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Career Choices for the Skeptical but Innovative INTJ

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Career Choices for the Skeptical but Innovative INTJ

woman writing on board
Content:

Introduction

1. Why Personality Type Matters in Your Career Choice

2. The INTJ Personality Type

3. INTJ Personality Functions

4. INTJ Motivations and Values

5. INTJ Personality Strengths

6. INTJ Personality Weaknesses

7. The INTJ at Work

8. INTJ Leadership

9. INTJ on a Team

10. INTJ  Personality Career Choices

11. INTJ Careers to Avoid

Conclusion

Your INTJ Personality Type and Your Career

Knowing yourself, your strengths, and your weaknesses is one of the strongest skills you can employ to make a good career choice. If you are an INTJ 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.

INTJs question everything. The majority of personality types trust the status quo, relying upon conventional wisdom and other people’s expertise to guide their lives. However, increasingly skeptical INTJs prefer to make their own discoveries. In their quest to find better ways of doing things, they aren’t afraid of breaking rules or risking disapproval—in fact, they rather enjoy it.

The value of a new idea isn’t evident until it actually works. The aim of INTJs is to succeed, not just to be inventive. With a single-minded drive, they use insight, logic, and willpower to their advantage. And heaven help anyone who tries to slow them down by enforcing pointless rules or offering poorly thought-out criticism.

Rationally intelligent and quick-witted, INTJs pride themselves on their ability to think for themselves, as well as their ability for seeing right through phoniness and hypocrisy. However, because their minds are never at rest, they may struggle to find others who can keep up with their nonstop analysis of everything around them.

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

woman smiling while using a calculator

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.

two men walking inside building

The INTJ Personality Type

An INTJ is an analytical problem-solver eager to improve systems and processes with innovative ideas. They can see opportunities for improvement, whether at work, at home, or in their own lives.

Their intellectual nature leads INTJs to logical reasoning and complex problem-solving. They approach life by looking at the theories behind what they see, and are typically focused inwards on their own thoughtful study of the world around them. INTJs are drawn to logical systems and are less comfortable with unpredictable behavior from other people and their emotions. They tend to be independent and selective about their relationships, preferring to associate with people who are intellectually stimulating.

INTJ Personality Functions

INTJ is one of the sixteen personality types created by Katharine Briggs and Isabel Myers, creators of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®). INTJ stands for Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging, which are four core personality traits based on the work of psychologist C.G. Jung.

  • Introverted – energized by time alone
  • INtuitive – focused on ideas and concepts rather than facts and details
  • Thinking – make decisions based on logic and reason
  • Judging – prefer to be planned and organized rather than spontaneous and flexible
INTJs are sometimes referred to as Mastermind or Conceptual Planner or Architect personalities because of their strategic, logical way of thinking.
engineers in workshop

INFJ Motivations and Values

An INTJ is perceptive about systems and strategy, often viewing the world as a chess board to navigate. In order to understand how systems work, and how events unfold, the INTJ often has a unique ability to foresee logical outcomes. They enjoy applying their knowledge to a project or idea in-depth and putting in concentrated effort to accomplish their goals.

ITJs thirst for knowledge and strive hard to constantly improve their skills; They are often perfectionists with extremely high standards of performance for themselves and others. Self-improvement is an important part of their lives, and they are constantly looking for ways to expand their knowledge and knowledge base.

INTJ Personality Strengths

Strategy. In addition to seeing the plan and course of action, INTJs are also prepared with several back-ups depending on the situations that may arise. In addition to having an expansive, future-focused vision for seeing possibilities and recognizing potential, they are also detailed and logical enough to recognize gaps and inconsistencies.

Innovation. Though INTJs may seem intractable outwardly, as a type they are actually quite responsive to and supportive of change, and this open approach helps them to enhance their problem-solving skills. Because of their belief that most people, processes, and systems could be improved, they will try to find creative and new ways to bring about that change.

Determination. In the face of challenges, INTJs are revered for their bravery and steadfastness. As a result, they are characteristically determined in whatever they do, even to the point of relentlessness, and don’t hesitate to move in to tackle the really difficult problems. This excites and exhilarates them rather than causing them to feel daunted or frustrated. INTJs are confident that they will be able to solve problems and overcome challenges they face in their professional or personal lives.

Willingness to Learn. INTJs aren’t just looking to change externals and other people. Additionally, they are diligently committed to working on themselves. Though they aren’t typically concerned with their feelings or emotional state, they are fully engaged in their own development. As lifelong learners, they will always be looking for ways to improve their knowledge and skills.
female engineer planning dam

INTJ Personality Weaknesses

Superiority. The INTJ’s prowess in intellect, logic, and reason is undisputed and definitely one of their strongest strengths, as is their confidence in their ideas. However, these strengths can become a weakness if they develop into a superiority complex. And, it’s not uncommon. They may be arrogant and condescending, as well as impatient with others who don’t catch on as well. quickly as they’d like. They may be judgmental and intolerant when others demonstrate a decreased ability to think logically and rationally.
Emotional Distance. In addition, INTJs may have a low emotional quotient so they do not want to engage in the emotions of others or their own. As they prefer to conceptualize the world on a logical, rational basis, they tend to lose patience with emotional concerns. It is difficult for them to recognize and respond to the feelings and needs of others. This can hinder interpersonal relationships, as well as their own development, and may end up keeping others at arm’s distance.
Perfectionism. Despite the meticulousness of the INTJ can be a strong characteristic, as in all things, too much of a strength can quickly become a weakness, so this natural fastidiousness can turn into perfectionism. As a whole, their standards are extremely rigorous, and this critique may be directed not only toward themselves but also toward others.
Imbalance. The INTJ places a high value on work and is very dedicated to his or her professional life. This comes with its own price, ignoring time spent with family, other relationships, and leisure. INTJs usually find themselves with misguided priorities and, consequently, relational problems. The drive to succeed professionally can certainly pay off, but also can take a toll on their lives.

