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Discovering Your Strengths: A Guide to Career Exploration
Updated: 5 days ago
“These are my strengths…what job should I do?“
It’s a question I hear all the time. My colleagues often respond, “Knowing your strengths doesn’t tell you what job you should do; it tells you how you’ll do any job.” I disagree.
Knowing your strengths can help you figure out what job to pursue. It’s just not the whole story. Understanding your strengths is more useful for career exploration than many people realize.
Here’s the process I guide individuals through when they seek to answer this question.
Understanding Your Strengths
First, you need to know what your strengths are. Do you truly understand and accept what comes naturally to you? How are you innately wired? Do you see these strengths at work in your life? Recognizing these qualities is crucial. When you leverage your strengths, you often feel happier, more productive, and experience a sense of “flow.”
I use the CliftonStrengths online assessment, but there are other ways to discover your strengths. It’s a great shortcut to gaining insight.
Understanding What You Bring
Next, consider what good your strengths do for you. What unique contributions do you offer the world because of your strengths?
Communication: If this is your strength, you can express your thoughts clearly.
Strategic: You easily recognize patterns and see options, identifying the best path to reach a goal.
Restorative: You can spot problems others might overlook and enjoy finding solutions.
Harmony: You excel at helping people collaborate and find common ground.
Each strength brings something valuable to the table.
Understanding What You Need
Once you know what you bring, it’s essential to understand what you need because of your strengths.
Individuals high in Strategic Thinking often require time to think before delivering a plan and need the freedom to adapt based on new information.
Those with Influencing strengths thrive on meeting new people and making an impact.
People strong in Executing need clarity about their responsibilities and the authority to complete tasks.
Those with Relationship-Building strengths require strong, valued relationships at work.
One of the biggest reasons I see people leave jobs is that their needs are not being met.
Here’s an example of the “Bring/Need” statements available once you’ve taken your CliftonStrengths assessment.
Combining Your Strengths With Your Interests
Even with a clear sense of what you bring and need, consider the context where your strengths will be used. Ideally, you’ll thrive in an industry that interests you.
For instance, if you love to research, a research-oriented job in banking looks quite different from one in medicine. Reflecting on your interests is a critical part of the strengths-based career exploration process.
Understanding what you bring and need, along with investigating how to leverage your strengths within an industry, is where the magic begins. Your best options will become clearer.
Not every job within an industry will be the best use of your strengths. However, understanding your strengths and how they intersect with your industries of interest is a vital step in finding jobs you will enjoy and excel in.
The Importance of Self-Reflection
Self-reflection plays a crucial role in understanding your strengths and needs. Take time to think about your experiences. What tasks energize you? Which ones drain you? Reflecting on these questions can provide valuable insights into your career direction.
Seeking Feedback
Another helpful strategy is to seek feedback from others. Ask colleagues, friends, or mentors about your strengths. They may see qualities in you that you overlook. This external perspective can enhance your self-awareness and guide your career exploration.
Setting Goals
Once you have clarity about your strengths and interests, it’s time to set goals. Define what you want to achieve in your career. Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals can help you stay focused and motivated.
Exploring Opportunities
With your strengths, needs, and goals in mind, start exploring opportunities. Research industries and roles that align with your strengths. Networking can also be beneficial. Connect with professionals in your desired field to learn more about their experiences.
Embracing Change
Remember, career exploration is a journey. It’s okay to change directions as you learn more about yourself and your strengths. Embrace the process and be open to new opportunities.
If you’d like to get some coaching on how your strengths can be leveraged within your industries of interest, reach out for a free Discovery call here.
