ESFJ

About ESFJ

ESFJs are generally dependable, talkative, conscientious, and decisive. They are often outgoing and enjoy interacting and socializing with others. They also tend to be practical, organized, and committed to fulfilling their obligations. The ESFJ often has a clear understanding of what they perceive to be right and wrong. They place a strong emphasis on loyalty, family, authority, and tradition. These values are often reflected in their attendance at family gatherings and celebrations. They may also be drawn to the traditional nature of religious or political systems. When necessary, the ESFJ often feels comfortable discussing their strong values with others. They may expect others to have similar values and should be cautious not to become critical of those who do not share their same principles.

The ESFJ often has a focus on others and a genuine interest in peoples lives. They enjoy helping others and tend to seek out service opportunities that reflect this interest. The ESFJ often creates a feeling of warmth in their interaction with others and have a way of encouraging people and making them feel valued. ESFJs may require support from others to affirm that they have done the right thing or made the right choice. They desire appreciation and approval and may feel hurt by the negative response of others. Conflict and tension filled environments can make the ESFJ feel uneasy and these situations are therefore avoided or prevented. The ESFJ will often strive to meet the expectations of others but should be cautious not to neglect their own needs.

ESFJs generally have an interest in applying their organizational skills to create order for people and situations. They gather specific information and can often remember details that pertain to people. They tend to be focused, hard working, and follow through on the details of a project. They often have an interest in projects that have a visible result and enjoy working within a team environment. The ESFJ is likely able to predict what is necessary to complete a task or foresee and respond to potential problems. They tend to value positions of authority, regulations and often use the traditional way to complete a task. They may be resistant to change unless they can see the practical benefits or maintain a feeling of control. The ESFJ often prefers realistic information over abstract or theoretical thinking. They may find that their thinking about possibilities leads them to worry about everything that could go wrong. The ESFJ may become easily discouraged when they cannot recognize a way out of a situation. They tend to benefit from putting a situation into perspective and examining the future implications of their choices.

ESFJ and School

Learning

The ESFJ student will often…

• Require a structured learning process and environment
• Desire to hear information that is practical and applicable to helping others
• Prefer opportunities to participate in discussions or learning activities
• Effectively learn through discussing information
• Dislike theoretical information that has no perceived relevance
• Find it difficult to concentrate when surrounded by conflict or friction
• Prefer to study in a group

Writing

The ESFJ prefers to write about people and their own personal experiences. When they are required to write on technical topics they rely heavily on expert opinion. The ESFJ writer tends to infuse their writing with feeling words. Due to this, they may need to be cautious that their writing does not come across as too emotional or sappy. ESFJs also often desire to hear and readily accept the opinions of others. They tend to tailor their writing to please their readers but should be cautious not to become too dependent on their audience. The ESFJ often wants to maintain a feeling of control over their writing and can usually do this by organizing their time. When encountering writers block, the ESFJ likely finds it beneficial to take a break and interact with others.

In the writing process, the ESFJ will often…

• Use a past writing format that was successful
• Discuss their ideas before beginning to write
• Include details and specific facts in a structured format
• Need to intentionally analyze a topic
• Have an accurate understanding of the time required to complete their writing
• Complete projects within their deadline but should be cautious to include all necessary information
• Benefit from revising their writing to include the main thesis and omit unnecessary personalized information

Procrastination

ESFJs are often motivated to complete their work on time and may not experience significant procrastination. They tend to limit their procrastination to a specific situation that likely involves a relationship component. These situations may result from a fear of rejection, concern over meeting someone’s expectations, or a conflict with a friend. Procrastination may also result from disagreeing with their instructor or a discriminatory and unwelcoming classroom environment. The most effective way for ESFJs to overcome procrastination is to address the underlying relational issue. They may find it helpful to gain insight into the situation by discussing their concerns and feelings with an outside source.

ESFJ and Career Exploration

An ESFJ tends to find career satisfaction with careers that have the following characteristics:

• Provides a tangible way to positively impact and help people
• Encourages relationship building and daily interaction with a variety of individuals
• Fosters a friendly, supportive, and stable work environment
• Offers ongoing positive encouragement, support, and structure
• Provides clear expectations and specific regulations
• Evaluates job performance based on established and understood criteria
• Allows freedom to organize and control the completion of tasks
• Respects positions of authority and established structure

When exploring career options, an ESFJ will often…

• Organize their career exploration to ensure optimal efficiency
• Gather only the information necessary to make a decision
• Perform informational interviews to gather additional career information
• Need to intentionally consider their long-term plans
• Benefit from considering the future impact of their decision
• Prefer making a decision early

Careers to Consider

The following is a list of suggested occupations that fit the qualities of an ESFJ or are careers that other ESFJs have found to be satisfying. Use this list as a starting point for further investigation but do not limit your options to only this list.

Career	Career
Elementary & Secondary Teacher	Special Education Teacher
Home Economics Teacher	Community Welfare Worker
Social Worker	Counselor
Family Physician	Medical/Dental Assistant
Speech Pathologist	Exercise Physiologist
Medical Secretary	Optometrist
Nurse	Dentist
Athletic Coach	Flight Attendant
Bookkeeper	Secretary/Typist
Office Manager	Receptionist
Real Estate Agent/Broker	Sales Representative
Public Relations Specialist	Customer Service Rep.
Office Machine Operator	Telemarketer
Personal Banker	Bank Employee
Professional Volunteer	Student Personnel Administrator
Religious Educator	Minister/Priest/Rabbi
Funeral Home Director	Retail Owner/Operator
Hairdresser	Cosmetologist
Host/Hostess	Caterer
Fundraiser	Restaurant Worker
Child Care Worker

