ESTJ
Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging
As an ESTJ, career satisfaction means doing work that:
Popular Occupations for ESTJs
In listing occupations that are popular among ESTJs, it is important to note that there are successful people of all types in all occupations. However, the following are careers ESTJs may find particularly satisfying and some of the reasons why. This is by no means a comprehensive listing but is included to suggest possibilities you may not have previously considered. Although all of these occupations offer the potential for career satisfaction, the future demand for some careers is anticipated to be greater than for others. Based upon our research, the occupations that are italicized in the lists below are forecast to enjoy the fastest rate of growth over the next several years.
SALES/SERVICE
These occupations allow the ESTJ to work in the real world, on realistic and tangible projects. Most of these careers demand adherence to standard operating procedures and require a great deal of interaction with the public or groups of people. ESTJs enjoy being in positions of authority and enjoy giving orders. Sales of real things offers the opportunity to engage in work that achieves immediate and tangible results.
TECHNOLOGY/PHYSICAL
These fields require the use of the ESTJ’s technical and mechanical abilities. Each allows them to focus on gathering, organizing, and analyzing factual information, and engage in deductive reasoning. Each of these occupations requires a logical and organized work style, which is enjoyed by ESTJs who prefer a work environment that is orderly and neat. ESTJs are impatient with confusion and inefficiency.
MANAGEMENT
The managerial fields are often satisfying for ESTJs because they like to be in positions of authority. They are good executives because they enjoy giving orders, making decisions, and supervising others. They are also very loyal to established institutions. Management requires constant interaction with other people and the ability to direct, monitor, and evaluate the work of others.
PROFESSIONAL
The appeal of the professional fields is the ability to work in established, traditional institutions in positions of authority. Dentistry and medicine are technical occupations that generally include hands-on activities — working with real people and tangible objects such as teeth and gums (for dentists), and the human body (for general practitioners). These occupations make use of the ESTJ’s powers of deductive reasoning and ability to understand cause and effect. They prefer to do things following a prescribed procedure proven effective by their own experience and others whom they respect.
Your work-related strengths may include:
Your work-related weaknesses may include:
Using your strengths is easy. The secret to success for an ESTJ is learning to: Slow down, consider implications for people, and be flexible.
- Lets me work systematically, organizing facts, policies, or people, and use time and resources efficiently toward a logical conclusion
- Lets me use mastered skills while working on concrete and straightforward assignments with clear specifications, using my strong reasoning powers
- Is measured and evaluated by fair, logical, explicit, and objective standards
- Is done in a friendly environment with other hardworking and conscientious people who do not bring their personal problems to work or expect me to share my personal feelings on the job
- Is realistic and tangible in nature and has practical applications and concrete results
- Has clear expectations and reporting hierarchy
- Lets me be productive, organizing the necessary steps and resources, following established procedures, and setting and meeting deadlines
- Is done in a stable and predictable environment, but one that is also filled with action and a variety of people
- Can be done with other people, enabling me to be in charge of myself and others
- Lets me make decisions and have a great deal of control and responsibility; where my opinions, recommendations, and experience are considered important
Popular Occupations for ESTJs
In listing occupations that are popular among ESTJs, it is important to note that there are successful people of all types in all occupations. However, the following are careers ESTJs may find particularly satisfying and some of the reasons why. This is by no means a comprehensive listing but is included to suggest possibilities you may not have previously considered. Although all of these occupations offer the potential for career satisfaction, the future demand for some careers is anticipated to be greater than for others. Based upon our research, the occupations that are italicized in the lists below are forecast to enjoy the fastest rate of growth over the next several years.
