You may have landed on this page for two good reasons:
- You are at a crossroads in life where you are expected to choose a fulfilling and successful career path, and you need help to make the right choice.
- As an ESFP personality type, according to the 16 personalities test, you want to find out what career would align best with your preferences.
Whatever your reason for reading this article may be, we hope that, in the end, you will have a clearer picture of what the best careers for ESFP personality type are. In this way, you can make the career choice that best suits your personality, or help someone else to do so.
As you may already know, ESFP preferences are Extraverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving. As a result of these preferences, ESFP personalities are people-centered, in tune with other people’s feelings, empathetic, and practical. They seek to have fun, please other people, and learn from new experiences. ESFPs are known as caring people eager to help others, and they especially enjoy tackling problems with their practical perspective. This extroverted and optimistic personality type also possesses high aesthetic standards, which are often reflected in their fashion style and interior design.
The ESFP personality type is also known as the Entertainer, due to their need to be in the center of attention and to help everyone around them feel appreciated and confident. As extroverts, they tend to be surrounded by people and strive to enjoy themselves in everything they do. These may be decisive ESFP strengths when choosing the most rewarding career paths and best jobs for ESFP.
On the other hand, as Perceiving people led by feelings, ESFPs may tend to have poor organizational skills since they don’t prefer strict structures or routines. Also, they may get easily distracted when presented with several different choices at the same time, or when they are bored.
Now that we have seen how these four preferences translate into ESFP’s personality traits, we can point out what the best ESFP careers may be, as well as what jobs ESFPs may want to avoid. This article will also show you what you can expect from an ESFP personality in the workplace. We will also try to answer here what majors students with ESFP preferences should choose to have a fulfilling career.
ESFP at Work
Being a natural extrovert, ESFP’s main goals are to live their life to the fullest and to make every moment count no matter what they do. Thus, they strive to create friendly relationships and a positive atmosphere full of energy and action wherever they go. So, you can expect that an ESFP personality will do its best to create an enjoyable and optimistic work environment. However, they’re not necessarily all about good feelings; ESFPs will bring their practical perspective to the workplace and will enjoy being at the heart of the action, providing efficient, hands-on solutions to problems. They will also be great motivators, persuading their coworkers to put forth their best efforts until they achieve set goals. Also, ESFP personalities will not hesitate to offer assistance whenever they estimate it is needed.
As Sensing personality types, ESFPs are in sync with their environment, absorbing different impressions from their workplace. Because of this ESFP strength, they will enjoy working in aesthetically pleasing, open-plan spaces so that they can move around freely, discerning beauty in everything around them.
On the downside, ESFP people may struggle with planning thoroughly, accepting strict strategies, and meeting fixed deadlines. Simultaneously, they do not naturally enjoy focusing on a single task for the long run, so they may not be a good fit for initiating and managing long-term projects. They prefer improving existing projects where they can see instant results, rather than starting from scratch. They cherish their freedom and will seek to do things their way, often ignoring the set rules if they find these constraining.
ESFPs as Managers
ESFP managers are energetic, enthusiastic, encouraging, and realistic. When in leadership positions, they will use these ESFP strengths to motivate their employees to address immediate issues and to invest time and effort in solving them.
As a highly perceptive personality type, ESFPs are managers who are observant of their employees’ needs, and they will make every effort to provide technical assistance or helpful resources. Due to this personality trait, they will also help workers improve their skills and reach their full potential.
When it comes to the atmosphere of their teams, ESFPs, as great communicators, have no problem in persuading others to support their ideas. This said, as a personality type that wants other people to like them, ESFP managers will tend to maintain a positive image, avoiding conflicts at all costs. They may struggle with making difficult decisions that impact the entire team.
There are numerous ESFP individuals among successful business people and leaders, and we named some of them in the ESFP famous people article. You may read it to find out more about these amazing ESFP personalities.
ESFPs as Team Members
As an extrovert who enjoys being among people and participating in diverse activities, ESFP will prefer working in a team over working in isolation. They will strive to bring a dose of humor and fun into relationships with their coworkers. They may not be fully task-oriented, but as highly perceptive types, they will be aware of their colleagues’ needs and will go above and beyond to fulfill them. Also, they can easily recognize someone’s skills and talents and find the most effective ways to implement these in teamwork.
