INFJ

About INFJ

INFJs are generally compassionate, creative, helpful, and are often known for their integrity. They tend to focus their energy inward and reenergize through spending time on their own. INFJs are typically private and generally share their thoughts and feelings with people they know. The INFJ may also have a high commitment to their strong value system. They are often guided by their convictions and may become assertive and persistent if these values are violated. An INFJ will often reflect on their intuitions and may be seen as deep and at times complex. They may get a feeling about something and although they experience difficulty in describing these feelings, they are often motivated to act based on these inner thoughts, ideas, visions and hunches. They may not share these intuitive feelings with others because they want to avoid scrutiny.

INFJs generally focus on people and look for ways to contribute to the betterment of others. They are usually caring and will often use their creativity and problem solving abilities to help people. The INFJ tends to have an intuitive understanding of people and issues and has the ability to present their ideas in a manner that inspires others. The information that an INFJ gathers will often reflect their people-focused approach. The INFJ may also have a difficult time confronting people and are often adversely affected by conflict.

The INFJ generally sees the long-term, big picture possibilities. They can be idealistic and often look for new ways to do things through generating ideas. They do not usually rely on specifics unless these details can be incorporated into their grander vision. The INFJ will often mull over their insights, are perceptive to the underlying meaning, and tend to express their inner thoughts through metaphors. The INFJ also believes that the most effective change occurs over time. They generally have a focus on continuous improvement and may question whether they are in the right place in their lives or whether they are living up to their potential. The INFJ is also able to see what needs to be done and will work hard to accomplish these tasks. They are generally organized in their work but may be more flexible and unplanned in their personal lives.

INFJ and School

Learning

The INFJ student will often…

• Require an independent work environment for studying and reflection
• Focus on theoretical concepts and relationships
• Be comfortable with challenging professors
• Use writing to express their creativity
• Prefer instructors who enthusiastically facilitate learning
• Use their time management and organizational skills to excel in academia
• Complete the required reading

Writing

An INFJ excels at writing on topics that they are passionate about and will often infuse their values and ideas into their writing. Many INFJs do well at writing novels and also excel at writing nonfiction that appeals to the feelings of their audience. They are usually drawn to personal topics and may experience difficulty in writing on other areas. They are generally sensitive to how people react to their writing and need to be cautious not to take feedback too personally. An INFJ may also potentially designate part of their day for writing. The INFJ is the most likely of all the MBTI® types to have their writing published.

In the writing process, the INFJ will often…

• Be original, speculate, and look for the big picture
• Need to organize their writing to allow time for reflection
• Put a lot of thought into writing in order to impact their reader
• Gain additional writing knowledge through reading books
• Need to remember to include a logical analysis of information
• Benefit from seeking feedback from a close friend or colleague
• Need to review final draft to ensure their writing matches guidelines

Procrastination

The INFJ may delay their work when they are reviewing and debating possible ideas. It can be difficult for the INFJ to start writing out their thoughts when they are unsure of where to begin. This can be exceptionally frustrating because their intent is to complete the task. Essentially, one side of the INFJ wants to explore the possibilities and the other is looking for closure. This may result in feelings of pressure and frustration. Students can benefit from understanding their type and subsequently learning the root cause of their frustration and tension. It may also be beneficial for an INFJ to discuss their ideas in order to find a starting point to begin their project or writing.

INFJ and Career Exploration

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

• Fosters the continual use of creativity and imagination
• Helps people through creative and solution focused programs and services
• Produces a product or service that evokes pride
• Allows for the unique expression of their interests and abilities
• Provides an opportunity for one-on-one interaction
• Supports their ideas, efforts, and skill development
• Ensures a feeling of control over organizing and carrying out the processes of their job
• Mirrors their personal values and upholds their integrity

When exploring career options, an INFJ will often…

• Set idealistic long-term goals
• Create a plan to meet their goals
• Research information on possible future career opportunities
• Need to consider the specific details of potential careers
• Incorporate their values and trust their intuition when making a career decision
• Need to be cautious that their career choice is not overly influenced by others opinions

Careers to Consider

The following is a list of suggested occupations that fit the qualities of an INFJ or are careers that other INFJs 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
Clergy & Religious Orientated	Medicine
Physicians: Pathology, Psychiatry	Doctors of Osteopathy
Research Assistant	Marketing Professional
Health Care Administrator	Teacher: Humanities/Arts
Educational Consultant	Social Worker
Career Counselor	Social Scientist
Mental Health Worker	Mediator/Conflict-Resolver
Director: Social Services	EAP Coordinator/ Counselor
Job Analyst	Marketing Professional
Human Resource Manager	Marketer (ideas/services)
Media Specialist	Organizational Consultant
Librarian	Playwrite
Novelist	Poet
Designer	Fine Artist
Architect	Psychologist

