The Best Jobs for INFJ Personality Types

Would you say that you are gentle, caring, and highly intuitive? Do you have an uncanny ability to sense other people’s feelings? If that sounds like you, you may have an INFJ personality type. 

Knowing that you’re an INFJ can help you in a myriad of ways. It can help you understand your strengths, weaknesses, and even point you toward the right INFJ careers.

In this article, we’ll talk about all things INFJ. What does INFJ mean? What does it say about your personality? How does that translate to your ideal career or workplace habits? If you’re having difficulty determining which career path you should take, then this article might just help you with that. 

What Is INFJ?

INFJ is a personality type under the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) scale. The MBTI, one of the most well-known personality tests, was created by Katherine Briggs and Isabel Myers. The assessment was based on the theory of personality proposed by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. MBTI operates on the theory that humans experience the world according to four main functions: sensation, intuition, feeling, and thinking.

From the list below, we can deduce what an INFJ stands for.

• Extrovert or Introvert (E or I)
• Sensing or Intuitive (S or N)
• Thinking or Feeling (T or F)
• Judging or Perceiving (J or P)
  
  

Let’s explore each aspect in more detail.

Introverted

Being introverted means you feel a certain sense of comfortability from being alone or in small groups rather than being in large ones. This also means that you’re often caught up in your thoughts. INFJs are generally reserved and very selective about who they open up to on a deeper level.

Intuitive

INFJs are adept at reading situations and emotions and will know how you feel before you even describe it to them. They like to read between the lines, often finding meaning behind things rather than taking them at face value. 

Intuitive people are also forward-looking, with their eyes always on the horizon. This makes INFJs idealistic as they always seek the ‘what if’ over the ‘what is.’

Feeling

Falling under this category means that you make your decisions based on the present circumstance. You don’t see things black and white. Other people’s feelings as well as your intent to maintain harmony influence your decisions. Unlike the “Thinking” people, you value tact over straightforwardness.

Judging

This fourth function describes how you approach the outside world. This is by no means synonymous with being “judgmental.” Instead, it means that you prefer organization over spontaneity. You like to keep things on track and schedule. Whereas others advocate for work and play or play before work, you actually prefer the inverse.

INFJ: The Advocate

Put together, these elements lend to the other names for INFJs: “the Advocate” or “the Counselor.” Because of their unfailing regard for other people, INFJs are seen as nurturers. They have a strong sense of integrity and drive to help others realize their potential.

INFJs make up only one to three percent of the population. This makes them not just one of the rarest personality types but the rarest of all 16 MBTI personality types. Despite being small in number, however, INFJs lend a big and far-reaching impact to society. Take Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, for instance, both of whom were INFJs.

The Best INFJ Careers

INFJs focus on bettering humanity. They are principle workers who can be relied upon to envision, plan, and execute complex ideas for humanitarian causes. INFJs love to find meaning in their work and it is this desire that makes them perfect for jobs that offer more holistic varieties.

They thrive in workplaces with colleagues who are determined to make a difference in society. The ideal workplace for this type of personality is somewhere that provides opportunities for creativity, foster harmony, and allow time and space for reflection.

The best jobs for INFJs include the following.

Psychiatrist/Counselor

Earning the title of ‘the Counselor,’ it only makes sense for INFJs to be, well, counselors. Though not much of a talker, INFJs are great listeners and intuitive. It’s their uncanny sensitivity to other people that makes them great counselors, psychiatrists, or any other profession focused on improving others’ mental health.

INFJ types can be trusted with a person’s vulnerability because of their empathetic nature and open-mindedness. Organization and attention to detail are also traits that INFJs carry.

These help them sort out a client’s thoughts and tie them together to come up with treatment plans and recommendations. INFJ psychologists or counselors find fulfillment in becoming a part of the healing process of mentally-challenged individuals.

Social Worker

INFJ types are not labeled as advocates without good reason. Doing social work allows INFJs to carry out their advocacy, thus hitting multiple birds with one stone. INFJ social workers find a sense of purpose in reaching out to others and engaging in conversations.

Writer/Journalist

With their tendency to get caught up in their sea of thoughts, INFJs are perfect for writing. This may be in the field of fiction or feature writing, technical writing, or journalism. Writing is an innate skill for the INFJs. Their mix of introversion, intuition, feeling, and judging makes it easy for them to dig deep and pen their thoughts.

It’s easy to see how INFJ personalities find fulfillment in being a writer or a journalist. Both careers allow an INFJ to lend his/her voice to events, people, and other things that need to be heard.

Healthcare Professional

The ‘feeling’ DNA of INFJs makes them a good fit for careers in the field of medicine. INFJs have altruistic hearts that are ready to serve the people. Although medical education takes time to finish, it’s well worth the investment for INFJs. The more they help in treating patients, the more they gain fulfillment.

Training Specialist

It is rare for INFJ types to stay in the corporate setting. They get easily bored with routine. The confined spaces can also make an INFJ feel restricted and unable to let his/her creative mind roam freely.

Training can be repetitive at times too due to the same scripts and modules used. Despite that, INFJs thrive in this role as it allows them to help other people grow professionally. Being naturally born helpers, INFJ types are inclined to help in the best way they know. 

In the corporate industry, an INFJ becomes a guiding hand for employees to perform better. The positive changes in an employee’s performance serve as a reward to an INFJ training specialist.

Photographer

Photography may seem like an easy world to dive into. But for an INFJ, photography means more than just capturing scenic shots. Rather, the field serves as an avenue for an INFJ to get to know the world deeper.

The photos, in turn, serve as a way for others to see the world from a different perspective. The ability to tell stories captured in a single click of the camera gives an INFJ a degree of creative freedom to start much-needed conversations.

Graphic Designer

It may not be noticeable but INFJ types ooze with creativity. Behind an INFJ’s mysterious facade is a creative soul that thinks and analyzes differently. They are good at identifying patterns and putting ideas together into a single picture. This makes them perfect for marketing, advertising, and branding.

Environmental Researcher/Scientist

Nature is probably the main habitat of INFJ personality types. They find comfort and stability in nature. Being able to work in a place they consider home and are passionate about makes this role well-suited for INFJs.

INFJs exhibit their introspection by coming up with new ideas that help them produce environmental research discoveries, publications, and innovation strategies. INFJs have a lot of brainpower. Combine that with their passion to create meaningful work and they’re sure to thrive in environmental science.

Teacher

This is kind of a no-brainer. Teaching groups of people may be more of an opportunity rather than a threat to an introverted INFJ. That’s because teaching is actually a platform for an INFJ to express his/her ideas, principles, and values.

Though teaching is a job, an INFJ sees it more as a lifelong and true vocation. It’s a commitment that allows an INFJ to take part in shaping the minds of future generations, for the better.

Conclusion: Fit Your Job to Your INFJ Personality

Nothing is more meaningful for an INFJ than to touch and inspire someone’s life in the best way possible. For an INFJ, a job is more than just a source of income. It’s also a source of fulfillment and meaning, as well as a way to pursue their humanitarian interests.

We all long for a job that brings food to the table and makes us happy. This doesn’t happen to everyone but the INFJ does his/her best to balance both and add one more element: to make others happy. We’ve walked you through several INFJ career matches that you can take. Whichever path you choose, we know that you’ll find positive value in it along the way.