Job Search

During their job search, an ESFJ will often…

• Create an organized job search plan with tangible goals
• Commit daily time and energy to their search
• Network with a large number of individuals
• Assess each option based on their values and feelings
• Benefit from also examining possibilities from an objective and logical viewpoint
• Need to be cautious not to personalize rejection or become discouraged
• Need to ensure they have fully researched each option before making a decision

During an interview, an ESFJ will often…

• Appear enthusiastic and provide a detailed explanation of their past experiences
• Convey their ability to work well on a team and commit to an organization
• Demonstrate their people skills by developing rapport with the interviewers
• Need to ensure that they do not to talk too much
• Benefit from practicing to answer theoretical questions and discuss how their ability to work with people can be tied to the ‘bottom line

ESFJ and Work

At work, the ESFJ will often…

• Be responsible, loyal, sensitive, action-orientated, and realistic
• Effectively produce tangible products or services
• Reliably organize projects to ensure the timely completion of all assigned tasks
• Conscientiously work well with others
• Observe and respond to the needs of others
• Cultivate a friendly and welcoming atmosphere with a focus on interpersonal relationships
• Be negatively affected by unresolved conflict
• Prefer a stable, supportive, and harmonious work environment
• Adhere to the organization’s rules, policies, and procedures
• Accept positions of authority and rarely challenge traditions or social norms
• Work well within a routine but appreciate some task variety

At work, the ESFJ should be aware that they may…

• Experience difficulty in accepting change or implementing new ways to complete tasks
• Be uninterested in opinions that contradict their own
• Struggle working with difficult or uncooperative coworkers
• Benefit from learning how to deal with conflict and accept criticism
• Feel responsible for completing tasks and are susceptible to taking on additional work
• Need to realistically evaluate the amount of work they are able to complete
• Experience difficulty working on their own
• Require additional motivation to complete tasks that involve learning new skills
• Focus on the immediate situation but need to also consider the future implications
• Need to spend additional time evaluating their options to prevent premature decisions
• Feel disheartened, push for a harmonious environment, focus only on meeting others needs, and become easily upset, when they do not receive adequate recognition or appreciation

Teamwork

On a team, the ESFJ will often…

• Gather information through asking questions
• Provide a practical viewpoint
• Enjoy working in a supportive and cooperative team environment
• Organize tasks to promote harmony
• Be interested in the lives of their team members
• Expect all members to participate and complete their tasks

On a team, the ESFJ should be aware that they may…

• Become critical of individuals who do not follow through on their tasks
• Feel frustrated with members who are unproductive, interrupt, deviate from the plan, do not contribute, or constantly advocate for both sides of an issue
• Irritate their team by spending too much time on one topic, personalizing everything, or controlling others by acting for them
• Concentrate on pleasing people and lose focus of their own priorities
• Need to appreciate peoples varying work styles, methods for contributing, and unconventional Z approaches to work

Leadership

ESFJs naturally organize people and situations but may not intentionally seek out leadership positions. As a leader, the ESFJ will often…

• Exemplify the work standards that they expect from their team
• Cultivate good relationships with their group to ensure all members feel valued
• Carefully assign tasks to people based on their individual abilities
• Expect team members to follow their direction
• Communicate all necessary information
• Recognize the big accomplishments of individuals but need to appreciate the small tasks that contribute to the larger goals
• Need to recognize the potential benefit of allowing others to challenge and discuss their ideas, plans, or procedures

ESFJ and Life

Communication

The ESFJ will often…

• Value honest communication
• Desire to hear clear expectations, positive support, pertinent information, and relevant examples
• Encourage and appreciate others’ contributions
• Prefer to provide positive feedback
• Feel comfortable expressing their emotions
• Easily interact with others and participate in discussions

The ESFJ should be aware that they may need to…

• Ensure they listen to the ideas of others
• Learn to be more brief and get to the point
• Be aware that their feedback may be perceived as critical and counterproductive
• Accept constructive feedback without taking it too personally
• Learn how to effectively confront and deal with conflict situations

Decision Making

When it comes to decision making, the ESFJ will often…

• Rely on past experiences and relevant details
• Consider the impact their choices have on people
• Naturally base their decisions on personal feelings and values
• Need to incorporate a logical and objective evaluation of their options
• Make quick decisions
• Need to prolong the decision making process in order to incorporate all necessary information

Playing

The ESFJ will generally complete their work before they feel able to relax. They have an eye for details and their sensitivity to people make them naturally welcoming and a good host or hostess. However, they should be cautious that their desire to please others does not result in neglecting their own needs. In a postsecondary environment, the ESFJ tends to enjoy being involved in campus activities as either a leader or participant. In their living arrangements, the ESFJ works to minimize conflict and create harmony. The ESFJ student also reports to having an active dating life.

Stress

An ESFJ will often experience stress when…

• Creating or dealing with conflict filled or competitive situations
• Others challenge tradition and deviate from the established regulations
• Lacking adequate emotional support
• Required to make immediate changes
• Given an inadequate amount of time to complete a task
• Feeling that their values have been violated
• Unintentionally hurting others or having to treat people harshly
• Over committing to responsibilities and depleting their emotional or physical energy

When they are affected by stress, an ESFJ will often…

• Withdraw from people and feel despair
• Become inconsiderate, thoughtless, or easily lose their temper
• Further resist change and attempt to increase their control
• Heavily rely on the opinions of others
• Under significant stress, become excessively judgmental of themselves and others and feel bothered by these critical thoughts

An ESFJ can reduce stress by…

• Changing their routine or participating in a new activity
• Discussing their concerns with someone who is not involved
• Spending time on their own to reflect
• Ensuring their emotional and physical needs are met
• Reflecting on their spiritual beliefs
• Assessing whether their expectations of others are realistic