Best Career choices for ENFJ in 2021

ENFJ stands for Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, Judgement. This term is used to describe one of the sixteen personality traits which were described and given by Katharine Briggs and Isabel Myers.

The term can be broken down as:

1. Extraverted – A person who is engaging and energized
2. Intuitive – A person who focuses on ideas and concept
3. Feeling – A person who makes a decision based on feelings
4. Judgment – A person who is planned and organized

Positive Traits

People with ENFJ personalities are described as warm, giving, helpful, and sensitive. A person with an ENFJ personality has all these positive traits. They can easily form friends and are described as “people person.” They can understand how the other person is feeling and are keen to help them.

Negative Traits

Apart from all these positive traits, a person with an ENFJ personality has some negative traits that may become oversensitive or overprotective. They can be approval seekers. In some scenarios, a person with an ENFJ personality type may also be manipulative and rigid.

Key Characteristics of an ENFJ 

• ENFJs love spending time socializing, meeting other people.
• ENFJs are also referred to as protagonists.
• ENFJs are fond of helping others. They are good at understanding other people’s problems.
• Due to their devotion to helping others, they sometimes overlook their own needs.
• They do need time to introspect as they are sometimes not confident in their choices.
• ENFJs are organized and affectionate.
• They are persuasive and may turn out to be uncompromising in some situations.
• Protagonists are full of passion and charisma.

Strengths of Protagonists

1. You can always count on a protagonist, as they are incredibly reliable
2. Protagonists are very calm and can adjust with the team even if their thoughts don’t match. Hence, they are tolerant.
3. ENFJs are charismatic. They can change their manner to connect with their fellows while maintaining their voice during the process.
4. They believe in doing better for society by helping others.
5. Due to their ability to relate with others and their willingness to build the team together, they are suitable for a leadership role.

Weaknesses of the Protagonist

1. Their helping nature may turn out to be overbearing for themselves, as they neglect their needs and put others’ problems before themselves.
2. Protagonists are very sensitive and may take some issues personally even if the matter does not concern them.
3. Sometimes they can experience self-doubt and may seek others’ opinions for reassurance.
4. Their will to maintain harmony may sometimes seem tiring during any disputes within the team as they will find it difficult to take a single side. Their focus will be to end the dispute.

ENFJs have 2 Subunits

1. ENFJ-a

The a in the term ENFJ-a stands for assertive. Assertive protagonists consist of high self-confidence, and due to this aspect of their personality, they are good at leadership roles. And due to high self-confidence, they don’t feel a lot of self-doubts. People with assertive personalities are comfortable with their individuality and can handle emotions and stress very well. They remain composed in stressful situations. Assertive protagonists are capable of making their own decisions confidently. They have intelligent personalities, but sometimes they may not understand and empathize with others’ emotions. 

2. ENFJ-t

The t in the term ENFJ-t stands for turbulent. Enfj-ts can also be called turbulent protagonists. They are not as confident as the assertive protagonists but have humble personalities. They are much more likely to experience self-doubt as they are not confident about their image and physical appearance. They might get overwhelmed by stress sometimes. Unlike assertive protagonists, they can empathize with other people’s emotions. They are not able to make decisions solely on their own. They seek advice from others for reassurance.

What are the best career choices for ENFJs?

A person with an ENFJ personality is helpful. Thus, they cooperate with their team and encourage their growth. They tend to go for leadership roles because they are good at organizing and motivating others. They are people-centered and have a humanitarian focus. They turn out to be very creative in their suitable work environments. There are different sectors where a person with an ENFJ personality can work.

 The suitable options are listed below :

• Community and Social Service
  • Health Educator – Due to their humanitarian focus and willingness to help others, the people with ENFJ personality can consider this career option as it fully compliments their personality.
  • Therapist  –  As ENFJs are good at understanding people and are keen to help others, the therapist’s role will suit them as they will understand the person emotionally.
  • Counselor –  A counselor guides personal or psychological problems. One can be a school counselor, marriage counselor, or rehabilitation counselor. All these roles offer to guide people to evolve. Thus, an ENFJ personality will find this role fulfilling.
  • Social Worker – This role provides an opportunity to help the ones who are socially deprived. Thus this career option is a good choice for an ENFJ to enhance their organizational skills while keeping in mind the betterment of the people they are helping. 

