Best careers for INFJ personality types

Do you have an INFJ personality type and want to know what careers work best with your unique personality? With the reserved and often misunderstood INFJ personality type, it can be challenging to find the right career. This personality type is known for being creative, empathetic, and intuitive. They are also deep thinkers who often have a strong sense of morality.

When it comes to uncovering the right career path, INFJs often struggle because they want to find a job that’s both influential and fulfilling. This guide will cover all of the crucial facts on the INFJ personality before taking an in-depth look at the top eight career matches for this type.

What is an INFJ personality?

An INFJ is one of the Myers-Briggs personality types. The Myers-Briggs personality test is a widely-used method for identifying different personality types. According to this test, there are 16 different personality types.

These personality types are built on four different preferences. The preferences for an INFJ are:

• Introversion (I)

• Intuition (N)

• Feeling (F)

• Judging (J)

INFJs are the rarest personality type of all, making up just 1.5% of the population. These individuals are passionate, egalitarian, creative, and sensitive. Statistics also show that while 1 in every 200 males is an INFJ, nearly 1 in every 66 females has this personality type.

INFJs connect deeply with a sense of fairness, justice, and integrity, and they often make it their mission to correct the wrongs of the world. For this reason, some Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI) tests refer to INFJs as ‘The Advocate.’

INFJs tend to lead with their hearts and can be criticized for being overly idealistic. This is the greatest challenge for INFJs, who feel deeply about equality but are easily upset or stressed when met with criticism or conflict.

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Strengths of the INFJ include:

• Creativity

• Passion

• Altruism

• Insightfulness

• Communication

Not sure if you're an INFJ?

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What to know about INFJ in the workplace

To understand the best workplace matches for an INFJ, it’s important first to understand how this personality type functions in the workplace.

INFJs are known for being independent, introspective, and private. They like to work on projects alone or in small groups and often prefer to be in charge.

This can make them difficult to manage, as they may resist authority figures or micromanagement. However, INFJs can be extremely productive and creative if given the freedom to work independently.

INFJs are also known for being highly intuitive and compassionate. They often have a strong moral compass and can be very persuasive when it comes to convincing others of their point of view. This combination of intuition and persuasion can make INFJs excellent at jobs that require diplomacy or public speaking.

Unsurprisingly, INFJs find more fulfillment working for companies that promote social good and positive change (such as mental health advocacy) or when employed by a non-profit.

Being intuitive personality types (much like INTP and INFP personalities), INFJs are highly open and have a strong need for their work to be future-focused.

They’ll do especially well if they work toward their goals in a structured and methodical manner, as they are also highly conscientious.

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As an introvert, the best career matches for INFJs are peaceful work environments where they have space to explore their creativity and then enact actionable plans for change. This can look like a secluded writer’s office, a small in-home studio, or an independent research role.

When INFJ individuals are out of their comfort zone or forced to work in a high-pressure environment, they can quickly become overwhelmed, anxious, and even depressed. This kind of environment will deplete an INFJ’s energy, so it’s important for them to find a career that suits their working style.

Why are INFJs so successful?

When you understand the strengths of an INFJ, it’s no wonder that this personality type is so successful. INFJs are naturally gifted communicators. They have a deep understanding of other people and can quickly build rapport. This makes them excellent at networking and forming relationships.

This ability to form connections is also helpful in sales or customer service roles. With their natural charisma and ability to understand people, INFJs can be very successful in these fields.

In addition to their networking abilities, INFJs are also highly creative. This creativity is often used to find new and better ways of doing things.

INFJs are constantly looking for ways to improve systems and make them more efficient. There is virtually no problem that an INFJ can’t find a creative solution for.

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This combination of networking and creativity makes INFJs natural leaders. They’re often able to see a big concept and inspire others to work toward a common goal.

Looking at the components of the INFJ personality makeup, such as the introverted nature and high intuition, it’s not surprising that many INFJs find success in the arts. A career with ample opportunities for creativity, such as writing, painting, or filmmaking, can be very fulfilling for an INFJ.

Challenges an INFJ may face in the workplace

The independent nature of INFJs can be both a strength and a weakness in the workplace. While INFJs are often very productive when working independently, they may have difficulty taking direction from others or working in a team environment.

This independence can also make INFJs seem arrogant or stubborn to those who don’t understand them. In reality, INFJs just want to be sure that their work is meaningful and has a purpose.

INFJs can also be easily overwhelmed, perfectionistic, and overthinking. This tendency toward overthinking can make decision-making difficult for INFJs. They may need more time than others to process information and come to a conclusion.

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It’s important for INFJs to find a career that suits their working style. An environment that’s too chaotic or high-pressure will deplete an INFJ’s energy. They need time to process information and work independently in order to be productive.

Top 8 INFJ jobs

The best career matches for INFJs are those that allow them to use their creativity, networking abilities, and independent nature. Here are eight career paths that may be a good fit for an INFJ personality type.

1. Counselor or psychologist

An INFJ personality would thrive in a role like a psychologist or a counselor. This career plays well into the INFJ’s need to help others and create positive change for humanity. As introverts, INFJs tend to be more softly spoken and have great listening and communication skills, all of which are important in the clinical context.

INFJs are more likely to enjoy working in small private practices than large organizations due to their introversion and common distaste for corporate interests. They may find that working as a counselor or psychologist in the public sphere (such as at a local women’s shelter) fits their altruistic needs better than working in a position that is more focused on money.

Browse counselor jobs on Jobcase.

