During a job interview, you will likely be asked the question, “What interested you in this position?” Although the answer may truly be, “I’m here for the money,” employers are much more partial to hearing about what makes you compatible with the open job. You may think to yourself, “I don’t even know what strengths would make me compatible!” At Jipe, we understand this can be frustrating. Let’s talk about knowing your career strengths to help you thrive in the workplace.
1. Conduct a Self-Assessment
The first step in knowing your career strengths is to conduct a self-assessment. Reflect on your personality traits, skills, interests, and values. Think about what you enjoy doing, what you are good at, and what motivates you. Some questions to ponder as you contemplate could be: What are my natural talents? What activities do I find easy or enjoyable? What encourages me to work? Do I prefer to be around people, or do I feel more comfortable getting the job done on my own? It may be helpful to write down your answers to refer back to them as needed.
2. Seek Feedback from Others
Ask your friends, parents, teachers, or school counselors to give you their honest opinions on what they see as your strengths. Have them share examples of when they have seen you excel in your work or personal life. This feedback can help you identify patterns in your behavior and skills that you may not have recognized on your own. If you have a previous employer, feel free to ask them too! Previous employers are usually more than willing to give feedback and recommendations to help you in your job search.
3. Take Career Assessments
There are many career assessment tools available online that can help you identify your career strengths. These tools use quizzes or questionnaires to assess your personality, skills, and interests, and provide you with a list of careers that are a good match for your strengths. Some good assessments to take are the Red Bull Wingfinder, Truity Photo Career Quiz, or the Keirsey Temperament Sorter.
4. Reflect on Past Successes
Be introspective for a moment. Think about times when you have achieved something significant in your personal or professional life. This may include achievements you made in school, sports teams, musical performance, or other extracurricular activities.
What skills did you use to accomplish your goals? What qualities did you exhibit during those times? These successes can give you a clue about what you are good at and what you enjoy doing.
5. Experiment with Different Activities
Experiment with different activities that interest you, and observe which ones you enjoy the most and excel at. Don’t be intimidated by an activity you haven’t tried yet. You may end up excelling at it and learning something about yourself in the process. If you’re in school, take a class that will get you out of your comfort zone. For example, you might want to try out a shop class or maybe a public speaking class. This will build your skills and can help you determine what type of work you enjoy the most.
After going through this process, make sure you update your Jipe profile so it portrays your natural, born-to-be abilities. You can do this easily through clicking different attributes in “My Skills” or including it in your “About Me” section. As you gain an understanding of yourself and where you thrive in the workplace, employers will notice and be excited to hire you! More importantly, you will enjoy a job that matches your strengths as well. Take advantage of Jipe’s job marketplace to find the right job match faster! Get started by setting up your profile here.