• Media and Communication
  • Editor –  An editor helps in finalizing the content of the newspaper or magazine, or book. An ENFJ would be complimenting the role because of its creative nature and good teamwork capabilities.
  • Photographer – Due to their creative personalities,  photography can be a good career option for an ENFJ.
  • Public Relations – An ENFJ has good communication and managing skills, because of which they can consider public relations as a career option.
  • Author – Writing your book or article, or document can also be considered a good career choice for an ENFJ.

• Education
  • Teacher – A teacher will be a good choice for an ENFJ because this role helps them to be creative, manage different tasks, guide, and help their students.
  • Coordinator – They evaluate the effectiveness of the rules set by the above to authorities for the proper functioning of an educational institution.
  • Principal – The principal is responsible for managing the school, supervising the work of the others. 

• Business, Management, Sales
  • Advertising and Promotion Manager – You will promote campaigns, manage the budget, organize marketing strategies, and negotiate contracts.
  • Sales Manager – You will be analyzing statistics of sales, managing budget, negotiating with customers. The position is a good leadership opportunity for an ENFJ.
  • Human Resources Manager – You will coordinate and supervise the work of the staff, plan employee benefits, handling disciplinary procedures. It is a good choice with both leadership opportunities and engaging and guiding the team.
  • Broker – Real Estate Brokers and sales agents usually negotiate with potential clients to buy, sell and rent properties.
  • Training Specialist – The duties include designing training manuals, online courses, and materials. You will also be working with evaluating training programs, providing instructional techniques. One will have the opportunity to train people and engage with them for better results.
  • Market Analyst – You will need to study market and sales trends, analyze the effectiveness of marketing strategies, analyze data, and prepare reports.
  • Planner – You will need to understand the event’s purpose or meeting and fulfill the clients’ requirements.  You will be organizing the event and managing your team.

• Entertainment, Art, and Design
  • Art Director – You will be developing the overall look of a film, theatre, show, or advertising campaign. ENFJ’s with a creative mindset and interest in the area can opt for this.
  • Producer or Director – Duties include selecting script, casting members, supervising the design and financial aspects of the project.
  • Interior Designer – You will be required to meet clients’ goals within the set budget. You will have to develop a good sketch plan for design, electricity, furnishing, lighting and complete the set timeline.
  • Architect – You will have to understand the client’s requirements, supervise the site, build a plan, budget, and specifications.

• Personal Care and Service
  • Cosmetologist – Cosmetologists are trained to treat hair, skin, and nails. They provide beauty services to the people.
  • Child Care Worker – A child care worker will supervise and take care of children, managing their meals and hygiene. You will also have to maintain children’s activities.
  • Fitness Trainer – A fitness trainer helps their clients to meet their fitness goals. They set schedules for exercising and recommend a healthy diet accordingly.
  • Nutritionist – Understand the patients’ nutritional needs, counsel the patient on their health requirements, suggest a diet plan according to clients’ needs and budget. You will also have to monitor the improvements and make modifications accordingly.

• Science
  • Psychologist – A psychologist studies a person’s mental and emotional state, diagnoses disorders and organizes treatment.
  • Sociologist – A sociologist studies society and social behavior. An ENFJ with a keen interest in studying social issues can opt for this career option.
  • Historian – A historian studies and analyzes historical information to verify authenticity and significance.
  • Anthropologist – An anthropologist studies the aspect of humans within past and present societies. They also study the values and customs of different cultures. 

• Legal
  • Lawyer – You will be representing and advising your clients on legal matters. You can work at a law firm or as a government attorney.
  • Paralegal – A paralegal works at a law firm but doesn’t have the qualifications to be a lawyer. You require an understanding of the law to work in his position.

• Healthcare
  • Physician – You will have to be qualified to practice medicine. Physicians diagnose the patient, identify the disease and treat it accordingly.
  • Dentist – A dentist is qualified to diagnose dental diseases and treat any infection in the teeth and gums of the patient.
  • Nurse – As a nurse, you will look after the patients, monitor their condition, perform tests, and assist in medical treatments.
  • Physical Therapist – As a physical therapist, you will be diagnosing physical deformities, treating patients with physical therapy.
  • Genetic Counselor – A genetic counselor studies the medical history of the individual and their family to analyze any potential medical risks that may occur.

• Office and Administrative
  • Customer Services – Your main role in this position would be listening and answering the customers’ queries.
  • Receptionist – As a receptionist, you will have to answer and forward calls, take messages, scheduling and confirming meetings, receive visitors and packages. 

What career options should an ENFJ avoid?

