ISTJ Jobs to Avoid

Knowing what the ISTJ jobs to avoid are can save you a lot of time if you know your personality type and are looking to find a career that suits you. Careers choices are a huge deal. It’s not as pivotal as it once was, it’s more common now for someone to change careers throughout their lives. But making a smart career choice is going to have a much more positive impact on your life.

ISTJ’s are known as ‘The Inspectors’. It’s abbreviated from and meaning is:

(I) Introverted – reserved, controlled, self-motivated and deliberate.
(S) Sensing – realistic, practical, detail-oriented and traditional.
(T) Thinking – logical, objective, pragmatic and level-headed.
(J) Judging – orderly, responsible, methodical and hard working.

As you can see, there are some desirable qualities that can transfer over to a range of careers. ISTJ’s are orderly, reliable, and work well as part of a team. They are great at sticking to rules and will follow through on ideas.

Although they are introverted, ISTJ’s work well with others and like to maintain order in their work environments. Having a methodical mind set translates well into a wide range of jobs, and along with being hardworking it’s a great combination.

ISTJ Careers

ISTJ’s enjoy working by the book and keeping everything formal. This works well within industries that carry regulations like roles within law, financial positions, or running their own businesses. Being dependable and hardworking they make excellent team members, as well as entrepreneurs.

They work best on their own left to their own devices. You can be sure they will meet their deadlines and deliver a high standard of work. They rely on other people also being self-motivated and playing their part in the team. When things are going well, they will generally only get better.

Careers ISTJ Should Avoid

Some careers are just not suitable for ISTJ’s. Perusing such careers will be an uphill struggle and a lot less fulfilling that choosing a career that fits with a person’s skill sets. Here are some jobs to avoid if you’re an ISTJ:

Bar/Restaurant Staff

The hospitality industry does not sit well with the way ISTJ’s think and behave. Being rushed, having to think on your feet, and dealing with all kinds of people isn’t part of their desirable skills. Communicating with different people all the time and taking orders from both staff and customers will prove difficult.

Psychologist/Therapist

Sitting one-to-one and hearing out someone’s problems and coming up with a solution is certainly not in the wheelhouse of an ISTJ. Psychologists need to be able to make their clients feel comfortable and communicate on different levels. It’s not the straight forward, ridged work flow they feel most comfortable with.

Customer Service

Being on the front line of customer service takes a certain type of person. That person isn’t an ISTJ. Customer service representatives are typically great at communication, have patients for the problems customers are dealing with, and can think outside of the box to come up with solutions in the moment.

Receptionist

This role is bad for most of the same reasons as the customer service representative. Interacting with a wide range of people and different challenges on a daily basis isn’t what they want. Receptionists typically need to be social and friendly, regardless how much stress or pressure they may be under.

Journalist/Reporter

Journalists are relentless in their pursuit for a good story and to get ahead of others. This kind of competitive environment is foreign to ISTJ personality types. They are not conducive to travelling and deal with different environments on a regular basis.

Public Relations

If there is a role that incorporates a lot of bad points from the other jobs, this is it. Being in the public eye and representing corporations is a nightmare for them. This role typically involves communicating with the public, media, and corporations, all on behalf of the company. They will struggle with the stress, communication, pressure and lack of structure.

ISTJ Famous People

It’s always interesting to know the personality types of famous people and how it’s helped with their careers. Here are some of the most notable famous ISTJ personalities:

• Sigmund Freud
• George Bush
• Richard Nixon
• Queen Victoria
• Queen Elizabeth II

(I covered famous INFJ personalities here.)

As you can see from the above information, the career choices for ISTJ personality type can be grouped around their skills sets as identified by the Myers Briggs personality test. It’s an interesting and informative way to look at choosing a career that’s going to work well with your natural personality and skill set.

I hope this ISTJ careers list, some of the ISTJ jobs to avoid, and some examples of what is best suited to this personality type has been helpful. If you have any comments please drop them below and I will reply as soon as I can.