ISFJ jobs
Your personality traits play a significant role in how you work, your skills, your interests and the type of career you’d enjoy. Learning more about your personality type can help you identify strengths, weaknesses and natural affinities that might steer you in the direction of a personally fulfilling career.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a quiz that groups people into 16 personality types, one of which is ISFJ: introverted, sensing, feeling, judging. It’s important not to give the MBTI too much weight, but rather use your score as a general idea of your most prominent character traits.
Known as ‘The Protector’ or ‘The Defender’, ISFJ personality types enjoy supportive roles that improve the lives of others. In this article we look at ISFJ personality careers and some jobs that aren’t recommended for ISFJs.
Understanding the ISFJ personality type
ISFJ is one of the 16 Myers-Briggs Type Indicators, standing for introverted, sensing, feeling and judging. This personality type is nicknamed ‘The Protector’ or ‘The Defender’ for being reserved and empathetic, with a drive to help others. These traits make ISFJs ideal for supportive and caring roles in collaborative workplaces.
As introverts, ISFJ personality types enjoy working behind the scenes rather than taking the spotlight. They like to make a positive impact in their communities and can make good mediators. The typical ISFJ doesn’t like change, appreciates rules and schedules, and has a keen eye for detail.
Key strengths of ISFJs in the workplace
ISFJs bring many strengths to the workplace. They likely have strong interpersonal and communication skills, and are detail-oriented, reliable and supportive, making them keen collaborators. ISFJs are also said to be well organised and creatures of habit, which makes them productive workers in structured environments where they can collaborate with a team towards a united goal.
Top careers for ISFJ
The best ISFJ career matches tend to be roles that support others, whether it’s an entire community or individual people, through jobs in healthcare, social work or education. Here are some roles ISFJ personalities might enjoy.
Registered nurse
Average salary: $85-90,000 per year
Registered nurses work a wide range of roles providing care in hospitals, aged-care facilities, community settings, schools and in private homes. The caring nature, strong interpersonal skills and attention to detail of an ISFJ is well-suited to nursing careers.
Food technologist
Average salary: $80,000 per year
Food technologists, or food scientists, use critical thinking skills, attention to detail and technical abilities to improve food production and quality. It’s a job requiring teamwork, organisation and adherance to strict guidelines. The low-stress work environment – a lab, office, or factory – provides structure, and the work itself is task-oriented appealing to ISFJs’ practical, sensitive nature. To work in food technology, you need a degree in nutrition, food science, dietetics or food and nutrition.
Teacher
Average salary: $98,000 per year
The role of teacher provides ISFJs with the opportunity to educate, guide and support students, and lets them flex their strong interpersonal skills and high empathy. The structured environment of the classroom matches the ISFJ’s rule-abiding nature, and the collaborative nature of teaching suits their love of teamwork. To pursue a career in teaching, you need a bachelor of education, specialising in a specific area of teaching, or a graduate diploma in teaching on top of a bachelor’s degree.
Social worker
Average salary: $95,000 per year
Social workers provide support to their community by working with people experiencing hardship and helping them access the appropriate government programs. Reliability, high levels of empathy and a caring nature make ISFJs a good match for this type of job. To get started as a social worker, you need bachelor's in social work or similar.
Dental hygienist
Approx. salary range: $85-100,000 per year
Dental hygienists work in preventative dental care, helping patients maintain the health of their gums and teeth. Their job is to assess oral health, prescribe oral hygiene treatments, and perform dental cleans. Their eye for detail, desire to help others, reliability and high empathy of an ISFJ make them a good fit for this role. If becoming a dental hygienist sounds like something you’d enjoy, start by getting a diploma or bachelor's in oral health or dental hygiene.
Librarian
Average salary: $90,000 per year
Librarians manage resources in public, school, academic, parliamentary and archive libraries. They require a keen eye for detail, strong interpersonal and organisational skills, and a desire to stay out of the spotlight and work behind the scenes. Librarian roles are generally low-stress jobs, they offer structure and predictability, and suit people who are practical and reliable. To become a librarian, you need a certificate in library information services or a degree in media or information studies.
Office administrator
Average salary: $65,000 per year
Office administrators take care of day-to-day paperwork and the practical operations of an office. Their duties include answering calls, managing emails, taking care of office inventory, preparing documents, scheduling meetings and other ad-hoc duties. Success in this type of role relies on being organised and having good attention to detail, strong communication skills and the ability to work in a team. You don’t need any formal qualifications to work in office administration, but a certificate can help provide the foundational knowledge you need.
