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Career Choices for the People-Centered, Creative ENFP

Man using a camera
Content:
Introduction
1. Why Personality Type Matters in Your Career Choice
2. The ENFP Personality Type
3. ENFP Motivations and Values
4. ENFP Personality Strengths
5. ENFP Weaknesses
6. The ENFP at Work
7. ENFP Leadership
8. ENFP as a Team Member
9. ENFP Personality Career Choices
Conclusion

Your ENFP Personality Type and Your Career

Knowing yourself, your strengths, and your weaknesses is one of the strongest tools you will use to make a solid career choice. If you are an ENFP personality type, you’ll save yourself time and energy looking for the right choice. And, you’ll avoid ending up in a job that makes you unhappy.

ENFPs are friendly and outgoing and want to enrich their relationships and social lives. Yet, beneath their sociable, easygoing exteriors, they also have rich, vibrant inner lives. Without a healthy dose of imagination, creativity, and curiosity, an ENFP wouldn’t enrich their connections.

ENFPs are introspective in their unique way. This makes them want to contemplate the deeper meaning and significance of life, sometimes at the expense of addressing everyday practicalities. ENFPs believe that every aspect of their lives is connected, and they seek to gain insight into these connections. They are also driven by a desire for meaningful emotional connections with other people.

In this article, we’ll look at your personality traits and then tie them to careers that match your best talents.

Why Personality Type Matters in Your Career Choice

Your personality type influences not only what career you choose but your comfort in the business culture, your job performance, your strengths and weaknesses, and your job satisfaction.

Ensure you complement your future work associates by knowing the talents you bring to the team. Compatibility is crucial for your department to encourage team cohesion and enhance performance. You work best when you fit in the culture.

Having a career that complements your personality will help you achieve your best job performance and boost your business performance.

Recognizing your weaknesses can enable you to identify areas that need improvement. Your strengths will determine the career path where you should excel, but you may also learn how to reduce your weaknesses. So, you should develop an action plan that addresses these gaps.

The more chemistry you have with colleagues and greater productivity, the higher career satisfaction you achieve. Due to tasks and assessments that are specific to both your strengths and personality traits, you become more confident in your abilities, giving you a more positive attitude about your career.

Your feeling of value as a worker also increases workplace happiness.

Additionally, when employees’ values align with the company’s values, they often feel more comfortable in the workplace and more committed to their role.

The ENFP Personality Type

ENFPs are people-centered creators with a focus on possibilities along with contagious enthusiasm for new ideas, people, and activities. Energetic, warm, and passionate, ENFPs love helping others discover their creative potential.

ENFPs use creativity, humor, and mastery of language to create engaging stories. ENFPs are spirited and original and often have a strong artistic side. Art is a tool that enables them to express inventive ideas and create a deeper understanding of the human experience.

People talking on stage

ENFP Personality Functions

ENFP is one of the sixteen personality types created by Katharine Briggs and Isabel Myers, creators of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®). ENFP stands for Extraversion, iNtuition, Feeling, and Perceiving, which are four core personality traits based on the work of psychologist C.G. Jung.
  • Extraverted – energized by time spent with others
  • Intuitive – focus on ideas and concepts rather than facts and details
  • Feeling – make decisions based on feelings and values
  • Perceiving – prefer to be spontaneous and flexible rather than planned and organized
The ENFP personality type is also called the Champion, Campaigner, or Imaginative Motivator because of their enthusiasm for helping others realize their dreams.

ENFP Motivations and Values

ENFPs tend to be curious about others and eager to discover the deeply connected meaning in people and ideas. They expect authentic experience and seek emotional intensity. ENFPs are easily bored by details and repetition, seeking out situations that offer an escape from the mundane. ENFPs who have multiple interests and friends from varied backgrounds because they are drawn to novelty.

ENFPs place great value on individuality and often believe that happiness is our highest priority. They value their freedom and self-expression, and like to take their inspiration wherever it leads.

Engineers planning structure

ENFP Personality Strengths

Excellent Communicators. ENFPs possess outstanding communication skills and know how to use them. They are capable of engaging anyone in conversation at the drop of a hat, and they know how to draw others into the conversation so that it flows. It doesn’t matter whether you’re shooting the breeze or collaborating at the office, ENFPs provide the energy that keeps the conversation engine on fire.

