Are you an introverted professional looking for the best career fit? You know you’re introverted if you get energy from spending time alone, enjoy your own company, and don’t mind long periods of silence.

A lot of times introverts also tend to be extremely motivated instrincially, meaning they don’t need much motivation from others to excel in their work. This makes for a great freelance worker. Freelance workers spend a lot of their working hours by themselves without direct supervision. Introverts like this for two reasons: they are alone and they are not being micromanaged. Freelance jobs are becoming more and more common as technology makes more jobs able to be done from home. There are freelance writing jobs, graphic design jobs and so many more.

A social media manager may sound like an extrovert in title but in reality, they spend a lot of time behind the screen of a computer. What exactly does a social media manager do? They create online content, respond to online comments, and answer online questions. They do work with clients and companies directly, but for the most part the role of a social media manager is well suited for an introvert. 

There are researchers in every industry from engineering to communications. Introverts makes great researchers because again, it is a very singular job for the majority of the time.  While each field will have its own idiosyncracies, all researcher positions require two things that are introvert strengths: written communication and extensive solo work. Introverts tend to excel at written communication because it is their preferred method of communication anyway. They can be exact and say that they mean, in written form. If you’re an introvert who also possess good research skills, this is a great option! 

There is a great amount of research that shows that most introverts are happier when working for themselves rather than a company or a boss. Introverts are driven by intrinsic motivation, so this makes sense. They will wake up early and do the hard work necessary to keep their business successful and they don’t need much, if any, oversight. The other great perk of self-employment is that you can choose the exact work you want to do. It can range from starting your very own business to doing projects as freelance work on a case by case basis. Another perk of self-employment for introverts is they can set their own environment. Introverts tend to be overwhelmed by things like open seating plans in an office, or just a lot of conversation throughout the day. When you work for yourself, you have control over the amount of social interactions you have throughout the day. 

“Introvert” used to be a dirty word in the hiring sphere. As we learn more about introverts, we learn that there are certain areas of work where introverts thrive! These include being a freelance worker, social media manager of a company, a researcher or being self-employed.