pull towards the abstract is very appealing for ENFJs, as they tend to seek out the deeper meaning behind concepts and metaphors.
Events Coordinator
Decisive, organized, and extroverted — qualities an event coordinator should have on top of their list. Thankfully, it is not something an ENFJ typically lacks. They’re extroverted people, with a tendency to think while they speak, which also makes them easily approachable and sociable types. They love parties, and they know people for everything, so organizing a successful event won’t be a difficult task for these gregarious personalities. They enjoy creating a step-by-step plan and watching it all come together, like puzzle pieces building a great picture. Leading also comes naturally for them, and their subordinates may feel like ENFJs are easy to trust.
Being this sociable is an advantage for a career in the event industry, and ENFJs feel especially fulfilled when people notice their efforts. Of course, the biggest satisfaction comes from watching everyone enjoy themselves in an environment successfully cultivated by the ENFJ.
Politician
The ENFJ personality type wishes to make a change in the world for the best of the people. Many famous ENFJs end up in politics or take part in activism and they are passionate supporters of social justice. If you want to find out more about who they are, take a look at our ENFJ famous people article. ENFJs are comfortable under the limelight and they don’t struggle speaking in public and in front of a crowd of people. Their communication style is verbal and assertive and they strive for recognition, so getting noticed is important to them (even though they might not like to admit it).
They also rely on their Intuition, which means they are future-focused and they talk a lot about the big picture. Martin Luther King’s famous speech “I have a dream…” perfectly encaptures their values as leaders. They want to see a change in the world, and they believe that positive change in all its optimistic possibilities is on its way.
Actor/Actress
Work is play for ENFJs, and what better than playing an actual role for a living? This fun and transformative career option makes a lot of sense for extroverted types. Being able to focus so well on the world outside of the self, ENFJs understand empathically what it’s like to wear someone else’s shoes for a day. Like chameleons, they can alter themselves accordingly to a situation. They use their creativity and imagination instinctually.
Actors also need to be aware of deadlines and they should value structure and organization. ENFJs think sequentially, which is crucial when trying to memorize lines from a script and different scenes. Their intuitive nature makes them comfortable with ambiguous or fuzzy information, like scripts of abstract ideas, and their ability to recall patterns in different contexts helps them memorize data.
Honorable mentions
There are obviously hundreds of other jobs perfectly suited for the ENFJ personality type. It’s mainly looking for something with the right formula — a combination of loyalty and affirming affection towards others, excellent communication, as well as commitment and organization — of different technical and emotional components in the job. Perhaps most importantly, this should let them use their vision to help society evolve in a positive way.
Here are more jobs that could pique an ENFJ’s interest:
- Professor
- Artist
- Social Worker
- Career Counselor
- Counselor
- Psychologist
- Church Worker
- Trainer
- Human Resources
- Librarian
- Writer
- Nurse
- Diplomat
- Consultant
- Editor
- Administrator
- Facilitator
- Homemaker
- Musician
- Designer
- Engineer
- Occupational Therapist
- Project Manager
- Sales Agent
- Senior Manager
- Journalist
- Interviewer
- Talk Show Host
ENFJ Careers to Avoid
Any person, if they set their mind to it, can achieve success in their desired field. It definitely makes it easier, though, if they aim in a direction compatible with their personal interests, skills and preferences. Otherwise, it is not difficult to feel burned out, stressed and unsatisfied with their job. Before long anyone in this situation can feel trapped by their own circumstances. ENFJs would probably share this feeling if they started a job that’s very detail-oriented, related to exhaustive calculations, or in any way crimps their creativity. They are also complacent because they enjoy making others happy, so being easily manipulated by their colleagues or managers is a real possibility.
Here are the most incompatible professions for the ENFJ personality type:
Security Guard
Security guards have an aura of authority and respect about them. They shouldn’t be extremely approachable or talkative in their workplace and keeping away from emotional responses in this profession is desirable for them. So you can imagine how the naturally animated, easy-going, and warm ENFJ would shy away from that description.
An ENFJ would probably get carried away with a conversation on the latest film they have seen, or focus too much of their energy on being liked by strangers they’ve just met. This particular professional usually requires working alone, or in a group of two, and ENFJs would just miss social interactions. They would probably get bored pretty easily and feel they are being starved of collaboration and communication. This job role also lacks the element of creativity and play, a crucial ingredient on the hunt for the perfect job.
Accountant
A pile of papers and documents on a desk isn’t the most inspirational thing for an ENFJ. Working a repetitive office job with little social interaction is a miss for this outgoing type. Not to mention, this personality is usually satisfied with fuzzy and theoretical data, so you can imagine how long their boss will keep them employed for a job relying on hard facts, numbers and calculations. This is because ENFJs are not Sensors (concrete and literal), they’re Intuitive (which is just the opposite!).
This profession also lacks the collaboration element, so a lot of an ENFJs strongest talents would go to waste. They’d have no room to express themselves and working a job that doesn’t help a person’s growth would feel impersonal and frigid.
Waiter/ Waitress
ENFJs probably wouldn’t be the worst waiters in the world — they’re outgoing, positive, and often make a good first impression on their managers. It wouldn’t be hard for them to earn some tips with their charm and multitasking skills, either. However, their constant living in the future might get them easily distracted and depressed if they stayed long in this position. They would be too focused on all the potential possibilities for professional realization they could have, and they might feel like they are wasting their talent. ENFJs are great idealists, so this sort of thinking would make sense. We’re not saying they won’t be suited for this role, but they might feel like their place is with bigger and better things.
Honorable mentions
To sum it all up, ENFJs should keep away from solitary jobs, or jobs that involve a lot of day-to-day calculations, spreadsheets, documentation and precise focus on details and systems. They probably wouldn’t be comfortable in dangerous situations as firemen, police officers, or security guards, because they would feel constantly under pressure. The same goes for jobs responsible for executive or legal decisions, as they might feel each action has an endless butterfly effect. This pressure is simply too much for them.
Here are more examples of jobs ENFJs wouldn’t feel drawn to:
- Auditor
- Bank officer
- Programmer
- Computer systems analyst
- Attorney
- Police officer
- Manager
- Technician
- Surveyor
- Tour operator
- Engineer
- Researcher
- Farmer
- Law enforcement officer
- Librarian
- Legal secretary
ENFJ College Majors
Born as natural creators, expressive yet complex people, ENFJs might feel like they have too many choices ahead of them. They might also feel the pressure of making such a grand choice (as we said already, ENFJs live in the future), so it is good for them to combine their talent with their existing skills and find something that cultivates both. College majors with a creative base might be suitable for them, like Performing Arts or Graphic Design. If they feel like they’re interested in too many things, it might be a good idea for ENFJs to get involved in extracurricular activities or social clubs. Or alternatively, dipping their toe into a little bit of everything they enjoy could help them pick out their most favorite subject. In time, these energetic ENFJs can find the right path for their needs.
In the list below, you can find a few college and university majors that might pique an ENFJ’s interest and chances are they’d be pretty good at them:
- Acting for Television
- Fine Art
- Graphic/Website design
- Creative Media Professional
- Photography
- Curation
- Editing/Creative writing
- Illustration & Visual Communication
- History & Politics
- Investigative Journalism
- Scriptwriting
- Psychiatry or Philosophy
- Teaching
- Arts and Humanities