As open-minded individuals always seeking innovation, ESFP coworkers will always be ready to listen to various ideas and points of view. This will facilitate healthy communication within the team, providing everyone with a chance to express themselves. This said ESFPs will thrive in cooperative rather than competitive teams. ESFPs are caring people pleasers who despise conflicts, and they will do anything to make people feel good and get along. Because of these personality traits, they may not fit into a highly competitive work environment with an “every man for himself” culture.
ESFP Career Matches
Now that we have painted a clear picture of an ESFP at work, we can focus on the best ESFP jobs you can find on the market. We will offer you a list of the most appropriate ESFP career matches based on the dominant ESFP personality traits.
1. Actor / Actress
Acting would be an obvious career choice for an ESFP person, also known as the Entertainer. This personality type is an attention-seeking performer, always striving to entertain others. For this reason, you will find an array of ESFP personalities among famous actors and actresses.
ESFPs live to be on the stage and in the limelight, where they can draw attention to themselves and share a unique experience with their audience. Since ESFPs love to learn from each of their new experiences, an acting career will offer them the opportunity to learn new skills with each role.
2. Entrepreneur
While this uncertain and risky job would not be a perfect career for a number of the personality types, ESFPs may fit perfectly into the role of an entrepreneur. ESFPs are ambitious, assertive, and success-oriented leaders. They are also amazing motivators and communicators. These ESFP strengths enable them to persuade people to follow their lead, support their ideas, and do their best to get the job done. With an optimistic outlook on life, ESFP entrepreneurs know how to get what they want.
However, ESFP entrepreneurs may not be able to envision long-term goals and focus on them, so they may need a supportive team behind them to ensure their business thrives.
3. Professional Athlete
The world of professional sports may be a perfect match for ESFP personality types with athletic skills. Striving to be in the center of the action, ESFP athletes will shine in the leading role on any court or individual sports. In addition, their assertiveness and self-confidence will make them stand out among others.
ESFPs that follow the career path of a professional athlete will pursue personal success while making sure they provide exciting performances for the crowd. Furthermore, the opportunity to participate in major sports events may satisfy their need to be in the spotlight.
4. Fashion / Interior Designer
ESFP personalities tend to connect with the world through their senses, discerning beauty in everything that surrounds them. Therefore, they have highly-sophisticated aesthetics, especially when it comes to personal style. For all these reasons, becoming a fashion or interior designer may be an ideal ESFP career path.
Furthermore, these occupations enable an ESFP personality to engage themselves in practical projects that lead to instant results, and ESFPs would be able to present their efforts to the world. Both of these style and beauty-related careers are dynamic, exciting, and openly showcase someone’s talent and skills, offering ESFPs the opportunity to be the best versions of themselves at work.
5. Teacher
This career relates to the caring side of an ESFP personality type. As people-centered personalities, ESFP teachers will go above and beyond to meet their students’ needs and help them live up to their potential, creating meaningful relationships between them. Also, they are great motivators who love to share ideas with others and engage students in various roles and activities. ESFPs, as Perceptive types, are great at recognizing other people’s skills and talents, and they will encourage their students to develop them further and excel.
Overall, teaching may be an amazing career match for out-going, people-centered ESFP types, who are always eager to help, encourage, and motivate others to reach their goals.
The role of a social worker may be a perfect job for an ESFP because it corresponds well with their caring and helpful side. Social workers constantly meet people in need and help them to tackle serious life issues. This type of social engagement may be an ideal opportunity for ESFPs to show their empathetic side and do what they do best: provide efficient solutions for real-world problems. This career may be a rewarding one for an ESFP because they will be able to change people’s lives for the better and see the tangible results of their work.
On the downside, ESFPs, as highly sensitive personalities, may sometimes struggle to cope with serious issues, and they take other people’s suffering and struggles to heart. However, if they manage to control their feelings, they may become social workers who really make a difference in people’s lives.
7. Party/Event Planner
Making this career choice may be a logical step for a fun-loving, adventure-seeking ESFP. ESFP people are extroverts who live in the moment, trying to make the best of life. For this reason, they will know how to create an exciting and entertaining event that everyone will enjoy. Known as great communicators who network easily, ESFP party planners will use their strong people skills to make sure everything runs smoothly with clients, suppliers, and venue owners. Also, since they are highly attuned to the wishes of others, ESFPs will do their best to make their clients’ dreams come true. Finally, ESFP party planners, with their discerning sense of style, will make sure that decorations and ambiance meet their high aesthetic standards.
