INFJ Careers Use Your Myers Briggs Personality Type To Help You Choose a Career Print GARO/PHANIE/Canopy/Getty Images By Dawn Rosenberg McKay Dawn Rosenberg McKay Dawn Rosenberg McKay is a certified Career Development Facilitator. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 06/25/19 INFJ is one of 16 personality types assigned to individuals who have taken the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Career counselors and other career development specialists often administer the MBTI, a personality inventory, to their clients who come to them for help with choosing a career. Experts believe that when an individual picks a career that matches his or her personality type, he or she will have greater satisfaction at work. Katharine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers created the MBTI to help people identify their personality type. They based it on Carl Jung's personality theory which stated that there are four pairs of opposite preferences. They indicate how an individual energizes, perceives information, makes decisions, and lives his or her life. When the MBTI determines that an individual is an INFJ, it means he or she prefers introversion, as opposed to extroversion, to energize; intuition, not sensing, to decode information; feeling, and not thinking, to make decisions; judging, as opposed to perceiving, when living his or her life. It is imperative to note that all the components of a personality type interact with one another. That is what makes each one unique. The difference between the 16 personality types makes particular careers more suitable for some people than they are for others. I, N, F and J: What Each Letter of Your Personality Type Code Means To better understand this personality type, let's take a look at each letter, keeping in mind, as previously noted, that all four preferences interact to make each type unique: I: As an introvert, you are energized by things within yourself, like your thoughts and ideas. Because interactions with others aren't a priority, you tend to be reserved.N: When you receive information, you process it using your intuition rather than your senses. Your desire to look beyond the details to see how they all fit together to make a whole allows you to imagine the possibilities the future holds and take advantage of those opportunities.F: Your feelings and personal values guide your decisions. You understand and care about other people.J: Your preference for a judging lifestyle indicates that you like things to be structured and orderly. Deadlines aren't a problem because you are adept at planning for them. Remember, these are only preferences. They are not absolutes. Every human being favors one preference in each pair over the other but exhibits one more strongly. While you may prefer one way to energize, process information, and make decisions or have a certain lifestyle, when situations call for a different approach, you can do it. Finally, preferences aren't static —they can change as individuals go through life. Using Your Code to Help You Make Career-Related Decisions So now that you know your personality type, how can you use it when planning your career? In addition to considering your values, interests, and aptitudes, look at your personality type, specifically the two letters in the middle. They are particularly informative when it comes to choosing the right career. As an "N" you like developing and implementing new ideas, so look for careers that allow you to be an innovator. You should not disregard your feelings and values, because as an "F" you are guided by them. As someone who cares about and understands people, you might want to have a career in which you can help others. Here are some options to explore: Speech Pathologist Dietitian or Nutritionist Architect Translator or Interpreter Psychologist Teacher Interior Designer Animator Mediator Human Resources Specialist Editor Lawyer Veterinarian Cosmetologist Customer Service Representative Special Agent Library Assistant Actuary Think about your preferences for introversion (I) and judging (J) as well, especially when evaluating work environments. As someone who is self-motivated, look for opportunities where you can work independently. Independence shouldn't mean a lack of structure. You prefer a structured environment so consider that when you decide whether to accept a job offer. Sources: The Myers-Briggs Foundation Web Site. Baron, Renee. (1998) 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. Tieger, Paul D., Barron, Barbara, and Tieger, Kelly. (2014) Do What You Are. NY: Hatchette Book Group.