Knowing your Myers-Briggs type can help you understand a lot about your personality, as well as provide insight regarding what kinds of jobs you might enjoy. While it doesn't address skills or abilities, knowing your personality type can help you understand tendencies you have that might incline you to some jobs over others. Combining knowledge about your type with your natural interests, education, and talents can help you find a job that's perfect for you.
Identifying Your Myers-Briggs Type
Myers-Briggs is one of the most commonly-used personality assessments in the world. It is taken by approximately two million people each year. Many schools use Myers-Briggs types as part of their career counseling activities. The Myers-Briggs type measures an individual's preferences. It uses four scales:
- Extraversion (E)/Introversion(I)
- Sensing(S)/Intuitive(I)
- Thinking(T)/Feeling(F)
- Judging(J)/Perceiving(P)
You can take a free test that will give you a good idea of your type, or you can pay a fee to take the official Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument for fully validated results. When you are finished taking the test, you will be given a result that includes four letters based on the scales listed above. There are no 'right' or 'wrong' personality types. Where you fall on each scale is completely individual, and there are incredible people from all types in every part of work and life.
Pragmatists: The Sensing/Thinking Types
If your Myers-Briggs Type includes "ST" in the center, you are a pragmatist. You focus on details and make decisions with thought rather than feeling. Pragmatists love to use logical systems to create tangible results.
ESTJ: The Practical Supervisor
ESTJs love to organize everything. Projects, people, resources, whatever it is, you enjoy setting it in order. As a result, you gain a great reputation as someone who can be trusted to deliver results on-time and as expected.
Careers an ESTK may enjoy include:
- Chef: As the head of a kitchen, you need to know what ingredients are on hand, how to handle dinner rush, and how to manage all the cooks. Your personality can make this a great career for you.
- Project Manager: Keeping projects on-time with the appropriate resources and personnel can be a great way to leverage your organizational skills.
- General Manager: A general manager has a lot on his or her plate, but your knack for detail and organization can make you a great fit.
ISTJ: The Productive Realist
ISTJs are also responsible organizers. The difference is that they are more introverted, so being around people and teams can be draining for them. Being reliable and dutiful, ISTJs tend to uphold rules and follow regulations exactly. As a steady, productive worker, you look for your place in the system and participate in it fully.
Careers an ISTJ may enjoy include:
- Actuary: Solving logical problems according to specific rules is what being an actuary is all about. This can be very fitting for an ISTJ.
- Bank Teller: This position deals with the public with specific expectations about what will be accomplished. This can be great for an ISTJ who wants human interaction as part of his or her work.
- Engineer: Engineers solve real-world problems using data and science. An ISTJ would enjoy the orderly, focused nature of problem-solving as an engineer.
ESTP: Troubleshooter Extraordinaire
An ESTP loves to solve problems and do so quickly. You can quickly grasp the facts relevant to a situation and see a way out of trouble. With a concrete, hands-on approach, an ESTP can handle many types of work. You also appreciate some fun and adventure.
Great options for this personality type include:
- Vocational Teacher: Helping others develop their skills in hands-on work can be very rewarding to an ESTP. The detail-oriented, people-focused career of a technical teacher can be a great fit.
- Building Inspector: You'll be out and about, and no two days are the same. At the same time, you have specific rules to follow and need to understand complex situations quickly.
- Chiropractor: As an extrovert, you like being around people. Being a chiropractor can give you the physical work environment you excel in with the human interaction you crave.
ISTP: Flexible Technician
An ISTP loves to achieve and use technical skills. They enjoy hands-on work with tools in a trade or using the tools of business and technology. This personality type is happiest when they have built something concrete and enjoy work that involves physical activity.
An ISTP may gravitate toward these types of careers:
- Carpenter: Like many other construction trades, carpenters work with their hands and get to see the fruit of their labors take shape.
- Photographer: Photographers use the tools of cameras and technology to create images that people cherish.
- Biologist: A biologist is often out in nature and uses scientific tools to understand the natural world.
Caretakers: The Sensing/Feeling Types
Caretakers love helping others and doing hands-on, detailed work. When your work involves providing practical assistance for other people, you'll be likely to enjoy what you do.