Imaginative. ENFPs are inventive problem solvers who reject the idea that traditional ways always work. In every situation, they believe an original approach is possible and desirable. And they do not seek to become prisoners of habit or routine. Roadblocks are seen as opportunities, and they approach every challenge with fresh eyes without preconceived notions.

Natural Leaders. ENFPs instinctively step forward to assume positions of leadership. Confident in the ability to manage demanding responsibilities they take on roles others may find intimidating. ENFP leaders are consensus builders, working hard to gain the trust of their associates, having the patience to listen to their ideas, and responding enthusiastically to their good suggestions. They inspire others and motivate others to act by their assertive, can-do attitude.

Strong Social Conscience. ENFPs, who are often involved in social movements, stand up for what they believe without apology. To some people, compassion is talk, but don’t follow through with action, but ENFPs believe it is vitally important to back up caring words with deeds. An ENFP will explode with righteous anger when exposed to suffering and injustice, despite their friendly nature. If they want their opinions heard, they can be vocal and assertive.

ENFP Weaknesses

Hypersensitive. Sometimes, ENFPs let their imaginations roam and perceive bad intentions that do not really exist. Being aware helps ENFPs understand social situations, but reading between the lines works only when something is actually hidden there. If not, disputes can occur, which can damage relationships.

Lack of Focus and Follow-Through. ENFPs are endlessly creative, capable of filling the world with multiple ideas every day. The reality is that most of them do not always follow through on their ideas. And if they don’t bring on others to handle details, their ideas won’t be put into practice. Often, ENFPs rely too much on their initial excitement and fail to demonstrate discipline necessary to translate their ideas to real-world production. It is common for them to start new projects before the last ones are finished.

Overthinking. ENFPs tend to perceive slights, resentments, or hostility where none exist, as well as their habit of overanalyzing other people’s behavior which can lead to unnecessary conflict. If ENFPs don’t receive as many compliments as they expect, their fears can intensify and they may start to feel unappreciated and unloved.

Overemotional. Even though emotions are core to the ENFP’s identity, they can get too strong. Their energetic style doesn’t suit everyone. For example, introverts can feel steamrolled in their presence. ENFPs are also approval-seekers. In their desire to receive praise they may try too hard to make a good impression, talking too much and listening too little.

The ENFP at Work

At work, the ENFP strives to use their creativity to express themselves and benefit others. They want to explore the possibilities for themselves and others, and approach their work with vision and inspiration. They enjoy solving people-centered or creative problems that require an original, innovative solution.

In addition to enlightenment, ENFPs are often motivated by their beliefs in humanitarian causes and seek work that conforms to their values. They are particularly interested in helping others develop as individuals. As they choose careers, they tend to pursue ideals of personal growth and artistic expression.

ENFPs dislike routine work and want a variety of challenges and tasks. When faced with excessive regulations or mundane details, they prefer to set their own schedule. As a result, they seek out fun, novel tasks that allow them to be imaginative and relate to other people in an unstructured and supportive manner.

ENFPs are most likely to work in a relaxed and friendly environment without restrictions on creativity. An ENFP’s ideal job is to follow their inspiration, satisfy their curiosity, and develop innovative and innovative solutions that benefit people.

Colleagues in a conference room

ENFP Leadership

ENFPs are eager to convey their ideas to leadership positions. They tend to be democratic and flexible, with an eye toward developing human potential. They enjoy helping others grow as employees and as people, and grant plenty of flexibility to their team to develop innovative and unique solutions. EnFP leaders inspire with their passion for their ideas and beliefs, and they are often insightful when assessing people’s problems.

Because they are so dedicated to their ideals, ENFP leaders can sometimes overlook the practicalities of implementation. As they are more focused on people than on process, They may lose sight of the ultimate goal as they explore relationships and human development. In order to implement their creative ideas, they may need to develop organizational skills and planning.

ENFP on a Team

ENFPs are enthusiastic, involved team members who are interested in exploring the possibilities for innovation. They enjoy relating to people and hearing their ideas, especially imaginative ones. Despite being open-minded, they are fundamentally grounded in values, and seek out the principles and motivations behind their teammates’ ideas. The ENFP is not interested in rules, and many encourage their teammates to think outside the box in order to come up with an innovative solution that is unique to them. Their goal is to encourage others to be creative and find their own voice.

