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Best ESTP Careers & Jobs – Which To Pick or Avoid & Why

ESTP jobs and careers are focused on action and leading. This type of personality is commonly known as a doer, natural-born leader, and energetic problem solver.

The ESTP personality type is one of 16 personality types tested in MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) based on Jung’s psychological typology. In this article, we will take a look at the ESTP career choices, job satisfaction, and what motivates ESTPs. Let’s get right into it.

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The Most Compatible Jobs and Career Matches for ESTPs Also Known as Entrepreneur

Commercial Diver

Why it suits an ESTP: If an ESTP is a commercial diver, they will contribute by completing various tasks like inspection, cleaning, and installation of new components. These divers sometimes work underwater.

This job requires strong practical skills, mental coordination, and excellent mathematics ability.

Auto Mechanic

Why it suits an ESTP: ESTPs are known to be highly practical problem solvers, so they would probably enable repair cars by themselves without much input from others.

They are good at improvisation since they can figure out how things work quickly by testing them with their hands. Since this career strongly involves working on machines, an ESTP will find plenty of opportunities here.

Fireman

Why it suits an ESTP: As a fireman, an ESTP will probably use his hands-on abilities to do complex tasks such as rescuing people trapped in a dangerous environment or putting out fires.

Cargo Pilot

Why it suits an ESTP: An ESTP is able to quickly improvise solutions on the go, which makes him an excellent cargo pilot. In this occupation, an ESTP has the opportunity to travel the world while taking on challenging tasks of flying around heavy equipment.

General Contractor

Why it suits an ESTP: This occupation requires excellent hands-on problem-solving skills. Because of this, ESTPs will be able to easily come up with creative ideas on how to solve problems. Task coordination and improvising are also very important parts of the job which makes it great for the ESTP personality type.

Landscaper

Why it suits an ESTP: This is an excellent career opportunity for an ESTP since he likes working outdoors and using his hands to come up with solutions. He can use his improvisation abilities to create new ways of doing things to improve the efficiency of his work, which makes him a valuable team member.

Jobs and Careers Paths ESTP Should Definitely Avoid

Lots of jobs are not good for ESTP. They should avoid jobs with too much planning or thinking since they like to live in the present moment. Jobs which require too much routine will not be that interesting to ESTPs. An ESTP would feel stifled if they were required to do the same task every day since it doesn’t give them any room for improvisation and creativity.

The following is a list of jobs that an ESTP should avoid:

Animator
Chemical Engineer
Clergy
Craft Artist
Curator
Draftsperson
Epidemiologist
Historian
Librarian

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An Entrepreneur Core Strengths and Weaknesses in a Working Environment

ESTP Strengths They Should Boost

ESTPs are known to be highly observant people, which makes them excellent at assessing situations. They are also very action-oriented and it is easy for them to come up with solutions on the spot since they like to improvise and use their creativity.

ESTPs enjoy pushing themselves and testing the limits of what they can do, which is why many employers find them motivating team members who can take on challenging tasks with ease. Let’s now have a look at some of the most common strengths that an ESTP will display in a work environment, in more detail:

Have great improvisation skills

An ESTP is known as one of the best improvisers among all personality types. This ability comes from their drive towards constant improvement and their openness to new experiences. They are therefore able to come up with solutions on the spot which makes them excellent problem solvers.

Good at finding the root cause of problems

ESTPs are adept at understanding how things work since they have a natural curiosity for all kinds of different things. For this reason, they often do well when it comes to troubleshooting and coming up with solutions to fix problems that arise in their environment.

Excellent strategists who enjoy challenges

An Entrepreneur or ESTPs personality types are highly creative people who can easily come up with new ways of executing tasks or solving problems. This ability helps them become extremely good at negotiating complex situations since they can think outside the box and always find creative ways to achieve their goals.

They are known to be very optimistic

ESTPs are generally happy-go-lucky people who always look for new opportunities in life. This makes them great motivators when they are put in leadership positions since they can inspire others with their positive outlook on life.

Very action-oriented people

An Entrepreneur prefers doing things rather than sitting around and thinking about them. For this reason, they do not enjoy roles that require too much sitting behind a desk or planning out tasks. They would much rather use their improvisation skills to come up with solutions immediately so that they can continue moving forward into something new.

ESTP Weaknesses and the Possible Implications

The following are some of the main weaknesses that an ESTP will struggle with when they are in the workplace:

They dislike sitting behind a desk

ESTPs like to keep moving. When they find themselves sitting down for long periods, it makes them feel bored and restless. This can make it hard for them to complete tasks since their motivation will decrease significantly the longer they have to sit around doing the same thing.

Do not enjoy routine work

Routine thinking is something that an ESTP does not possess much of. They prefer using their creativity and improvising skills instead, which means that most traditional jobs will be too boring for them because they will have to spend all day doing something there is no challenge in.

