10 INFJ Careers To AVOID At All Costs
With endless creativity and perfectionism, the INFJ makes a great employee or business owner in almost any career they fancy. And for the most part, we’re all pretty familiar with the specific career sectors that are most suitable for the INFJ personality type.. but what about the jobs that just aren’t cut out for the INFJ?
1. Politics
If you’re an INFJ yourself, you’ll understand that avoiding politics as a career choice is a no brainer. Well, besides the fact that politics and governance stereotypically just aren’t an INFJs cup of tea, there's much more to be said about why INFJs should avoid this career sector entirely.
One of those reasons being, there is no emotion or empathy to be found. Many politicians are known to use a narcissistic and unreliable form of artificial empathy towards the masses, in hopes of getting on the good side of the majority.
However, INFJs see right through this facade. They are highly principled with very high morals, meaning they have little room for stern diplomacy. In fact, it’s difficult to get the INFJ to even be slightly interested in talking about political matters, nevermind getting them to work in a governing setting.
2. Customer Service
Sure, INFJs love helping people.. But that’s not exactly the case when it comes to practical matters. With a lack of creativity and observation, a repetitive customer service job that entails replying to countless emails and phone calls can suck the motivation out of the imaginative INFJ within just a few short months.
Not to mention, INFJs aren’t entirely skilled at upselling or pestering people into buying into new offers, discounts and sales that usually come with customer representative jobs. They can easily tell when people aren’t interested, and can actually end up feeling pretty cringed out when they go against their intuitive notions for the sake of their job.
3. Firefighters of Paramedics
INFJs want to help and save people, but not exactly from burning buildings. Similar to the customer service sector, it may seem like paramedics and other people-saving careers would be right up an INFJs alley, but that’s not exactly the case.
Despite their natural problem-solving instincts, INFJs are much more equipped to deal with long-term problems rather than quick-thinking problem solving situations.
Sure, they can manage working under pressure when it’s called for but these short-term problem solving careers leave little room for the INFJ to complete their in-depth analysis in order to fix the root of the problem. Instead, people-helping careers such as counsellors, therapists and social workers tend to be a better fit.
4. Military
Without stating the obvious, militarian jobs such as the army, air force or navy require conformity and lack of emotion.. 2 things the INFJ isn’t willing to go without. In these types of service careers you are trained to follow orders without question, and seems that INFJs tend to question just about everything in life in order to find the deeper meaning behind it, blindly following orders isn’t anywhere near fitting for this personality type.
The rigid routine and structured discipline can instantly crush an INFJs creative and empathetic spark, leaving them with a crushed spirit and lack of creative outlet. Not to mention the concept of military and war being something most INFJs don’t agree with on any level..
5. Clerical Work of Any Kind
We spoke about customer service jobs, which mostly require clerical work.. But what is it about a desk job that is so unappealing for the INFJ personality type? Well, lack of innovation and opportunities for intellectual growth is a great start. INFJs are on a never-ending quest to self improvement, and there’s nothing more dampening on this underlying desire than a 9-5 desk job.
If an INFJ poors their efforts into something day after day with little-to-no proof of real growth or contribution to a bigger picture, their passion and drive will dwindle. Plus, the work environment is far from ideal. Loud noises, interrupting coworkers, bright lights and repetitive tasks are nothing short of a nightmare for this highly sensitive type that is so influenced by their surroundings.
6. Police
An INFJ police would probably let a lot of people get away with only a slap on the hand. Considering the INFJ’s stereotypical tendency to give everyone they meet the benefit of the doubt, this empathetic type would certainly have difficulties with maintaining sternness and authority. With strong views and opinions on the structural end of society, most INFJs also have a reluctance to conform to the rules and regulations that are set out for them.
And so, if an INFJ gets into the law and policing career sector, they may find themselves feeling uncomfortable with the laws they’re required to enforce. They may question the legitimacy and reasoning behind the set laws, which only results in them questioning why they’re the ones responsible for imposing them.
7. Finances
INFJs are naturally big-picture oriented, and can often look past the finer details of things, making a career in finances a little more challenging for them compared to other personality types. INFJs love to analyze and observe, but that’s only when it comes to humans and the world around them.
A career in finances requires a keen eye for data and details, and doesn’t require any form of creativity or personal growth. In fact, being held responsible for other people’s money alone can make the INFJ quite uncomfortable and stressed out. Not to mention, repetitive jobs that require the same tasks day in and day out can be extremely daunting for the passionate INFJ.
8. Motivational Speaker
Public speaking for the sake of motivating and helping others actually doesn’t sound so bad for the INFJ personality type. Considering the INFJ’s natural ability to motivate and understand others, combined with their deep calling to help humanity, motivational speaking can actually come across as a considerably rewarding career.
And, if it wasn’t for their struggle to formulate their deepest thoughts into words, it probably would be a great fit. However, most INFJs prefer the written aspect of things.
In other words, they are much more in tune with their writing abilities than they are their speaking abilities, and because of that, motivational speaking may pose some challenges that are difficult to overlook. Of course, if this passionate personality type were to set their mind to it, there would be no stopping them!
9. Professional Chef
The innovation and originality that goes into being a professional chef or cook may be enticing for the expressive INFJ, however there’s more to this career than just playing with food all day. A career as a chef comes with high stress, high demand, and an intense work environment that not every personality type is cut out for.
With a required keen eye for detail and an unavoidable high stress workplace with high expectations, the creativity that goes into being a chef eventually becomes not as fun as it once seemed. The fast-paced, loud and slightly angry work environment of a professional kitchen can take its toll on the highly sensitive INFJ, leaving them feeling dull and burnout in the matter of no time.
10. Tech
Coding, IT, computer engineering, you name it.. The INFJ is far from being interested. Sure, tech jobs are on the rise, and usually come with the promise of decent career stability and a good pay cheque, but all of that is irrelevant to the INFJ who craves purpose. The tech industry is practical, tedious and uncreative to say the least.
In fact, there’s nothing about the tech game that calls for the INFJ’s most prominent skills and abilities. This career sector only comes with disinterests and things most INFJs tend to avoid when job searching, like a competitive and overworked work environment, lack of creativity and originality, and endless repetitiveness