When choosing a career path it’s as important to take into account your personality type as it is your skillset, education, and training. Knowing which ENTP jobs to avoid or careers that will gel with your personality makes your choice so much more rewarding.
A Gallup Poll in 2014 showed that around of 70% of workers in the US were unsatisfied with their job. This was slightly up from the previous year and is no doubt still climbing. I work with people who are very happy with their careers, and also those who are incredibly dissatisfied.
The contrast in their personalities, physical and mental health, and all-around outlook on life is very evident. It’s clear how being in a career that doesn’t suit a person’s personality type has a huge negative impact on their lives.
Taking the time to find out where you are in the Myers-Briggs personality type indicator, and which careers are a good fit with your personality type is vitally important. In this article I will run through some of the best, and worst suited careers and jobs for an ENTP personality type.
ENTPs are known as ‘The Visionaries’. It’s abbreviated form and meaning is:
(E) Extraverted – good in social situations, motivated by others, outspoken.
(N) Intuitive – focus on the bigger picture, not the specifics and smaller details.
(T) Thinkers – think first, feel second, using logic and facts.
(P) Perceptive – can be indecisive, preferring to keep an open mind.
As you can see from just the above breakdown there are some useful qualities that can transfer to many careers. They are great with people, think things through, like to focus on details and having an open mind can be a great quality.
Careers ENTP Should Avoid
As with all personality types, there are certain careers that just do not match up with a person’s strengths. Finding the right career is important to bring out the best you have to offer and provide satisfaction. Being in the wrong career can be the start of endless misery and disappointment.
Here are some jobs to avoid if you’re an ENTP:
Administrative Roles
Administrative roles are perfect for some people, being able to plough through a large workload on their own is just what they want. This doesn’t fit within the ENTP skillset however. The repetitive nature of admin work and predictability of the work will drive an ENTP crazy.
Customer Service
Although being extroverted can help in some customer service roles it’s not a good fit overall. There is little scope to be creative and the role can be frustrating for a thinker who likes to keep an open mind and make decisions later.
Drivers
Driving jobs are suited to people who don’t mind driving the same routes, spending lots of time in a small cabin with just themselves, and doing repetitive tasks. This isn’t what ENTP’s want to do. Their personality traits require some freedom to think, create, bounce energy off others, and tackle interesting problems.
Teaching
There are some teaching roles that allow for some creative experimentation, but generally following a set curriculum isn’t going to stimulate them mentally. They are quick learners and like to experiment and bend the rules a little. Their good communication skills do lend themselves to this profession however.
Accountant/Finance Roles
If there is a type of career that muffles creative flair it’s finance roles like accountancy. This kind of role will drive an ENTP crazy over time and I’d be very surprised to hear someone of this personality type sticking out a role like this and enjoying it. It’s not to say they won’t be in this form of career, but they’ll be in that 70% that are very unsatisfied.
ENTP Famous People
It’s always interesting to see which famous people fit a certain personality type. It helps give you a perspective on what kind of careers these people had, what we know about them as people, and how they compare to you.
Here are a few of the most notable famous ENTP personalities:
- Benjamin Franklin – Inventor and Politician
- Barack Obama – U.S. President
- Sacha Baron Cohen – Actor and Comedian
- Robert Downey Jr. – Actor
- Salma Hayek – Actress
- Matthew Perry – Actor
Best Jobs and Career Choices for ENTPs
Some of the best careers and jobs that match up well with this personality type include:
- Actor/Actress
- Scientist
- Entrepreneur
- Psychologist
- Consultant
ENTP Career Choices in Summary
Just as with all personality types and broad careers it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what is a good or bad fit. The generalizations always ring true however, and as you can see from the above details there are some good and bad fits for the personality traits.
ENTP’s need to be challenged intellectually. Jobs or careers that involve repetitive work or mundane and predictable work will not stimulate them to work hard and improve. Without a variation in the workload and motivating goals there is little chance they will stay in the career.
Their creativity and curiosity also means that they work best with the freedom to express themselves and make their own decisions. So large corporate companies are often not the best fit. Instead, smaller companies with a forward thinking attitude are better fits.
There are plenty of examples of ENTP’s making it to the summit of their chosen careers and professions. It’s testament to their dedication and willingness to put themselves into their work 100% when they are motivated and have the freedom to put their creative and innovative minds to task.
Phil lives in England, UK, and has around 20 years experience as a professional life, career and executive coach. He started this blog to help others find and define their own self development journey. Blogging about a wide range of topics to help facilitate a better future.
(I) Intuitive – focus on attention to detail rather than the vague bigger picture.
you got that backwards…and might want to check the functions
Thanks KAtrien – had some crazy tunnel vision typo’s going on, appreciate you pointing it out.