ESFJ: Conscientious Provider
An ESFJ is energized by being around people and loves to put their interpersonal skills to work. Working within an organized structure that provides for others is a great way for them to enjoy their jobs.
Excellent careers for this type include:
- Teacher: From preschoolers through high school, teaching offers the ability to offer information and care in a structured environment.
- Pediatrician: Caring for children's illnesses and helping them develop healthy habits can be very rewarding for an ESFJ.
- Customer Service Representative: Caring for customers according to the guidelines of an organization can be a great fit for the ESFJ if they feel the guidelines are fair and honest.
ISFJ: Helper & Protector
ISFJs are industrious and loyal. They enjoy upholding tradition, caring for others, and putting in hard work. On the job, they enjoy paying careful attention to details, and they bring efficiency and structure to the tasks they complete.
ISFJs may enjoy careers such as:
- Dentist: Medical helping careers, like dentistry, are often a great fit for this personality type. The detailed work and structure of medicine suit them well.
- Librarian: Taking care of behind-the-scenes organization can be very rewarding for an ISFJ. Being a librarian or other unseen caretaker can be a great fit.
- Veterinarian: Caring isn't limited to other people. Taking care of animals is a great way for an ISFJ to exercise their desire to nurture and protect.
ESFP: Outgoing Performers
An ESFP loves to be in the spotlight. Charming, engaging, spontaneous, and fun, this personality type thrives on work that puts them in the middle of the action. ESFPs are attuned to the needs of others and are pragmatic in their approach.
Careers that may appeal to this type include:
- Child Care Provider: Children provide playful, energetic fun for an ESFP. Taking care of children is made easier by the energy and charm of this personality type.
- Social Worker: An involved helper-style position such as a social worker allows an ESFP to be on the front lines of making a difference.
- Event Coordinator: Being active and involved in making events go well for others is a great fit for the detail-oriented ESFP.
ISFP: Attentive Composers
This personality type loves being engaged in their work. They often look for careers that allow them to participate in causes they believe in. A cooperative work environment with quiet workspaces is best for an ISFP. They enjoy keeping a low profile.
An ISFP may enjoy the following careers:
- Graphic Designer: Being behind the scenes and cooperating to create a tangible project makes being a graphic designer a great career for an ISFP.
- Air Traffic Controller: Cooperating to orchestrate safe travel for thousands of people is very satisfying for this personality type.
- Dietitian: Helping other create healthy habits and change their lives is an excellent, engaging career for an ISFP.
Theorists: The Intuitive/Thinking Types
Theorists love coming up with innovative ideas and solutions to problems. A type with NT traits is comfortable with theoretical concepts and big-picture thinking.
ENTJ: Driven Leaders
ENTJs love developing and implementing strategies that make work more productive and efficient. They prefer management and supervisor roles so that they can implement their vision on a broad scale. They love solving difficult problems and improving systems.
Careers an ENTJ may be drawn to include:
- Producer or Director: For an ENTJ with an artistic bent, a career as a producer or director is a great fit. Supervising creative projects allows this type to implement their ideas on a grand scale.
- Financial Manager: Like other leadership roles, financial managers are in charge of managing resources effectively. Overseeing both people and capital makes this career exciting for an ENTJ.
- Real Estate Broker: A real estate broker manages deals and makes things happen. An exciting and people-focused career appeals to this personality type.
INTJ: Strategic Mastermind
Creating innovative solutions to complex problems is the forte of many INTJs. They enjoy abstract theories and love to turn ideas into a reality. Often, this personality type enjoys working alone or with a small team.
An INTJ may enjoy the following careers:
- Financial Analyst: Understanding numbers and how they impact the big picture of an organization allows an INTJ to draw on many of his or her strengths.
- Engineer: As someone who can turn theories into material things, INTJs can make excellent engineers in a variety of fields.
- Writer: The ability to communicate ideas and work well alone can make an INTJ well-suited to a career as a writer.
ENTP: Inventive Visionaries
On the job, ENTPs often take a casual and unstructured approach to their work. They enjoy working with ingenuity as they find solutions for challenging problems. They value expertise and influence and dislike routine. As a result, this personality type is often entrepreneurial.
