5 Best Jobs for ESFJ Women and Men

In ‘Gifts Differing,’ Isabel Briggs Myers describes ESFJ’s as “primarily concerned with the details of direct experience – their own, that of their friends and acquaintances, even the experience of strangers whose lives happen to touch theirs.” Based on this description alone, the best career path for an ESFJ personality type is along the lines of attending to the needs of others. Martha Stewart, known for her lifestyle show, is counted as one of the most popular ESFJs and most of what she does is helping others make their life better.

ESFJs in general also like volunteering in community, charity or religious organizations; cooking; and entertaining. But when it comes to work, Otto Kroeger in ‘Type Talk at Work’ says the strengths of ESFJs are many and varied. According to Kroeger, ESFJs are “punctual, neat, responsible, and highly productive, with a great concern for others.” Also, most ESFJs have careers in education, healthcare and religion. In addition to that, they are the most satisfied with their work.

ESFJs in the Workplace

In high school, ESFJs are the ones who set the tone, take the spotlight and lead. As such, an ESFJ at work uses the best of their abilities to help others and make sure they are happy. ESFJs are social creatures and love keeping up to date with what their friends or family is doing.

Apart from the social aspect, ESFJs are well-organized and love bringing order and structure to their work environment. As such, they work best in a workplace that has clear, predictable hierarchies and tasks.

Careers for ESFJs

ESFJs are the second most common type in the population, making up around 12% with 17% being women and 8% men. So knowing their love of helping others and organizing the environment around them, what are the best career options for this personality type dubbed as the “Consul?”

1. Teacher

As a teacher, you can be in charge of children of different ages. You can work as a pre-school teacher or opt to teach high school. Also, one of the most challenging but rewarding teaching positions is a special education teacher. Whichever the case, the role of a teacher is to help students get a better understanding of the world around them. They act like second parents and often have to handle issues a student may be dealing with.

The nature of a teacher’s job is a perfect fit for an ESFJ personality given their want of direct experiences. Each day, teachers not only have to work with students but also need to be in contact with parents and school higher-ups. An ESFJ’s love of organization can be applied both in the classroom and in planning lessons for their students.

2. Receptionist

You are the first person a visitor sees when they enter an office. The core of this job is to help people, and who makes a better fit for this job than someone who likes to extend assistance to people by nature? Receptionists also answer phone calls, take messages and forwards calls.

But other than that, an ESFJs love of organization will come in handy when it comes to scheduling and confirming appointments as well as maintaining event calendars.

3. Social Worker

The main role of a social worker is helping people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives. There are different kinds of social workers, one of which is clinical social workers whose job include diagnosing and treating mental, behavioral and emotional issues. These kinds of social workers usually have a private practice where they also engage in administrative and record-keeping tasks.

A child and family social worker is another type of social worker whose tasks include protecting vulnerable children and provide assistance to help families in need. Part of their job is helping parents find services like child care and also intervene when children are in danger of neglect or abuse. They can also arrange adoptions, locate foster families and even get families back together.

This kind of job requires great interpersonal skills, and the innate nature of an ESFJ to communicate and help others make them a right fit for social work.

4. Nurse

From making patients feel better to reassuring and comforting families, the tasks of a nurse looks to be made for an ESFJ. This personality type likes to help and doesn’t mind communicating as well which makes them an ideal fit for the job. Caring is a huge part of a nurse’s job and ESFJs just have a natural inclination for that.

A nurse can also provide assistance in specific areas. For instance, they can focus on caring for patients who want to overcome addiction to alcohol, drugs, tobacco and other substances. They can also be focused on patients who have heart disease or those who have had heart surgery. But a nurse can also combine different areas into their service.

5. Physical Therapist

A lot of patience goes into being a physical therapist because you don’t know what kind of patient you will be dealing with. One day, you could be dealing with a patient who is really optimistic after an accident and is willing to go through therapy to get better. On the other hand, therapists can also be dealing with patients who are really depressed about the state they are in and may not be too willing to participate in therapy. It’s a tough job and it takes a person who really likes helping others to do it well.

ESFJS like to get things done and this applies well to physical therapy where they need to help patients reach certain goals. Organizational skills are well used here as well because therapists need to create a plan that will help their patients attain their goals.

They always say that you should find a job that suits your personality. After all, getting to do what you want is the key to happiness on the job. An ESFJ, by nature, loves helping people out and as such, will love a job where they can make use of that skill.