INFJ personalities are the rarest personality types. INFJ personalities are often people with high intelligence and can excel in almost every field if they put their minds to it. However, there are some careers that they should simply avoid because of various reasons which go against their strong independent ideals and principles. Let us know ‘INFJ Careers To Avoid’.
Choosing the right career path is no ‘walk in the park’ for anyone. INFJs are no exception to this fact. INFJ which stands for Introversion, iNtuition, Feeling, and Judging is the rarest personality type in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. INFJs are strong idealists who hold strong moral values and principles. They also have a great understanding of feelings and emotions and are compassionate about helping people and finding meaning in the things they do. They also exhibit creativity and the ability to solve long-term problems.
As such, INFJ personalities should avoid careers that do not align with the principles and values they hold and careers that do not allow them to use their independent thinking and creativity. INFJ personalities can see and assess their situations and can perceive results before they happen. When they realize that their jobs or careers do not allow them to do their thing or are not in line with their values, they are quickly unmotivated and have the urge to change careers. Due to this reason, many INFJs often settle for smaller scaled jobs/careers which may not utilize all the potential they have in them but are in line with their values and intrinsic urge to help people.
Careers that INFJ need to avoid
INFJ personalities as we have learned are critical analysts with strong ideals, and deep love for compassion and helping other people. They are calm and secretive people who are often misunderstood. They do not like monotonous routines and avoid conflicts and criticism. They like doing things on their terms and dislike pressure and stress in their work environment.
Keeping these traits in mind, here is a list of some careers that INFJ personalities need to avoid or evaluate before joining:
Finance and accounting
Careers from finance and accounting can make INFJs miserable, as they dislike routine work. These careers are often very monotonous and creatively restricting for INFJs. They involve hours of sitting at a fixed desk working on almost the same things every day. These careers can make INFJs feel very miserable and feel like their intellectual and creative potentials are being unused. They can cause INFJs to be extremely unsatisfied with their work and even themselves.
Sales and marketing careers
Sales and marketing careers are the complete opposite of what INFJ personalities want out of a career. They involve exaggerating the qualities of products and services for the sake of making sales to bring about earnings. Jobs in these types of careers can seem too focused on material gain to INFJ personalities. They may perceive these careers as deceitful and unappealing. Also, these careers involve a lot of stress in the work environment with lots of short-term goals and problems to solve and achieve which is the reverse of what they like.
INFJs find satisfaction in jobs that help them live with their principles and values above all else. As such the profit-driven world of sales and marketing would never give them satisfaction despite huge monetary benefits or incomes they can earn. They can never agree with the idea of throwing away their principles and values for financial gain.
Managers
Managerial work is often associated with chaotic work situations and involving lots of interactions and dealings with people. It is a career that does not come in line with the introverted trait of INFJs. Managerial works are also often seen as disorganized and stressful jobs involving faking emotions and interests to please people.
Politics
INFJ personalities have introverted traits, and politicians are public figures that constantly need to be involved in interactions and social situations. They are required to be available at all times. This type of career can prove very exhausting for INFJs. Also, politics involve manipulating people or ideas and actions. It also often involves resorting to unethical means of getting things done. These actions are totally against INFJ personalities who have high principles. INFJs have certain moral lines and boundaries which they never like to cross and would never cross simply for personal or material gains.
Paramedics and front line workers
INFJs have a strong love for peace and order. They also dislike new situations or developments that happen all of a sudden. They seek predictability and react better to long-term problems which they saw coming their way. This makes them unfit to work on the front lines or as paramedics who have to make quick un-assessed decisions on the spot.
Military and police
Serving in any form of the military whether it is the army, air force, or navy, or any other sort of institution that involves following direct orders is not suitable for INFJs. They are strong independent thinkers who act on what values and principles they believe in so the idea of following orders from superiors without questioning the reasons behind it is impossible. It would lead to emotional stress and conflicts with their judgment and conscience. INFJs are highly creative individuals, so working in careers that restrict this trait would be extremely difficult for them. Also, the military has strict routines to follow which can never sit with INFJs who prefer working at their own comfort and preference.
Engineering
Engineering careers or related works involve too many technicalities and repetitions to focus on for INFJs. As such they can seem boring or uninteresting to them as they prefer working with creativity with no bounds restricting them. Also, INFJs dislike repetitions and constantly seek variations in their work. This makes them feel more fulfilled and satisfied.
INFJ Strengths and Weaknesses as employees
Strengths:
1) Creative, and artistic
2) Intuitive and insightful
3) Reserved and introvert
4) Committed
5) Caring
6) Sincere
Weaknesses:
1) Sensitive to criticism.
2) Demanding
3) Perfectionistic
4) Reserved and intolerant
5) Do not perform well under stress.
INFJ as a team member
INFJs are careful listeners and will raise questions on ethics, morality, and principles. They are all set on helping team members. However, since team members usually compete against each other, they may start to feel uncomfortable once the other members resort to unethical means.
INFJ as Leaders
INFJs have a positive attitude know exactly what each team member can contribute inefficiently. They have an honest desire for positive changes and are confident leaders. They create an atmosphere of trust and confidence which makes them well respected.
Some interesting facts about INFJs
1. INFJs show low chances of managing a large team.
2. Least common type in the population
3. Highest of all personality types to have marital dissatisfaction.
4. Their personal values are usually based on Spiritual, Learning, and Community Service.
5. Perform well in careers of religion, counseling, teaching, and the arts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do other people see INFJs?
INFJs are often called the ‘counselor’ because of their intrinsic nature to help other people. They are often misunderstood by other people because they are very secretive and introverted. They are calm and cool people and make loyal friends. This makes the people to be trusted in friend circles, and as people who can keep secrets or give good advice for their problems. However, the quiet nature of INFJs can also be perceived as cold, or proud and arrogant by some other people, which is the complete opposite of the truth.
How rare are INFJ personality types?
INFJ is the rarest personality type. INFJs make up only 2% of the general population. Out of the general women population in the world they make up 2%. In the general male population, INFJs account only for 1% of the entire population. Some famous INFJs include: Mahatma Gandhi, Jimmy Carter, Nicole Kidman, Nelson Mandela, Emily Bronte, Edward Snowden, Jane Goodall, Carl Jung, Florence Nightingale, and Eleanor Roosevelt, etc.
How do INFJs deal with relationships?
INFJs prefer deep relationships with people and take them very seriously. They are very loyal and true to their word. They dislike casual short-termed relationships as they do not present any meaning to them. They may have trouble showing their emotions as they are very reserved and calm. They do not open up easily but once they do, they are very genuine about it. They prefer acting out to show their love and care rather than through words.
Career choices have a big impact on your future and the quality of life you live. Choosing the wrong career can set you on a negative trajectory, filled with constant frustration, stress, and other negative emotions. You should take time to grow and understand your personality and build on your strong positive traits so that you can use them to the best advantage in the right career field suitable to your personality.