2. Writer

Many of the INFJ career matches are ones where INFJs can work independently without the need for regular social interaction. One way to fulfill this need is to pursue a career as a writer.

INFJs can choose to become creative writers, novelists, or poets, though these can be difficult jobs to make a lot of money doing. A more attainable option (and one an INFJ can do while also pursuing other creative writing endeavors) is to work as a copywriter.

Copywriters often work from home (or tucked away in a quiet cafe or library), which bodes well for the INFJ’s introversion. Plus, they’ll be able to exercise their creative muscles to some degree in this role.

Successful copywriters tend to focus on a specific niche, so a good fit for INFJs is to work on projects that foster social good or to write only for not-for-profit organizations and NGOs.

Browse copywriter jobs on Jobcase.

3. Human resources

Another great fit for ‘The Advocate’ personality is a career in human resources. HR representatives sit within a corporation and help with a wide variety of employee-related matters. They may be involved in hiring, training, and development, as well as performance management and dismissals.

One of the key roles of human resources is to represent and support employees with work-related challenges. For example, if an employee knows that their manager is treating them unfairly, the HR representative helps them in solving the problem.

This work can be very rewarding for the INFJ, who feels strongly about fairness, equality, and altruistic behavior.

Browse human resources jobs on Jobcase.

4. Teacher or professor

Teaching is one of the best paths for INFJ personalities who feel a strong need to help others on a one-to-one basis. INFJs excel at creating and organizing lesson plan ideas, and thanks to their feeling-type personality, they’re able to empathize with struggling students.

As a teacher in large classrooms, INFJs may find themselves drained at the end of the day from so much social interaction. For this reason, they may find it more rewarding to work as a special needs teacher where they have a smaller group of students to interact with on a daily basis.

Browse teacher jobs on Jobcase.

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5. Graphic designer

Like writing, a role in graphic design can be a great solitary job for highly introverted INFJs. Graphic designers tend to work independently or in small teams. These professionals use a combination of creativity and established structure (areas where the INFJ personality excels) to fulfill the needs of their company or clients.

Browse graphic designer jobs on Jobcase.

6. Librarian

Librarian is another incredible INFJ career for those who are especially organized. These personalities feel strongly that everything has a rightful place, so they’ll do well sticking to the rigid systems used to organize books.

This is also a fairly solitary career choice, which is crucial for the especially introverted INFJ.

Browse librarian jobs on Jobcase.

7. Roles in healthcare

There are many great career choices for INFJs in healthcare.

A few examples include:

• Occupational therapist

• Nutritionist

• Physical therapist

• Public health educator

These are good options for INFJs who are passionate about health and well-being and enjoy working with people more than the typical INFJ (as this is a requirement in many healthcare positions).

More reserved INFJs can still find fulfilling careers in healthcare, particularly if they are involved in healthcare policy or community health promotion programs.

Browse jobs in healthcare on Jobcase.

8. Roles in the sciences

Much like healthcare, the sciences offer a lot of great opportunities for the altruistic INFJ. INFJs who wish to identify and develop new ways to improve society may find an ideal career in one of these scientific areas:

• Social scientist

• Food scientist

• Environmental scientist

The introverted aspect of the INFJ personality type makes lab-based careers a great choice. Their openness will also help them succeed in a science role because it allows INFJs to visualize many possible angles and formulate a hypothesis.

Browse science jobs on Jobcase.

What majors are good for INFJs?

Are you an INFJ wanting to pursue a college degree but wondering what to major in?

The best majors for INFJs are ones that allow them to explore their desire to change the world for the better.

Good examples include:

• Psychology

• Nursing

• Speech-language pathology

• Social work

• Criminal justice and criminology

• Counseling Psychology

Not all INFJ careers require a traditional four-year degree. Some of the careers we discussed above (such as a writer or librarian) are jobs that don’t typically have strict educational requirements.

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When you consider what to major in, look for programs that’ll give you the experience and tools you need to succeed in your desired career. Try to weigh the pros and cons of each major to ensure it’s the best fit for you. Ask yourself:

• What are my long-term goals?

• How much time and money can I invest in my education?

• What type of job do I want after graduation?

• Does this major offer opportunities to gain the experience I need for my desired career?

Use your answers to these questions to direct you in finding your INFJ career matches. With the right career path, you can use your unique strengths to make a real difference in the world.

What jobs should INFJs avoid?

Roles that don't allow INFJs to follow their moral compass will be challenging and will lack job satisfaction. These roles may also cause high-stress levels.

Careers that have deeply established power hierarchies can be a poor choice for the idealist INFJ, as are people-intensive positions that are better suited for more extroverted personality types.

Lastly, many INFJs are fairly creative, and although they can be hard-working and industrious, they may prefer roles with a college degree of variety as opposed to repetitive careers.

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There are some careers that the average INFJ should avoid, including:

• Salesperson

• Factory worker

• Banker

• Accountant

These types of roles are often better suited for more extroverted personality types who are comfortable with a high degree of social interaction and working within strict guidelines.

The INFJ personality type is unique and special. If you’re an INFJ, know that you have many great career options available to you.

Find your INFJ career match today

With how stressful it can be for an INFJ to find a new job, it's crucial that you find a career that suits your personality. Understanding INFJ's personal values, personality traits, and ideal work environments can help you find a match.

If you're ready to find your INFJ career, check out opportunities on the Jobcase job board. There are countless job postings from companies that are looking for someone with your specific skill set.