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ENFP Careers - Best Jobs and Career Growth Advice

What traits do ENFPs bring to work, and what should they look for in their career?

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Understanding which skills ENFPs bring to the workplace is critical for finding a rewarding and successful career. Their enthusiasm for, support, and interest in others makes them ideal teammates and team leaders. They are creative problem solvers and thrive in a dynamic environment where every day has the potential to be different from the day before. The ENFP loves working in the abstract with more fluid rules to follow. They enjoy engaging with people, and tend to avoid tedious or repetitive work.

ENFP Career Opportunities to Seek Out

An ideal ENFP career is one that allows them to practice the following qualities. When the work matches what ENFPs naturally enjoy, there is a greater chance of success.
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Flexible

The energy, enthusiasm, and focus of the ENFP can come and go quickly. Having a workload or style of career that allows for flexibility is something the ENFP should value most.

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Creative

ENFPs are creative problem solvers by nature. Finding work that requires creative expression, problem-solving, or navigation will fulfill the ENFP.

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Mission-Focused

ENFPs rally round what they believe in, and they are great team players. Finding work with a larger mission behind it is an effective way for the ENFP to stay engaged in the day-to-day operations because their work is always tied back to the larger vision.

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Social

The ENFP prefers to work with others- maybe not always directly with others, but certainly alongside them. Finding a career that allows the ENFP to interact personally with clients, co-workers, or colleagues will serve them well.

ENFP Career Elements to Avoid

Like all types, some ENFP career choices are less viable due to ENFPs being less suited to some tasks and styles of working. If these can be avoided, there is a greater chance the ENFP can have a happy and productive working environment.
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Rigid Rules

The ENFP thrives where they can express their unique selves and dream up new ways to fix problems. An environment with strict rules, structures, and regulations would feel stifling to the ENFP.

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Solitude

While the ENFP needs some time alone to recharge their social batteries, a career working alone would be crushing. They are social creatures, and when alone, they cannot utilize one of their most vital skills: reading people.

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Repetition

Most careers have elements of repetition in the daily grind, but some more than others. Repetition of outcome is ok for the ENFP; repetition of the process is not. Give the ENFP the idea of what the end goal looks like, but do not prescribe the exact steps they must take to achieve it.

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Detail

The ENFP tends to operate at a 50,000ft overview of their work. Their style always defaults to the big picture and how their work impacts the larger vision. Asking an ENFP to take on detail-driven tasks is not ideal for the ENFP or for the work that needs to get done.

Managing an ENFP at work

Best way to manage and work with ENFPs

Understanding what motivates the ENFP is key to managing one effectively. A well-managed ENFP can improve everyone else on the team because their energy and enthusiasm are so infectious. They have creative solutions to the problems they face, and they are often not afraid to share those ideas with you.

ENFPs have a hard time sticking to rigid structures, and so providing them with some flexibility will benefit you both. Flexibility doesn't have to be a blanket term for letting them do whatever they want. ENFPs love working towards the larger mission, and frequently you can offer flexibility in how they get their work done that supports that mission.

The big ideas are what inspire the ENFP. However, the weakness in this is an aversion to tedious, repetitive work. There may also be trouble meeting deadlines due to a constantly shifting focus on the next, new idea. Reminding the ENFP what short-term priorities exist and how those short-term milestones relate to the big picture are crucial to keeping them motivated and effective.

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ENFPs are indifferent to deadlines. Deadlines are easily forgotten and so it's important to check in with an ENFP to ensure it stays on their radar.

ENFPs are very social, and their desire to connect with those around them is extended into their work environment. Whenever possible, position your ENFP so they can interact with team members, other teams, or customers as they go about their business.

  • ENFPs need to know how their daily work contributes to the larger mission.
  • ENFPs need some flexibility to be creative when solving problems they encounter.
  • ENFPs will be the most fulfilled when they can engage with others; colleagues, or customers

Constructive Criticism

Constructive feedback is good for everyone, but be aware that the ENFP can be overly sensitive.

Working with ENFP Colleagues

Best way to work with ENFPs as your colleagues

Having an ENFP colleague is neither good nor bad, but knowing how they desire to interact will undoubtedly improve it. ENFPs at their best are your best cheerleader, someone that will join a new project to help, and someone that can offer a creative solution when you're stuck. At their worst, they may share too much, not follow through with ideas and plans, or be generally disorganized.

ENFPs wish to connect on the deepest level with just about everyone they meet, all the time. Even a mundane conversation about the morning commute can turn into a philosophical discussion about the nature of time, work, and the true meaning of life. Allowing the ENFP to gush and reminding them to refocus will help them stay grounded and on track.

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Social networks are important to an ENFP. Allowing them some freedom to engage with others will let them do their best work.

Colleagues wanting help from an ENFP colleague just need to ask. The ENFP is often acting in service to others and will see little issue with pausing their task for the thrill of helping others, particularly if the other tasks is new. The ENFP may even help others to their own detriment. They are inclined to say yes, even if they have little time. So use an ENFP's generosity with their time wisely and you will help them not to become distracted from their own responsibilities.

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Brainstorming solutions to an abstract problem is exciting and fun to the ENFP. They will be more than willing to speak up in a group setting to share their idea or expand on the idea of others.

ENFPs will want to get to know their colleagues and will like to share their time and experiences. Be prepared to share some of your true motivations.

  • ENFPs prefer active, vibrant working environments with people and stimulation.
  • ENFPs will want to learn about others’ dreams and desires, and why someone is doing the work they do.
  • ENFPs will help others when asked, even if they don't necessarily have the time to do so.

Data: Careers reported by ENFPs

Survey data on ENFP career choices

What are the most and least popular ENFP careers?

Figure 1: Survey data of which career sector ENFPs currently work in

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What this chart shows

This chart shows the percent of ENFPs who work in each industry sector compared to all types. This highlights which careers have an above-average and below-average proportion of ENFP types working in them.

Notes:
  • 1. n=27985
  • 2. Population: all
  • 3. This data shows self-report data to the question "what is your primary career?". Results do not necessarily imply these are the most or least suitable career choices, just the most and least frequently selected by people with ENFP personality type.
  • 4. Live dataset last updated:
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Ellie Simmonds, MSc

University of Bath, Psychology

Ellie Simmonds, MSc in Psychology from University of Bath. Ellie is an associate lecturer on psychometric assessments and has extensive knowledge of the 16-type model.