Job Search

During job search, an INFJ will often…

• Create and organize a thorough job search plan
• Creatively present themselves
• Find job opportunities through people they know
• Develop a job that meets the employer’s projected needs
• Need to ensure they pay attention to the details
• Naturally make decisions based on their feelings but should also incorporate objective information
• Use creative problem solving to overcome job search obstacles
• Need to ensure they maintain realistic expectations

During an interview, an INFJ will often…

• Use their natural ability to develop rapport
• Be future focused but should ensure they relate their abilities to the employer’s current needs
• Come across as quiet and may need to focus on communicating their strong qualities
• Benefit from interview practice that focuses on discussing their skills
• Need to learn how their people skills can be tied to the ‘bottom line’ and be able to market this to a company

INFJ and Work

At work, the INFJ will often…

• Value harmony, cooperation, consideration, and integrity
• Inspire coworkers to adopt their ideas
• Provide unique contributions and creative solutions
• Require enough time to thoroughly complete their assigned tasks
• Want full control and responsibility over their work
• Work to complete tasks and exceed expectations
• Encourage coworkers and help them personally develop
• Be organized in their approach to work
• See the big picture and understand difficult concepts
• Desire an atmosphere that is efficiently run and considers the needs of all employees
• Require a quiet work environment that fosters independent thought and creativity

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

• Be stubborn and single-minded when others disagree with their ideas
• Feel irritated when their ideas are not possible
• Need to remember to include the facts and details in their work
• Need to remain open to information that conflicts with their passionately pursued ideas
• Be negatively affected by conflict or tension
• Avoid conflict and potentially withdraw from confrontational situations
• Feel overwhelmed when inundated with multiple demands
• Benefit from focusing on the underlying significance of their work
• Be unaware of the realistic amount of time required to complete some tasks
• Have trouble adapting to or making quick changes
• Hold back information, make judgments without sufficient information, or withdraw when their contributions are not valued

Teamwork

On a team, the INFJ will often…

• Help to create an atmosphere based on harmony and cooperation
• Pay attention to the needs of their team members
• Use a global lens to examine issues
• Provide creative ideas and insights
• Motivate team members through their positive attitude
• Encourage the contribution of each team member On a team, the INFJ should be aware that they may…
• Frustrate their team members when they are too focused on future possibilities and neglect present realities
• Become irritated when team members are unappreciative, negative, or antagonistic
• Avoid providing constructive criticism
• Experience annoyance if team members do not contribute

Leadership

As a leader, the INFJ will often…

• Create an overall, future-focused goal that they strategically lead others toward
• Motivate through recognizing and affirming individual contributions
• Have trouble objectively correcting subordinates
• Inspire people through communicating their vision
• Use their creativity and devotion to influence people
• Expect individuals to complete their duties
• Use their insights to help people develop

INFJ and Life

Communication

The INFJ will often…

• Listen to people’s problems and assist them in finding a solution
• Want to hear the long-term, big picture potential
• Use metaphorical language to describe their thoughts and ideas
• Prefer one-on-one discussions
• Convey information in a way that is meaningful to their audience
• Appreciate honest communication
• Require a break from interacting with people in order to reenergize

The INFJ should be aware that they may need to…

• Be cautious of appearing judgmental when discussing their values
• Work at providing and accepting constructive feedback
• Work at dealing with difficult people
• Express their own needs
• Use practical wording to convey information
• Intentionally share information with others in all stages of a project
• Be cautious about assuming what is best for others

Decision Making

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

• Base a decision on what they value
• Do an in-depth reflection that considers all implications of their choice
• Take their time in making a decision
• Experience internal conflict when choosing between the organization and people
• Need to review the practical components of each option

Playing

The INFJ has a tendency to want to complete their work before relaxing. As a result, their personal needs may be neglected as they pursue their passions. On campus, an INFJ may be drawn towards joining a campus group in order to implement their ideals or help others. Their roommates generally see them as a consistent friend who is unique and reliable. As well, the INFJ student reports that they tend to go on minimal dates.

Stress

An INFJ will often experience stress when…

• Juggling too many details
• Expectations of themselves are too high
• Required to follow instructions that violate their individuality
• Surrounded by an excessive amount of pessimism from others
• Required to perform a lot of extraverted activities
• Trying to complete everything on their own without delegating tasks
• Required to consider additional information that challenges what they believe
• Surrounded by a disorganized work environment

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

• Become too focused on information they would usually not see as important
• Overeat, purchase items of little value, watch reruns on television, or overexert themselves with cleaning, exercising or repairing
• Become cynical when they are otherwise usually optimistic
• Experience health problems from constant conflict and stress
• With chronic stress, become irritable, tired, tense or angry
• Focus all their attention on what is causing their stress

An INFJ can reduce stress by…

• Delegating tasks, especially detail oriented tasks
• Selecting and completing a project that requires following directions
• Clearly expressing their expectations to others
• Trusting in their values and intuition
• Providing constructive criticism to others
• Reviewing goals and making appropriate changes to ensure they are realistic
• Spending time alone to reenergize