For most ESFJs, their strongest functions are usually very obvious at a glance. These individuals are upfront, practical and extremely capable people who find their niche in a variety of fields and workplaces. And a lot of the time, they’re the backbone of every workplace in which they find themselves.
General Overview
ESFJs are warm people who can be found in a variety of fields, though they’re usually more drawn to those that allow them to help other people. They do prefer to do this in a more traditional way as well, so they’re unlikely to be life coaches or anything based on new or untried ideas. They prefer instead the structure and the solid foundation that comes with more traditional institutions that are designed to help other people. And because of their strong emotional intelligence and their comfort with social norms and demands, they’re usually able to do a lot of good in these professions.
Tips for Job Interviews
ESFJs are social people who have a natural warmth that translates well in job interviews. When they use their innate social skills and awareness to connect with their interviewer, they can make them feel at ease and also impress them with their common sense and practical approach to their job and to the interview. ESFJs just need to make sure to let their natural tendencies and skills shine in their interviews and they’re sure to get the job if it’s right for them.
In fact, this is usually the only barrier to the ESFJ getting the job of their dreams, they need to be very sure that the job is actually right for them and not something they’re trying to do because they were pressured by outside forces. ESFJs, who use extraverted feeling as their dominant, are very sensitive to outside expectations or pressures. And in some cases, this may lead them to choices they wouldn’t usually make or enjoy in order to make others happy.
Best Careers for the ESFJ
ESFJs lead with extraverted feeling and this is usually very obvious from the way they interact with others and in their career. This function allows them to sense the emotions and needs of others and pushes them to try to help in some way. Because of this, ESFJs find their highest meaning in making other people happy and healthy, and this makes them a perfect match for careers in health, social work, or in the education sector. In these fields the compassionate ESFJ will not only be able to help their clients, they’ll be in constant contact with other people who have the same interests and desire to help, and this will give them a ready-made social circle that will make them very happy and settled at work.
ESFJs are natural organizers. They’re judging types, which means they prefer to have their external environment organized and allow themselves some freedom inside their own minds and they can use these skills to great effects in their careers. ESFJs combine this skill for organization with their people skills to make excellent administrators or office managers. These types of roles give them the best of both worlds the ability to interact with a lot of different people as well as the freedom to use their tidy minds to organize their world the way it should be organized.
Unsuitable Careers for the ESFJ
ESFJs are not well suited to freelance careers. Freelancing contains a certain amount of uncertainty and requires an autonomy of thought and action that the ESFJ doesn’t usually have. This type prefers to follow an established structure and to know that there’s a solid foundation to their work environment that has stood the test of time. This is partly due to their auxiliary function, introverted sensing, which gives them a respect for the past and the tendency to judge the present based on past values. Through this lens, an old firm that has lasted for decades is far more secure and comforting than a business they set up and are responsible for.
ESFJs dominant function gives them a good level of emotional intelligence as well as a need for connections and social feedback. This type will never be happy sealed away in an office playing on a computer, nor working in a career that’s based on pure data. Any job that’s based on these kinds of information and demands will quickly become intolerable for this type. ESFJs probably won’t just walk away from it, they’re too dependable for that, but it will make them increasingly unhappy until they manage to find a role that’s more suited to their need for human contact and concerns.
Workplace Roles
ESFJs don’t usually want to be the boss. Despite their strongly extraverted natures, they prefer to work in environments where they have a clear structure that determines what they need to do. Which means they don’t really want to be the person who has to decide the structure or the direction of the business themselves. They don’t mind a little authority, ESFJs are too forthright to be at the bottom of the totem pole for too long, but they don’t usually have the vision or the desire to be in charge of everything.
As employees, ESFJs are always there and always reliable. No matter what task they’re given, they’ll do their utmost to make sure it’s done in a timely and organized way, and pride themselves on their ability to follow orders and keep everything running smoothly. They don’t like to only work with data though, this type needs emotional support from others as well as feedback from their boss to feel appreciated and happy in their role. And as long as they get that, they’ll usually be happy to stay in their chosen role for many years.
Final Thoughts
ESFJs get things done. They’re practical, concrete people who like to be organized and on top of things, so if you want something completed you’d give it to an ESFJ. They can sometimes lack the imagination and vision necessary to be leaders, but they find a lot of meaning in being part of the structure of a well-organized workplace and doing their part to make it run well.
References
- Dr Drenth, A. J. “Extraverted Feeling (Fe)“. (Retrieved Mar 2018).
- “Judging or Perceiving“. (Retrieved Mar 2018).
- “ESFJ – The Caregiver“.
- “The ESFJ in the Workplace“.
- “The ESFJ as an Entrepreneur“.
- “Best Jobs For Your Personality“.