The Myers-Briggs Personality Type That Makes The Most Bank

Are you an ENFP? I don’t know if I am or not; that was my result when I took the test in high school, but after reading BF pal Sarah Seltzer’s piece in Wired this morning, I took two quick online tests and got two vastly different results. Well, first I read my monthly horoscope. (Susan Miller reports that she is waiting until June 27th to buy her Apple watch, just FYI.) Then I took two Myers-Briggs tests because it’s a rainy Monday, and I’m still recovering from the weekend wedding.

What information did I glean from all of this? That I am relatively credulous, though also skeptical; that it gives me comfort to feel understood; that I like it when “experts” purport to tell me about myself.

Then I should love this, via Mic:

A recent report from Truity Psychometrics purports to shed some light on how personality influences our careers — whether certain kinds of people make more money, why certain kinds of personalities tend to end up in that nice corner office, and so on. Using the world’s most popular personality test, the Myers-Briggs TypeFinder, Truity surveyed a representative sample of 25,759 people about their personality and work history and compiled the results in an infographic laden report.

The results in Personality Type & Career Achievement don’t demonstrate that personality is destiny, but they do show that certain personality types are linked to more financially successful and personally rewarding experiences in the workplace. For example, here’s how certain personality types come in on the income scale (introverts, unfortunately, don’t do particularly well in this ranking).

When it comes to financial success, extroverts are king of the world. Here are the results, in graph form:

They also derive more satisfaction from their jobs.

Who are the ENTJs and ESTJs who are making so much than the rest of us? Well, the ENTJ explainer page on the 16 Personalities site explains that the personality type is called “The Commander” and it begins with an inspirational quote from Steve Jobs, so that ought to give you some idea.

Famous ENTJs include Margaret Thatcher and FDR.

Similarly, the most successful type, the ESTJ, is called “The Executive.”

it’s no wonder that many of America’s presidents have been ESTJs. Strong believers in the rule of law and authority that must be earned, ESTJ personalities lead by example, demonstrating dedication and purposeful honesty, and an utter rejection of laziness and cheating, especially in work. If anyone declares hard, manual work to be an excellent way to build character, it is ESTJs.

Famous ESTJs include George W. Bush, Nancy Grace, Judge Judy, and Boromir from Lord of the Rings.

The skeptic in me says: Did these celebrities actually take the Myers-Briggs test? How do we know that Marilyn Monroe was an “Entertainer” — do we simply assume she was, because it works best with our understanding of her?

The believer in me says: Cool! If I make more than $47,000 a year, I’ll be doing better than average. That’s not a terribly high bar to clear. And also: my skills are not those generally rewarded by the marketplace. Maybe I knew that already but it’s kind of reassuring to be reminded.

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