34+ Careers for INFP Personalities (Plus Overview)

Updated June 26, 2023

Image description

A woman in a wheelchair draws symbols on a white board next to a list with the title "INFP personality careers" and these details:

INFP personality type individuals
are independent, compassionate,
creative, idea-focused and
meaningful.

• Photographer
• Graphic designer
• Teacher
• Social worker
• Therapist

When you start your career and at critical points throughout it, you're likely to encounter the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) questionnaire. This is a type of personality test that can help you understand your psychological preferences and decision-making processes which vary based on the different types of personalities such as INFP. Understanding what the INFP personality is and its preferences can prepare you for finding careers that you enjoy and help you plan your working routines.

In this article, we discuss the best careers for INFP personalities and how to work well within the INFP personality type.

INFP personality overview

INFP stands for introversion, intuition, feeling and perceiving. They're highly curious, inquisitive and innovative individuals that are usually optimistic and inspiring team members. They comprise about 4% to 5% of the total population. They're highly creative, easily find connections in hidden patterns and enjoy abstract thinking.

According to Myers-Briggs, an INFP is introverted, intuitive, thinking and judging. This personality is sometimes called the 'mediator' or the 'healer' and is rare. People with this personality type form strong interpersonal relationships but are introverts. They are highly empathetic, which leads them to crave to understand others but are also highly introspective.
—Genevieve Northup, MBA, SHRM-CP, HCI-SPTD

In professional environments, INFPs tend to focus on the bigger picture and aren't as concerned with the details. They aspire to change the world and seek to learn new ideas and skills. While INFPs typically bring enthusiasm and intensity to projects, they can find it difficult to sustain their excitement over long periods.

When decisions are made, they're usually based on personal values rather than logic. Much of an INFP's energy is focused inwardly and characterized by intense feelings and strong values. They tend to be very loyal to the people they love and to beliefs and causes that are important to them. INFPs have definite careers in which they can excel. INFPs are sometimes referred to as mediators.

Careers for INFP personality types

Like ENFPs, research suggests that INFPs perform well in jobs that are both creative and tied to personal meaning. Unlike extroverted ENFPs, INFPs don't mind time alone. Because INFPs are sensitive to the emotions of others, their supportive nature makes them valuable members of any team.

Here's a list of some of the best INFP careers:

Arts and humanities

To others, INFPs often seem reserved, especially to those who don't know them well. Success in the Arts comes naturally to INFPs due to their seemingly endless creative talent, but their desire for solitude usually finds them backstage or crafting their art in solitude. For those considering INFP jobs in an artistic field consider the following:

Commercial media and communications

Because INFPs are skilled at making connections, they enjoy reading and discussing complex topics. INFPs thrive in creative problem-solving environments and are often talented at foreign languages and visual arts. These skills make them well-suited for many careers within commercial media and communications:

Business and technology

Today's businesses are diverse and, often, technology-focused. While INFPs tend to avoid high-stress sales or customer-facing roles, there are many functions within a business or non-profit organization that rely on their creative, sensitive and big-picture thinking. Here are some careers to consider:

Education and healthcare

INFPs are highly attuned to their own emotions and those of others. They make an extra effort to ensure others' emotional needs are met and are well-suited for both education and certain fields in health care, such as counseling or therapy. INFPs are comfortable in quiet spaces and they naturally enjoy one-on-one conversations. You might like roles such as:

Military

The military can offer several roles for INFP personalities. While almost every role includes working with others, most of them don't include working with customers. These include roles that deal with processes and patterns. For example, you might enjoy military roles such as:

Finance

Finance can also be an excellent industry for INFP personalities because there are roles where they can use their excellent pattern recognition and aren't customer-facing to be successful. While most roles do include some interaction with others, there are plenty where an INFP can work mostly on their own. Some roles they may enjoy include:

Which careers should INFPs avoid?

Matching your career path with your natural abilities and personality type may give you a better chance at overall professional satisfaction. While any personality type can succeed in any environment, INFPs may want to avoid open office environments found in many corporations.

INFPs tend to thrive in influential, creative individual contributor roles. They prefer working behind the scenes, rather than as the face of an organization. INFPs crave variety in their work to stay motivated and keep their creative passion flowing.
—Genevieve Northup, MBA, SHRM-CP, HCI-SPTD

They often crave alone time and may be more productive in quieter spaces. They often find sales positions draining or stressful, and fields such as law enforcement or performing for large audiences can also be challenging for their disposition. If you're considering INFP careers, avoid these positions:

Making the most of your Myers-Briggs

Every personality type has traits that manifest differently depending on what's happening around you. As you apply your understanding of your personality type to the workplace, it's useful to consider how you might react on good and bad days. INFPs on a good day may enjoy:

Working alone on creative, long-term thinking and planning
Evaluating creative work such as the design of a new webpage or book cover
Having meaningful, one-on-one conversations with colleagues, clients or patients

INFP on a bad day might feel burnt out when:

Working on budgets and other highly detailed tasks
Feeling unprepared for a high-pressure meeting with a large group
Facing rejection for a creative idea or proposal

When determining the best careers for INFP personalities, the path to success involves integrating their strong internal value system and creative instincts. Their values and intuitions guide INFPs, and long-term success can be best achieved by finding jobs that naturally rely on these strengths.