Childcare worker
Average salary: $60,000 per year
Childcare workers work with children up to five years of age, across a wide range of different environments: childcare centres, kindergartens, créches, etc. The ISFJ’s organisational skills, desire to help, and need for structure are well suited to childcare roles, while their supportive, empathetic nature helps them form bonds with children and parents. The well-defined tasks of childcare are also a good match for ISFJ personalities.
Bookkeeper
Average salary: $70-75,000 per year
Bookkeepers record and organise financial transactions for a business. Their attention to detail and love for process-driven work helps them keep accurate records and stay compliant with financial regulations. Daily tasks include recording transactions, processing payments, creating financial reports, and reconciling accounts. Bookkeepers need a certificate or a diploma in accounting and bookkeeping.
Carpenter
Average salary: $75-80,000 per year
Carpentry can be a good trade for ISFJs who like to do practical, hands-on tasks, as they spend their days working with timber. It’s a career that requires high attention to detail, good organisation and reliable teamwork skills. To get started as a carpenter, you need to complete an apprenticeship to gain a certificate in carpentry, then apply for a White Card.
Police officer
Average salary: $93,000 per year
ISFJ personality types can make good police officers, as they get to serve their community. ISFJ personality types enjoy working with established rules and tend to have strong mediation skills, which are important to law enforcement careers.
ISFJ careers to avoid
While there are many careers ideal for ISFJs, there are some that might not match well with this personality type. Careers that are high-stress or highly competitive are often not suited to ISFJ personalities. Some careers ISFJs might avoid include:
- Lawyer
- Economist
- Salesperson
- Tour guide
ISFJs are better suited to careers that tap into strengths like good people skills, a keen eye for detail, a love of processes and a desire to help others.
Tips for ISFJs to thrive in their careers
No matter your personality type, finding a workplace that matches your strengths and values is important. ISFJs may thrive in a cooperative team environment with little-to-no conflict, but will likely feel easily drained by highly competitive environments. Identifying your particular strengths and reflecting on what you value in a workplace will help you find a fulfilling career.
To excel in your career, focus on your skills and how they can help you in your chosen job. Whether using your eye for detail as a bookkeeper, your empathy in a nursing role, or your love for processes and rules as a police officer, you can find job satisfaction in many different environments; it all depends on your personal passions and unique strengths.
Famous ISFJs and their careers
Some famous ISFJs include Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine and Selena Gomez. Mother Teresa was also an ISFJ, and used her passion for helping people in her life as a missionary.
If you identify with the ISFJ personality type (introverted, sensing, feeling and judging) you might enjoy a career that allows you to flex your empathetic nature, reliability, love of structure, and desire to help people. Popular ISFJ careers include nurse, teacher, police officer, bookkeeper (and others listed above), but there are many more that favour practical, task-oriented, introverted personalities.
FAQs
What are the best careers for ISFJs?
The best careers for ISFJ personalities are those that allow them to care for and support others, such as nursing, teaching, social work, human resources and librarians. ISFJs are detail-oriented and typically love to work behind the scenes in structured environments.
What careers should ISFJs avoid?
ISFJs should avoid high-stress, competitive careers, such as lawyer, journalist, actor and executive. As ISFJs tend to be more introverted, leadership positions, or any role where they are the centre of attention, may not be ideal.
How can ISFJs find job satisfaction in their careers?
People with the ISFJ personality type tend to find job satisfaction from careers where they can help others and provide practical support. They thrive in structured workplaces with well-defined tasks and low levels of stress.
Are there any specific industries that are well-suited for ISFJs?
ISFJs tend to be well suited to the healthcare industry. Jobs like nursing, midwifery, nutritionist, dentist and other healthcare roles resonate with an ISFJ’s introverted, sensing, feeling and judging traits.
How can ISFJs leverage their strengths in the workplace?
ISFJs can use their strong compassion, interpersonal and organisational skills to succeed in the workplace. These transferable skills are valuable in many different roles, but are particularly helpful in jobs that support and guide others. ISFJs can also leverage their emotional intelligence and natural assertiveness to stand out at work.
What should ISFJs look for in a work environment?
To be happy at work, ISFJs should look for a work environment that is collaborative, tight-knit and supportive. They should avoid environments that are highly competitive or stressful.