Tendency to be impulsive

ESTPs may find it hard to think things through before they do them since their drive comes from taking action and pushing forward into new opportunities. They may therefore find themselves jumping into something without thinking about the consequences of their actions, which can lead to problems for them later on.

They dislike working under someone else’s rules

ESTPs prefer setting their own goals and coming up with their ways of doing things. When they are placed under a supervisor who is constantly telling them what to do, this will make them feel incredibly frustrated and annoyed by the lack of autonomy that they get in such an environment.

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How do I Work with an ESTP? (An Entrepreneur in a Team)

ESTPs are happy to be in charge and will enjoy situations when there is an opportunity for growth. They will also appreciate the social atmosphere of the group and they like to keep things light. ESTPs will also enjoy the fast pace of a group and they like to keep moving forward so that they can get more things done.

They may become frustrated if the team is too slow and they need constant motivation when it comes to completing tasks. They are natural leaders but must be supported when in this role by others who share their vision with them.

Being an extrovert, the ESTP will add a lot of energy to any group and will encourage ideas from different angles with his improvisation skills. However, he needs encouragement from his teammates for this, as he may find himself easily discouraged or disengaged when receiving criticism without solutions or of effort in a sustained fashion.

ESTPs may therefore tend to be rebellious towards authority and this may result in arguments or disagreements with their teammates or supervisors. ESTPs themselves need constant encouragement from others so if they are not getting it, they will lack motivation and drive for completing tasks.

Working with an ESTP in a team can be very rewarding, but some key issues may affect the team dynamic. For this reason, it is important to manage the ESTP carefully to make sure they get enough of what they need from their role in the group. This means that you must plan for them to have a leadership role and be able to give them a lot of autonomy over their work.

Any supervision they receive should also allow them to have some flexibility with how they do things, as long as the result is satisfactory. ESTPs may feel that it is difficult to control their impulses around supervisors who may not know how to handle this aspect of their personality correctly.

If an ESTP feels frustrated by a supervisor who does not understand what motivates or drives them, then they will disengage from the environment and try and find somewhere else where they fit in better instead. They also respond well to compliments or praise, especially when it is given immediately following some kind of effort that has driven results for the group.

When talking to you about your ideas, ESTPs will want to be concise and clear about their opinions on the matter. They may act impatient if they are not getting straight answers from you or if there is too much hesitation on your part when explaining why a certain decision needs to be made.

ESTP as a Leader/Manager

When it comes to leadership or managerial positions, an ESTP may not be the best suited for this role. Their main problem here is that they do not like to share their authority and power with others in a sustained fashion.

They need a position where they can make all of the decisions and have complete autonomy over how things are done, otherwise, they will feel restless and frustrated. ESTPs also have a problem being diplomatic when it comes to dealing with people’s differences or problems with each other.

This can cause serious tension if they find themselves having to deal with these issues regularly. In addition, ESTPs may find it difficult working in a team because of their predisposition towards leading from the front rather than relying upon others who may not share their vision for the group’s future objectives.

In most cases, an ESTP will be highly successful in a managerial position if they choose to take it on. However, for them to be able to establish and maintain their authority without having too many problems with others taking over this responsibility, the ESTP would need other people to support them. Such people need to have strong enough personalities themselves to take charge when necessary.

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ESTP Career F.A.Q

What careers would be good for personality type ESTP?

The best careers for ESTPs should allow them to take risks, face challenges, and grow. Therefore, some of the most suitable professions for them tend to be those of detective, police officer, actor, director, or entrepreneur.

All of these careers include enough risk to fail, but they also allow individuals to grow professionally and develop new perspectives on life. That’s why these jobs are completely compatible with most ESTPs.

Some other suitable careers for ESTP personality types can be a journalist, manager, producer, writer, athlete, or sales manager.

What jobs do ESTPs have?

ESTPs enjoy jobs that require quick decision-making and practical solutions to different types of problems. Considering this, ESTPs have jobs that enable them to express their rational thinking skills.

For instance, some of the typical jobs for ESTPs are sales, entrepreneurship, or marketing roles. They can also achieve success as freelancers or thrive as athletes. Other occupations that ESTPs find interesting are acting or directing, which also include a lot of challenges.

A Summary of the Key Aspects of ESTP Careers

As a personality type, the ESTP is a very rare one. In fact, just 4% of the population make up this personality. This makes ESTPs very practical and realistic types of people. They do not spend time thinking about abstract or theoretical ideas because they have no interest in these kinds of pursuits.

Instead, ESTPs spend most of their days engaged in some kind of activity that helps them to achieve their goals. When it comes to their career choices, ESTP will be extremely interested in work that has more of a hands-on approach to it.

They are not fond of working with theories or ideas that have no practical application in their line of work. So, if you are an ESTP, think about some things that involve construction, mechanics, sales, and public speaking when considering what kinds of jobs you would like to pursue. If the idea appeals to you, then go for it because you are likely to excel within this kind of environment.