The INTJ at Work

The INTJ excels at creating and implementing innovative solutions to analytical problems. They naturally see opportunities for improvement within complex systems and are organized and determined in implementing their ideas.

INTJs are comfortable with abstraction and theory, but their greatest satisfaction comes from converting ideas into reality. Often, they enjoy working independently or in a small group, taking measured steps to implement change.

INTJs enjoy working with logical systems that they can understand thoroughly. They enjoy the challenge of understanding complex ideas, and want to know how they can improve the way things work.

An INTJ ideal workplace is logical, efficient, structured, and analytical, with experienced, intelligent, and productive colleagues. An INTJ’s ideal job is to utilize their analytical skills to solve problems in a challenging environment and to take responsibility for implementing their ideas in order to create efficient and innovative systems.

INTJ Leadership

INTJs serve as strategic, analytical planners, and problem-solvers in leadership positions. They are good at making tough decisions and dealing with complex problems. INTJs excel in managing projects that implement an improved efficiency or innovation, and even though they prefer not to have to manage other people, they will take over if no other leader steps up. In their leadership capacity, they are democratic and hands-off. Generally, they share a common goal and let their reports determine how to complete their responsibilities.

A INTJ will value competence and decisiveness, he or she may neglect to listen to differing opinions once his or her mind is made up. They may occasionally leave out the details of their plans, leaving their teams wondering exactly how projects will be executed.

The INTJ on a Team

INTJs are analytical team members focused on strategy. They have an understanding of systems and how to improve them. They are thoughtful and clear in their analysis. They are good at defining team goals. INTJs are capable of synthesizing ideas of some complexity, and often see, a unifying plan of action. INTJs take a characteristically critical approach to ideas and proposals, analyzing them with objective, detached logic. They want to be free to improve existing systems, and they prefer to work with a team that welcomes change.

INTJs are open to ideas and will discuss the perspectives of team members with equal consideration. They are firm and clear in their logical analysis and are not tolerant of nonsense. They are unlikely to offer support or assurance to teammates they don’t perceive as valuable contributors. They are strong reasoning experts and often get their teammates on board based on their clear ideas. Nevertheless, they may have friction with team members with a focus on relationships. INTJs want a free exchange of ideas, rather than a personal connection.

boxers looking at the smartphone

INTJ Personality Career Choices

The most ideal career for INTJs is to use their logical, orderly reasoning to solve interesting problems. INTJs are often drawn to STEM fields, but they can also work in business, or even the arts. For satisfied INTJs, however, the common theme is that they must have a career with intellectual challenges.

Common careers for INTJs: 

Business, Finance, and Math

  • Accountant or Auditor
  • Financial Analyst
  • Logistician
  • Management Consultant
  • Market Research Analyst
  • Financial Advisor
  • Top Executive
  • Actuary
  • Mathematician
  • Statistician

Architecture and Engineering

  • Aerospace Engineer
  • Architect
  • Biomedical Engineer
  • Civil Engineer
  • Computer Hardware Engineer
  • Electrical Engineer
  • Environmental Engineer
  • Mechanical Engineer

Science and Health Care

  • Atmospheric Scientist
  • Biochemist or Biophysicist
  • Chemist or Materials Scientist
  • Economist
  • Environmental Scientist
  • Medical Scientist
  • Microbiologist
  • Political Scientist
  • Pharmacist
  • Physician or Surgeon

Information Technology and Computers

  • Computer Programmer
  • Computer Systems Analyst
  • Network Administrator
  • Software Developer
  • Computer and IS Manager
  • Computer Scientist

Arts, Design, and Communications

  • Industrial Designer
  • Editor
  • Translator
  • Photographer
  • Technical Writer
  • Writer
woman explaining a concept

INTJ  Careers to Avoid

Although anyone can work at almost any job, your personality type may keep you from both enjoying and working at your best in certain careers. As an INTJ, you may feel uncomfortable in jobs that push you out of your range.

Here are examples of jobs where INTJs may not perform well.

  • Receptionist
  • Hotel Clerk
  • Secretary
  • Telemarketer
  • Recreation Worker
  • Teacher’s Aide
  • Preschool Teacher
  • Home Health Aide
  • Production Worker
  • Advertising Sales Agent
  • Dental Hygienist
  • Licensed Practical Nurse
  • Medical Assistant
  • Nurse’s Aide
  • Social Worker
man writing on a book

Career Choices for the INTJ

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

Because the INTJ personality has so many career choices, you’ll want to narrow the choices that match your individual talents, skills, and mindset. Job search site Indeed encourages analytical thinkers to realize the value their special skills bring to the workplace.
And, they agree that matching your personality type along with your skills is beneficial in identifying your best career choice.

If you are a logical and analytical person who likes to question systems and research information, you can benefit from finding out which careers best suit your personality type.

Pay attention to your gut feeling, because you’ll be working on a daily basis. Just because you have a strong desire to analyze and could be a computer systems analyst, don’t forget you’ll feel more fulfilled with plenty of alone time. You might be happier as a technical writer.
If you are challenged with choosing the next step in your career, Elevanation will help you sort through your INTJ 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.

Schedule your free action call to supercharge your career now.