8. Personal Stylist
Choosing the career of a personal stylist may bring out the prominent sense of style that the ESFP personality type possesses. When you combine an ESFP’s strong fashion sense with their need to make others feel confident and happy, it’s clear that being a personal stylist may be a perfect ESFP job. Being able to help someone look their best and boost their confidence will be a sufficient reward for people-pleasing ESFPs. Also, as personal stylists, ESFPs will spend time surrounded by various colors, patterns, and textures, an environment they will truly enjoy.
9. Flight Attendant
A flight attendant career may be another of the best career choices for ESFPs since they are always eager to offer assistance to others and make sure everyone feels comfortable and satisfied. Warm and caring with strong people skills, ESFPs will connect with passengers easily. At the same time, this job will offer the adventure-seeking ESFP type the opportunity to always be on the move, discovering new places on a daily basis. Overall, ESFPs will enjoy working in a team with like-minded people, having a chance to help people have new experiences, and visiting new and exciting places.
10. Salesperson
A job in sales may be one of the satisfying ESFP careers, where they can showcase their numerous strengths. First, ESFP salespeople will enjoy a fair amount of social interaction with customers, helping them to make practical choices. Furthermore, as skilled communicators, ESFPs will not have a problem recognizing and fulfilling customers’ needs to make them happy. They are also enthusiastic and persuasive, which are desirable traits in this line of work. For all these reasons, ESFP personalities may find sales to be a highly rewarding job tailored to their strengths.
ESFP Careers to Avoid
Now that we have presented a list of ten of the best career choices for ESFP people based on their preferences and skills, let’s turn to the other side of the coin and address the jobs ESFPs may not be a good fit for. Here is an ESFP career list containing professional jobs this personality type may want to steer clear of.
1. Accountant
Accountants deal with numbers, financial analysis, budgeting, and keeping detailed records daily. This job requires someone focused, well-organized, and adept at meeting deadlines and following strict schedules – all traits that a flexible and spontaneous ESFP person typically despises. ESFPs appreciate their freedom and will look for flexibility at work. Furthermore, they typically avoid detailed planning. Therefore, ESFPs may easily find accounting as a restrictive, boring, or unfulfilling profession.
2. Administrative Workers
ESFP types are out-going, adventure-seeking people. They despise boredom and routine and will always seek ways to express themselves freely. Also, they may not feel comfortable with occupations that require them to spend hours at their desks in a monotonous work environment. As personality types who enjoy finding practical solutions to challenging problems, creative ESFPs may find this repetitive work boring and constraining. This is why the administration is one of the careers ESFPs should avoid.
3. Writer
Even though they are amusing storytellers, ESFP personalities may not be successful writers. Good writing requires solitude. And this may be the insurmountable obstacle for a fun-loving ESFP type that craves social interaction. ESFPs may especially struggle with technical writing that requires thorough research, meticulous fact-checking, and attention to detail. All of this can be overwhelming for an ESFP who likes to be flexible at work and go with the flow.
ESFP College Majors
Choosing appropriate college majors that resonate with personal preferences and may determine someone’s future career path is a demanding task. This may be especially difficult for ESFP students, who like to make decisions on the spur of the moment and may get easily distracted when presented with various attractive choices.
ESFPs should try to focus on their skills when making this important decision. ESFP personalities, often referred to as Entertainers, are masters of many forms of social interaction; they like to be in the center of attention, making other people laugh and having a good time. This means that they could consider a performing arts major. Also, they are caring and people-oriented, always ready to help others by solving their problems or meeting their needs. So, social services majors may be a great fit for ESFPs. Or finally, ESFPs can opt for majors that will make use of their exceptional sense of style.
We have compiled a list of majors that ESFP students may find the most appealing:
- Art
- Athletic Training
- Child Life Specialists
- Counseling Psychology
- Criminal Justice and Criminology
- Dance Performance
- Dietetics
- Education
- Family Studies
- Food Management
- Health Science
- Hospitality Management
- Interior Design
- Landscape Architecture
- Music
- Natural Resources and Environmental Management
- Nursing
- Physical Education
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Public Relations
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Telecommunications
- Theatre
We hope you have found this article useful in learning more about the ESFP personality type and the best and worst career choices they can make. If they keep in mind their natural strengths, preferences, and personality traits, ESFPs will surely thrive in whatever job they choose.