Of the sixteen Myers-Briggs personalities, the ENTJ (Extraversion, Intuitive, Thinking, Judgment) type is known as the Executive. This extraverted personality type is perfectly suited to leadership roles, and career paths are defined by their efficiency, confidence, and authority.
If you’re an ENTJ personality type, check out these career paths and take inspiration from other leading figures in this category:
| ENTJ Characteristic | Ideal Career |
| Extraverted | Sales manager |
| Intuitive | Lawyer |
| Thinking | Business analyst |
| Judging | Surgeon |
The Two ENTJ Types
ENTJ is a personality type that splits into two based on the leading identity traits of assertion versus turbulence. These distinct types are known as ENTJ-A (Assertive Commander) and ENTJ-T (Turbulent Commander). The difference between these identity traits can cause different responses to the same variables.
| Situation | ENTJ-A Response | ENTJ-T Response |
| Stress | They keep on top of stress more easily; it can help them focus | More affected by stress & more likely to show it |
| Emotions | Less in touch with their emotions | More likely to be sentimental |
| Self-Confidence | Less likely to worry, boosting their sense of confidence | More prone to self-doubt |
| Interpersonal Dynamics | More guarded when interacting with others | More volatile, but also likely to show affection & positive reinforcement towards others. |
What are the Ideal Careers for ENTJ Individuals?
ENTJs are more likely than most to excel in and crave leadership roles, whether within an organization or a team. They are driven by a constant need to be efficient and succeed in whatever they do, so they thrive in entrepreneurial roles and skilled positions requiring attention to detail.
They are known for their determination, resilience, and drive, and they can take the path into the unknown without hesitation; they can find success in many industries and many roles, but some are better suited for their temperament. Ideally, these should involve a degree of leadership and a say in organizational matters. ENTJs prefer to work with some freedom of decision-making, so consulting independently can also be appealing.
When looking to carve your professional path as an ENTJ, look for stimulating careers that offer clear progression opportunities and that allow you to make decisions, either from the start or as part of your evolution. You should also seek out roles that involve either working within a team or managing one.
These are a few of the most popular careers you can keep in mind when making professional decisions:
- Financial Analyst: With their keen strategic minds and planning abilities, this is a steadfast choice for ENTJs that will put all their skills on display.
- Sales Manager: The ENTJ charisma is well-suited to sales roles, especially those involving managing teams to achieve specific goals.
- Lawyer: The ENTJ intuition and extroversion can achieve excellent results in the law world.
- Business analyst: ENTJs are great strategists with a keen eye for their field. As business analysts, they can study each trend and efficiently use them to achieve their goals.
- Surgeon/Physician: The famous ENTJ attention to detail makes this personality type excel at medicine, especially in surgery. The efficiency and tireless pursuit of goals also come in handy here.
- Entrepreneur: ENTJs work best within a team, but they need to be the ones making influential decisions. They are also driven by their goals, which makes them dedicate all their time to their job. These are great traits for budding entrepreneurs.
- Landscape architect: This career requires plenty of organization, efficiency, charisma, and vision. These are all traits specific to ENTJs that will make them highly successful in this field.
Further Options for ENTJ Careers:
If the above choices don’t inspire you to pursue them, there are many more options you can consider in numerous fields. Browse through some of these other picks:
- Aerospace Engineer
- Mortgage Broker
- Computer Specialist
- Education Consultant
- Scientist
- Geologist
- Economist
- Planning Strategist
- Public Relations Administrator
- Police Officer
- Psychologist
- Communications Specialist
How ENTJ Types Are in the Workplace
ENTJ personality types are easily recognizable in the workplace. These are some of their defining characteristics:
- Clear communication: As natural-born leaders, ENTJs excel at communicating, especially at work.
- Adaptability: ENTJs value efficiency above most things, and they are highly versatile in achieving this. They will dedicate themselves in full to any task and any role, especially if it involves leadership and organization.
- Constant learning: Regardless of what role they hold, ENTJs are high achievers looking to improve themselves. They will actively seek out new learning opportunities, especially if it benefits them in achieving their goals.
- Social skills: ENTJs love to lead, but they also love to work collaboratively. Brainstorming ideas and socializing with work colleagues are key parts of their routine.
- Resilience: The hunger that ENTJs have for success makes them tireless workers with a seemingly infinite supply of strength no matter what happens. This personality type welcomes challenges.
- Strategic: When challenges arise, ENTJs observe them from all angles before proceeding to dismantle any obstacles in their path to achieve their goals.
- Inspiring: Executive types will not only lead their teams to success but also inspire them to have the drive to get there. ENTJs are tireless in pursuing their goals, and they will invigorate anyone else who needs it.
3 Professional Traits of ENTJ Women
ENTJ is one of the rarest personality types for women. ENTJs cover around 12% of the population and only 1% of women. This has typically resulted in ENTJ women becoming groundbreakers in the careers they choose, as the fields where they achieve success are traditional ones that are male–dominated.
Practical
As ENTJ women tend to work in male-dominated fields, they usually have to put in even more effort to showcase their skills. This makes them very practical-minded. They don’t sacrifice elegance or time spent improving their lifestyles through fitness, for example, but their goals are paramount, and they will organize their entire routine around them.
Logical
The ENTJ type tends to be more logical than emotional. Due to traditional social norms, this is especially apparent when it comes to women, who continue to be perceived as the gender more likely to be emotional. ENTJ women go against these norms and focus on logic and reason above emotions, especially in the workplace.
Loyal
Despite not being affected by their emotions, ENTJ women seek loyalty from their coworkers, especially their teams. They are aware that this is a crucial element in building successful teams and will be exceedingly loyal in turn. They demand this from those in their circle and are quick to seek replacements if they do not find it.
3 Careers to Avoid
While success is within reach of ENTJ personalities in numerous industries, some are less suited to their traits. ENTJs need stimulation, challenges, and a lack of repetitive work. These are some career paths to keep at the bottom of the list.
Assistant
No matter the field, ENTJ types should steer clear of any roles as assistants. They thrive in leadership positions and are quickly stifled when they have no say and no seniority.
Clerical
While ENTJs will perform administrative duties to achieve their roles, repetitive clerical work with rules set by others can take the enjoyment away. It will also make them feel like they lack control, which isn’t in their personality type’s best interest.
Receptionists
There are some aspects of reception work that are good for the extroverted nature of ENTJs, but these roles tend to lack decision-making and non-repetitive routines. There would be little fulfillment to be found in this position, and it is not recommended as a long-term career plan.
Conclusion
The ENTJ personality type is a rare one, but highly prized when it comes to leadership positions in particular. ENTJs are great assets in the professional world, and they make significant differences in their chosen career paths.
There are plenty of options for well-suited jobs, but those involving decision-making, communication, team building, innovation, and strategy should be at the top of the list for this personality type.
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