Ideal Careers for People with the ESTJ Personality Type

Understanding your personality can help you accomplish so much in life. If you are an ESTJ, you might be wondering what careers you might be best suited for. In fact, many employers will be looking at your personality type when making their determination of how you would best fit into their organizational structure.

Some of the best career paths for ESTJ individuals include those in the sales, education, finance, and hospitality industries. Within each of these fields, there are various jobs available to people who fit the ESTJ profile.

It should come as no surprise that certain types of individuals best perform certain jobs. That is why it is important to understand your personality type and which careers you would be the best at. If you fit into the ESTJ profile, continue reading to learn more about the fields you want to pursue.

ESTJ Careers Summary

ESTJs have the drive to succeed in a wide range of careers. They often occupy management positions in sales, hospitality, and education. The important thing about these areas is that they provide opportunities for ESTJs to exert their personality, and reward those who follow the rules.

Ideal Careers for ESTJs

The following table details some of the more desirable careers for ESTJs by their respective fields.

Sales Industry	Hospitality Industry	Education/Health Industries
Sales Engineer	Hotel Manager	Finance Counselor
Stockbroker	Chef	Pharmacist
Insurance Agent	Restaurant Owner	Dentist
Sales Manager	Chief Financial Officer	Physician
Purchasing Agent	Chief Information Officer	Athletic Trainer
Real Estate Agent	Project Manager	School Principal
Property Manager	Airline Pilot	Vocational Teacher
Funeral Director		Military Officer

These are the careers that are ideally suited for individuals with an ESTJ personality type. This means that these provide jobs for individuals who are strong and confident in their abilities and are not afraid to lead. Organizations depend on these types of individuals in order to be successful.

What Does ESTJ Mean?

This is one of the 16 different types of personality profiles that a person can fall into after taking the Myers Briggs Profile. If you come out as an ESTJ, that means that you are:

• Extraverted – Extraverted individuals feel energized when they are around other people. They do not shy away from the ‘big stage’ and look forward to major events. Being alone can actually be draining to extroverted individuals.
• Sensing – This type of person tends to be more focused on factual information and specific details as opposed to abstract ideas and concepts.
• Thinking – Thinking individuals are best suited for careers where they can make decisions that are based on their ability to process information logically and with reasoning.
• Judging – Finally, an ESTJ strives to have a more planned and organized outlook to their life as opposed to one that is more spontaneous and flexible. This bodes well for a career that provides a more structured and ‘normal’ daily routine.

This is important because it will help you identify certain careers that you are better suited for than others. You will want to look for fields that put you in situations that make the best use of these traits. This is also what employers will be considering when they go to fill their open positions.

Who Is an ESTJ?

Now that you have a better understanding of what ESTJ means, it would be helpful to know what type of person fits this particular personality style. Here are some general characteristics to help you better understand the ESTJ individual:

• Hardworking
• Traditionalist
• Organized
• Ready to take charge
• Not afraid to lead
• Abides by the rules

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive list that describes a person who fits the ESTJ mold, but it does provide a general guideline. Overall, ESTJ personality types are people who like to go out and get things done independently if necessary. They do this by developing a systematic plan that can be put into place and then executed.

Many of the careers best suited to ESTJ’s are those that require organization. This allows the person to use his or her skills to bring about a certain structure to the company that enables projects to be completed well and on time. These are individuals who like things to be predictable to put their knowledge to the best use possible.

4 Strengths of an ESTJ Personality

ESTJ individuals have certain strengths that enable them to be great employees in certain fields. These include the following four advantages that are generally applicable to individuals who measure out as an ESTJ after taking the Myers-Brigs personality profile.

1. Organization and Efficiency – On the whole, this type of personality likes to plan and make lists. They are orderly, and they operate off schedules. They work hard to create a structure within their life that details how their time at work and at home will be spent. People who are ESTJs are masters of taking something that is chaotic and turning it into something that is ordered. They almost always meet deadlines.
2. Dedication and Commitment – These types of people do not shy away from commitment. When they agree to do something, they will give it their all to ensure that the task is completed effectively and on time. This means that they will often give up their own time to finish a project at work if they have previously agreed to get it done by a particular deadline. They pull others alongside them to get the job done.
3. Integrity – ESTJs make leaders who truly lead by example. They believe that the rules apply just as much to them as to anyone else. If they ask those around them to work in a certain way, then they will hold themselves to the same standard and even higher. They will not shy away from exercising their authority, but at the same time, they will hold themselves to the same ideals.
4. Stewardship – These are the individuals who are the law keepers within any given organization. They take their role of ensuring that certain standards are upheld seriously. They are also just as deeply committed to their families and their relationships.

These attributes enable the ESTJ to be a strong leader while still following the rules. Their sense of commitment allows them to get the job done thoroughly and on time.

4 Weaknesses of the ESTJ Personality

As with any personality type, there are a few weaknesses that an ESTJ must work to overcome. Here are four of the main ones.

1. Judgmental – ESTJs tend to be very black and white in their approach to professional duties. This means that they may not be flexible and cannot think outside of the box to come up with creative solutions to certain problems that may be plaguing their organization.
2. Not Comfortable with Their Own Emotions – These are individuals who have difficulty understanding the role that their own emotions play in making important decisions. This means that they may come across as ruthless. Because they have relatively low emotional intelligence, they may misjudge and misunderstand the intentions of others. This also means that they tend to have less patience on the whole than other personality types.
3. Workaholics – While it is good to be committed to a job, ESTJs often take that to the extreme. They are often willing to sacrifice their own personal relationships to ensure that the organization’s needs are taken care of first.
4. Stubborn and Inflexible – Once an ESTJ has made up his or her mind, it is often impossible to change it. This means that they have difficulty being objective and cannot determine whether or not they are actually right in their decision once it is made. This rigid mindset can compromise the success of the organization in the short and long term.

The same attributes that make them strong leaders can hurt their personal life. Their commitment to work can often make them rigid in other areas.

Conclusion

There are many exciting careers out there for ESTJ personality types. The key is to find something that you are passionate about and learn how to land a job in that field successfully.