ENFPs are more focused on relationships and ideas, and they may have friction with task-oriented teammates. They enjoy brainstorming possibilities and options for a project, and are sometimes reluctant to decide a course of action. Generally, they shy away from taking on responsibility for details, but can contribute to a team with their specialized interpersonal skills. They support commitment to the group’s mission, and are often good at motivating others and encouraging them to use their abilities.

business people working together

ENFP Personality Career Choices

When ENFPs can express themselves and help others, they are happiest in their profession. EnFPs are found in a wide range of careers and industries, but the most successful ENFPs have found a way to bring creativity and originality into their daily work.

Top careers for the ENFP include:

Entertainment

  • Actor
  • Dancer or Choreographer
  • Music Director or Composer
  • Musician or Singer
  • Producer or Director
ballerina dancing in studio

Business and Sales

  • Fundraiser
  • Human Resources Specialist
  • Market Research Analyst
  • Meeting or Convention Planner
  • Training or Development Specialist
  • Insurance Sales Agent
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Sales Manager
  • Travel Agent

Personal Care and Service

  • Animal Trainer
  • Barber, Hairdresser, or Cosmetologist
  • Child Care Worker
  • Fitness Trainer or Instructor
  • Skincare Specialist
  • Flight Attendant

Sciences

  • Anthropologist
  • Archaeologist
  • Conservation Scientist or Forester
  • Psychologist
  • Sociologist
  • Urban or Regional Planner

Media and Communication

  • Interpreter
  • Photographer
  • Public Relations Manager
  • Reporter
  • Writer or Author
man holding a camera

Education, Training, and Library

  • Archivist or Curator
  • Elementary School Teacher
  • Librarian
  • Childcare Center Director
  • College Professor
  • Special Education Teacher
  • Teacher Assistant

Arts and Design

  • Art Director
  • Fashion Designer
  • Graphic Designer
  • Interior Designer
  • Landscape Architect

Healthcare

  • Chiropractor
  • Nutritionist
  • Massage Therapist
  • Midwife
  • Recreational Therapist
  • Veterinary Technician
  • Health Educator
  • Rehabilitation Counselor
  • Social Worker

ENFP Careers to Avoid

Any type of personality can be successful in any occupation. The fact is that some occupations are well suited to the natural talents and preferred work style of the ENFP, while other job roles demand thinking and behavior that do not come naturally to ENFPs. If an ENFP operates outside their natural preferences, they may become stressed and drained.

 

These jobs may be unattractive to ENFPs considering a career change.

 

  • Bank Teller
  • Financial Manager
  • Judge
  • Flight Engineer
  • Civil Engineer
  • Mechanical Engineer
  • Computer Software Engineer
  • Systems Analyst
  • Chemical Engineer
  • Factory Supervisor
  • Police Officer
  • Farmer
  • Dentist
  • Pathologist
  • Chemist
woman exposing a graph

Career Choices for the ENFP

Finding the best career for an ENFP personality type demands a close look at personal preferences. Because an ENFP can succeed in many jobs in a variety of industries, understanding your core values and priorities will help you narrow the field.

Because the ENFP personality has so many career choices, you’ll want to narrow the choices that match your individual talents, skills, and mindset. One of your strong assets is envisioning new ideas.

Florida Tech reported that many people, especially millennials, are looking for meaningful careers. Put your people-centered creativity front and center as you think about your next career step.

Careers that most often fulfill this desire involve helping others. The satisfaction that comes from performing work that contributes something valuable to society, reflects a person’s values and provides opportunities for development is rarely paired with high wages, but there are careers that when pursued, can lead to both success and fulfillment.

Pay attention to your gut feeling, because you’ll be working on a daily basis. Just because you are creative and could be a fashion designer, don’t forget you like helping people. You might be happier as a real estate broker.

If you are challenged with choosing the next step in your career, Elevanation will help you sort through your ENFP career choices. We’ll clarify your personal preferences, look at your skills, and help you take the next step to success. Schedule your free action call to supercharge your career now.

Want to master the power of your personality? I’m here to help. Click here now and request your free personality coaching session with me.