It is not right to say that some roles are prohibited for certain personalities. Everyone can try any field of work that they want to. Some options are better recommended than others because they complement one’s personality and help individuals push their limits and try to explore themselves to the fullest. While the less recommended are entirely off-limits, they force the individual to adapt to a role that doesn’t come naturally to them.

Following are some options that a person with an ENFJ personality can avoid:

1. Auditor – An auditor examines financial statements, calculates taxes, prepares tax returns, maintains account books, suggests plans to reduce cost, and improves profits. Different roles can be offered in these fields like a public accountant, management and government accountant, and internal or external auditor.
   
   
2. Carpenter – A carpenter constructs, rebuilds or installs structures made from wood and other materials. They construct frameworks for a building, including walls, doors, windows, or other various objects.
   
   
3. Military – This may include any position that comes under the armed forces of the country. As ENFJs are kind and helpful, these roles will make them turn against their natural traits.
   
   
4. Mechanic – They are often referred to as service technicians. A mechanics’ role includes examining vehicles for any fault, fixing different vehicle parts, providing regular servicing to the vehicle, performing repairs and modifications as per customers’ specifications.
   
   
5. Law Enforcement is similar to military services, and investigating crimes and making arrests can be stressful for a person with an ENFJ personality.
   
   
6. Electrician – An electrician install, maintain and fix any problem with the electrical system of a home or any building. Every building needs electricity, and an electrician resolves its maintenance and problems.
   
   
7. Pathologist – A pathologist studies the causes and effects of a disease, examines samples in the laboratory. So the main task is to help health care providers diagnose diseases through body samples of the patients.
   
   
8. Programmer – A programmer runs codes by which computer applications and software function properly, update, and expand the existing programs.
   
   
9. Core Business – Even if ENFJs are natural-born leaders, the role of a core member in any business can be very overwhelming. They have to deal with situations in which a person with an ENFJ personality will find it difficult to decide.

Work Stressors for ENFJs 

1. The helping motivating nature of an ENFJ might get misinterpreted, which might demotivate the person when they were only trying to help the team.
2. Due to their leadership qualities, others working with them might face this challenge to compete with them. Not intended competition might arise within the team.
3. It’s hard for a person with an ENFJ personality to say no to anyone in need. This may turn out to be overwhelming when they already have too much on their plate and still have to be present for others’ needs as well.
4. Enfj wants harmony in their work environment, so whenever a conflict occurs, their approach would be to get things back in their places peacefully or walk away. They avoid confronting the issue and choosing one side of the argument. This leads them to an uncomfortable situation which they try to avoid whenever they can.
5. They might start overthinking and overanalyzing a situation when they are forced to adapt to a thought they disagree with.
6. They sometimes take more work than they can handle to ensure that the work is being done in harmony and everything is organized.

Conclusion 

In this article, we discussed the characteristics of an ENFJ personality. They are often referred to as protagonists. They are organized, kind, and motivated to do the best for others. They are optimistic, driven to play the role of a catalyst in other people’s growth. They are ambitious and keen to improve themselves whenever an opportunity arises. We discussed ENFJ personality and its subunits – assertive and turbulent protagonists. As we see that both the subunits have four similar cognitive functions, they differ because ENFJ-a has an assertiveness function while ENFJ-t has a turbulent function.

Enfj-as are more confident, self-sufficient, and independent. They are good at handling emotions and stressful situations. On the other hand, ENFJ-ts experience self-doubt. They require other people’s opinions. They are emotional and get overwhelmed during stressful situations. Enfj-ts are humble and are more likely to impact their minds due to other people’s problems negatively. There are plenty of job opportunities for ENFJs that complement their personality. All the different sectors like health, science, legal, education, business, art, administrative, social service, media, and communication are listed above. All the suitable roles under these sectors with their roles are also mentioned in the above information.

Enfjs are great to work with a team because they are creative and collaborative. They are supportive and good at understanding the needs of their team members. This positive may also seem tiring during any conflicts in the team as they will not objectively decide and focus or maintain the group’s harmony. There are some roles that an ENFJ can avoid as these roles push against their natural personality, and they might find it hard to perform their tasks fully. This can lead to a confined personality in which they might not explore their full potential. Law enforcement, military, auditor, mechanic, and many more options listed above could be avoided. And for any leadership roles, they are creative, result-oriented, and supportive. They like cooperation from their team and focus on improvement in performances for their team members.

With all this information, I hope it would have become a little clear about what ENFJs are and what path in their careers they can opt-in to achieve the best and gain satisfaction in their position.

Also read Consul Personality – Definition, Strength, Weakness