An ENTP may be drawn to careers such as:
- Tech Founder: The tendency of this type to create innovative solutions in a fluid, unstructured way can mean they are well-suited to a startup environment.
- Real Estate Agent: Because ENTPs do well when they are in charge of their time and their tasks, an independent people-oriented career like real estate may suit them well.
- Journalist/reporter: Being a journalist or reporter allows this personality type to work in a variety of situations and never become bored with a routine office job.
INTP: Scientific Architects
This personality type loves to analyze systems and ideas to the point of deep understanding. They don't enjoy tradition and like to forge their own path. They work best alone or with a small group of colleagues that they respect.
This type may enjoy careers such as:
- Technology Developer: Working in tech can be unpredictable and requires insight, thoughtfulness, and innovation.
- Architecture: The combination of art with systematic and creative production makes architecture an excellent choice for an INTP.
- Psychology: INTPs enjoy ideas more than people, so this type enjoys academic fields where they can dig deep into understanding human experience.
Empaths: Intuitive/Feeling Types
With a big-picture view and big hearts, the NF personality types love to work in fields that make a difference. When these types can make the world as a whole a better place, they feel good about themselves and their careers.
ENFJ: Inspiring Teachers
An ENFJ likes to motivate and organize large groups of people to make a difference in society. They are enthusiastic about solving problems and work best in environments where cooperation and harmony are at the forefront.
Careers an ENFJ may enjoy include:
- Non-Profit Coordinator: The ability to organize and motivate groups for a good cause can make an ENFJ a great coordinator for a nonprofit organization.
- Social Worker: If they can avoid becoming discouraged, social work gives this type the ability to make a difference in the lives of a lot of people.
- Public Relations Manager: If he or she is working for causes they believe in, specializing in public relations can be a natural fit.
INFJ: Compassionate Counselors
At work, this type is focused on making life better for other people. INFJs often have lofty ideals and gain satisfaction from turning seeing their desired changes take place in society. This type is highly organized, independent, and enjoys a quiet work environment.
Careers an INFJ may enjoy include:
- Physical Therapist: The satisfaction gained from seeing concrete improvement in other people over time can make physical therapy very appealing to an INFJ.
- Counselor: Being a counselor, psychiatrist, or therapist can be very fulfilling for an INFJ. They enjoy helping others make positive changes in life.
- Clergy: Religious beliefs lend themselves to the high ideals INFJs embrace. Being a member of an organization changing society on a large scale can be inspiring to an INFJ.
ENFP: Advocate & Champion
People-centered and with contagious enthusiasm, ENFPs love to inspire others with possibility. They often believe in humanitarian causes and enjoy work that allows them to follow their inspiration with a variety of tasks and challenges. They tend to dislike excessive regulations or mundane details.
An ENFP may enjoy a career such as:
- Fitness Trainer: People of this type who are passionate about fitness and nutrition can really enjoy a career as a fitness trainer. They can help others reach their goals without a lot of micromanagement.
- Art Director: Art allows the unstructured ENFP to follow their passion in a variety of ways, without a major hierarchical structure around them.
- Travel Agent: ENFPs do well when they are self-employed. A travel agent can imagine possibilities and inspire others while getting paid well to do it!
INFP: Creative Healers
INFPs are often not particularly interested in money or status. They're more focused on vision, inspiration, and causes they care about. They enjoy problem-solving and work best in an environment that honors their individuality and their ability to find unique solutions.
Careers that could be a great fit for this type include:
- Community Service Manager: Making a difference and working in a flexible environment can make a career as a community service manager excellent for an INFP.
- Fashion Designer: Putting a unique stamp on their work is important to an INFP, and being in fashion design is a great way to celebrate that individual vision.
- Zoologist: Working with animals or in conservation can be a great way for this personality type to solve problems for a cause they really care about.
Use Your Personality to Your Advantage
Does making career choices according to Myers-Briggs Type make sense to you? Keep in mind that the list of suggested careers are only suggestions. As you take time to get to know yourself, the right career choice for you will start to become clearer. Your personality type can point you toward the sort of career you would be suited for, but you are always free to make your own choices.
