ESTJ Careers: Find the Job That Fits Your Personality

The ESTJ type (which is known as the "Executive"),  stands for Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking and Judging. ESTJs are the type of people who get their energy from socializing and being around others. They enjoy facts more than abstract concepts and ideas. This personality type uses logic and reason rather than feeling to make decisions, and they are organized planners who prefer to not be spontaneous. 

This personality type enjoys order. ESTJs focus on maintaining tradition and value what is considered to be right and wrong, which directly affects the way they are as employees, colleagues and managers. A good amount of past American presidents have been ESTJs, as well as around nine percent of the population!

ESTJs in the workplace

ESTJs are consistent in their workplaces. They prefer to follow the rules and maintain order in an office. They work hard to complete their assigned tasks to the best of their ability, almost always following the guidelines provided by the person above them, rather than branching out to explore their own ways. They are friendly and truly enjoy their work and getting tasks complete. But they have little to no patience when it comes to slacking off and decreasing efficiency at work. And they will let others know if they feel this is taking place. 

ESTJs value teamwork and camaraderie in the workplace. They enjoy the aspect of working together to benefit the organization they are dedicating their time to. 

As managers

ESTJs can be overbearing managers for some, but are mostly effective in their positions. They enjoy maintaining order, making important decisions and setting expectations for employees. ESTJs can sometimes micromanage their workers, as they can find it difficult to delegate tasks and take a step back. In general, they do not respond well to change, especially when that change involves rules and regulations that have been implemented for a long time. 

This personality type gives their employees clear expectations and does not give cryptic instructions or loose schedules. They are very black-and-white about their management style, which employees enjoy. And they value loyalty, meaning they support their workers and will defend them in the face of layoffs or other controversies.

As subordinates

Those with the ESTJ personality will follow direct orders from a manager, as they truly wish to maintain order. But they are not shy about expressing their distaste for certain ideas by superiors that have not been fully formed. And while they tend to resist change, they are open to it when it means improving on existing policies that are not as efficient as they could be. ESTJs as subordinates will not stray past direct orders to test their own ideas because their main concern is completing their delegated tasks to the best of their ability. 

Best ESTJ career choices

Those with the ESTJ personality choose practical careers that allow them to move up in the company. And because of their affinity for organization and structure, they normally end up in a company that also values tradition and straightforward rules and expectations. ESTJs are also very loyal, meaning they choose to stay with a company for a long period of time, and they expect the company to value loyalty as well. They might search for an organization where this kind of recognition is given and valued as well. 

While those with the ESTJ personality are passionate and driven enough to succeed in most fields, they may fare better in certain career paths than others. Here are the career paths ESTJs are most likely to follow:

1. Sales

ESTJs want to feel valued and want their work to be recognized. The perfect career path for this type of desire is sales, where ESTJs have clear expectations they can meet, surpass and be awarded for.

2. Auditor

Because ESTJs so much enjoy the aspect of rule following, career paths like auditing bode well for this personality type. They are able to maintain order and organization in a larger system.

3. Judge

Again, a career that allows ESTJs to maintain order, as that is the literal job description of a judge. Also, judges begin as attorneys, which means ESTJs are able to have a path upwards in their field and are given recognition for their hard work.

4. Hotel Manager

ESTJs do well when they are put in charge of a larger organization and able to maintain a stable environment within. Any type of manager would be sufficient, but because ESTJs also enjoy the feeling of camaraderie, they would very much enjoy the family feeling of a hotel business.

5. Financial Officer

Financial officers also provide a very black-and-white workplace environment for this personality type. Fields involving math and science work well with ESTJs, as there are less subjective beliefs and more objective truths. 

The worst careers for the ESTJ personality type

ESTJs enjoy being able to have responsibility and clear expectations. More artistic career paths might not provide the best organized environment and clear-cut paths for this personality type, although they would probably be successful in almost any field due to their hard work. 

These are the career paths that might not work as well with the ESTJ personality type:

1. Musician

As mentioned before, ESTJs enjoy being able to follow a clear path and clear guidelines within a career, which would not be as possible in a field like music.

2. Writer

Writers are not given the clear cut guidelines that ESTJs require in order to be successful. An ESTJ might struggle trying to write her own guidelines in this field.

3. Graphic Designer

While certain more artistic ESTJs might enjoy a field like graphic design, the overall lack of direction or guidance in a creative field like graphic design might frustrate other ESTJs. 

How to find the right career for your type’s strengths and weaknesses

ESTJs are hardworking and driven, which are both qualities they should highlight in job interviews. They enjoy structure and direction, which makes them both great employees and great leaders, as they are also able to administer structure and direction as well. 

ESTJs should work to become more flexible when it comes to changes in the workplace, although they can also view this as a strength, when it comes to being dependable and competent. And one quality of ESTJs that cannot be forgotten is their extroversion. They should search for a career where they are able to work and interact with others on a daily basis, or they may feel drained and alone in the office. 

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