ENTP: Your Myers Briggs Personality Type and Your Career

How to Use Your Personality Type to Make Good Career Decisions

I'm a what? You may have asked that question after finding out you're an ENTP. And why wouldn't you have wondered aloud what those letters mean? They seem to make little sense. However, once you find out what each letter means and how you can use all four together to help make career-related decisions, you'll appreciate the insight this information offers.

How ENTP Relates to the Myers Briggs Personality Types

ENTP is one of 16 personality types identified by psychiatrist Carl Jung. Jung theorized that individuals' personality types were made up of four pairs of opposite preferences for the way in which they choose to do certain things. The four pairs are:

  • Introversion [I] and Extroversion [E]: how one energizes
  • Sensing [S] and Intuition [N]: how one perceives information
  • Thinking [T] and Feeling [F]: how one makes decisions
  • Judging [J] and Perceiving [P]: how one lives his or her life

Before moving on to an explanation of what each preference means, here are some important things to keep in mind. First, these are just preferences, and while you may prefer to energize, process information, make decisions or live your life in a certain way, you can do the opposite if a situation requires it. Second, your preferences tend to interact, and each preference in your four-preference type affects the other three. Finally, your preferences may change throughout your life.

E, N, T, and P: What Each Letter of Your Personality Type Code Means

  • E: Extroversion, or as it is sometimes spelled, extraversion, means that you are motivated by other people. You would be more successful in an environment that allows you to work with other people, for example on a team, rather than alone.
  • N: As someone who prefers to use your intuition when processing information, you rely on more than your five senses. You can look beyond what is physically in front of you and imagine what could be. This puts you in a good position to take advantage of future opportunities.
  • T: Your preference for thinking means that you use logic rather than emotion to make decisions. You analyze problems and consider their consequences. Only after doing that, will you take action.
  • P: As someone who is perceiving, you tend to be flexible. Last minute changes don't bother you. Deadlines, however, do.

Using Your Code to Help You Make Career-Related Decisions

Your personality type code can play a role in making career choices. When choosing a career look at the middle two letters, "N" and "T". They are the most relevant for this purpose. Since you like to imagine what could be, a career that lets you pursue new ideas would be good for you.

Remember, though, that you like to think things through carefully so pick a career that values that preference. You don't want to pursue a career that involves quick decision-making. It will be stressful for you. Some possible career choices are engineering technician, management consultant, loan officer,​ and dentist.

When weighing job offers, consider the work environment. Since you are energized by others, look for a situation in which you are not working alone too much. You should also think about your preference for flexibility and consider jobs that aren't too structured, particularly those with tight deadlines.

Sources:
The Myers-Briggs Foundation Website.
Baron, Renee. What Type Am I? NY: Penguin Books
Page, Earle C. Looking at Type: A Description of the Preferences Reported by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Center for Applications of Psychological Type