SALES/SERVICE
- Insurance agent
- Sales (tangibles): computers, real estate
- Funeral director
- Cook
- Military officer
- Teacher: trade, industrial, technical
- Government employee
- Security guard
- Sports merchandise/equipment sales
- Pharmaceutical sales
- Telecommunications security
- Police/probation/corrections officer
- Occupational health and safety specialist
- Ship and boat captain
- Regulatory compliance officer
- Purchasing agent
- Aviation inspector
- Athletic coach
- Athletic trainer
- Sales agent: securities and commodities
- Underwriter
- Credit analyst
- Cost estimator
- Budget analyst
- Police and detective supervisor
- Commercial airplane pilot
- Transport coordinator
- Flight engineer
- Construction and building inspector
- Licensing examiner and inspector
- Real estate appraiser
- Paralegal
- Legislative assistant
- Insurance adjuster
- Court clerk
- Hotel and motel manager
- Environmental compliance inspector
- Recreational therapist
- Sound technician
These occupations allow the ESTJ to work in the real world, on realistic and tangible projects. Most of these careers demand adherence to standard operating procedures and require a great deal of interaction with the public or groups of people. ESTJs enjoy being in positions of authority and enjoy giving orders. Sales of real things offers the opportunity to engage in work that achieves immediate and tangible results.
TECHNOLOGY/PHYSICAL
- Engineer: mechanical/applied fields
- Computer analyst
- Auditor
- General contractor
- Farmer
- Construction worker
- Pharmacist
- Clinical technician
- Accounting internal auditor
- Technical trainer
- EEG technologist/technician
- Paralegal
- Network administrator
- Database administrator
These fields require the use of the ESTJ’s technical and mechanical abilities. Each allows them to focus on gathering, organizing, and analyzing factual information, and engage in deductive reasoning. Each of these occupations requires a logical and organized work style, which is enjoyed by ESTJs who prefer a work environment that is orderly and neat. ESTJs are impatient with confusion and inefficiency.
MANAGEMENT
- Project manager
- Officer manager
- Administrator
- Factory supervisor
- Database manager
- Purchasing agent
- Regulatory compliance officer
- Budget analyst
- Administrator: health services
- Chief information officer
- Management consultant: business operations
- Logistics and supply manager
- Bank manager/loan officer
- Credit analyst/counselor
- Property manager: commercial/residential
- Bill and account collector
- Food service and lodging owner
- Computer network administrator
- Nursing director
- Construction manager
- Association manager and adviser
- Treasurer, controller, and chief financial officer
- Private sector executive
The managerial fields are often satisfying for ESTJs because they like to be in positions of authority. They are good executives because they enjoy giving orders, making decisions, and supervising others. They are also very loyal to established institutions. Management requires constant interaction with other people and the ability to direct, monitor, and evaluate the work of others.
PROFESSIONAL
- Dentist
- Physician: general medicine
- Stockbroker
- Judge
- Executive
- Teacher: technical/trades
- Civil/mechanical/metallurgical engineer
- Corporate finance lawyer
- Electrical engineer
- Primary care physician
- Industrial engineer
- Paralegal
- Pharmacist
- Lawyer
- School principal
- Chief information officer
The appeal of the professional fields is the ability to work in established, traditional institutions in positions of authority. Dentistry and medicine are technical occupations that generally include hands-on activities — working with real people and tangible objects such as teeth and gums (for dentists), and the human body (for general practitioners). These occupations make use of the ESTJ’s powers of deductive reasoning and ability to understand cause and effect. They prefer to do things following a prescribed procedure proven effective by their own experience and others whom they respect.
Your work-related strengths may include:
- Practicality and focus on results
- Forcefulness in dealing with your commitments; you can be tough when necessary
- Ability to stay focused on the organization’s goals
- Precision and accuracy and desire to get the job done right
- Desire to follow established routines and procedures
- Ability to recognize what is illogical, inconsistent, impractical, or inefficient
- Organizational skills; you’re good at making objective decisions
- Belief in the value of a traditional structure and the ability to work within it
- Sense of responsibility; you can be counted on to do what you say
- Clear work ethic; need to be efficient and productive
- Common sense and realistic perspective
Your work-related weaknesses may include:
- Impatience with those who don’t follow procedures or who ignore important details
- Reluctance to embrace new, untested ideas
- Discomfort with or resistance to change
- Little patience with inefficiency or processes that take too long
- Focus on present needs at the expense of future ones
- Tendency to overrun people in an effort to meet your goals
- Inability to see future possibilities
- Lack of sensitivity about how other people will be affected by policies and decisions
- Difficulty listening to opposing viewpoints; you may interrupt frequently
Using your strengths is easy. The secret to success for an ESTJ is learning to: Slow down, consider implications for people, and be flexible.