How to identify your strengths to supercharge your career
Knowing your strengths is crucial in the increasingly competitive world of work. By pinpointing your key strengths, you’ll be able to effectively communicate your value to a future employer and differentiate yourself from other candidates. Not only that, but you can also use them as anchors to guide you towards job possibilities that best align with you, so that you can build a career in which you thrive.
When do you shine?
If you haven’t given much thought to your strengths before, now’s your chance. Spend some time reflecting on the tasks you find easy to do, types of situations you feel confident in, or activities that make you lose track of time. Do people regularly ask you for help with a certain type of project? Are there challenges that you embrace or feel relaxed about, that may be daunting to others? Note down your thoughts and look for the clues or themes behind these insights – they’ll lead you towards your strengths.
Other people could offer different perspectives on your strengths, based on what they know about your characteristics or experience of working with you. Approach three people from different areas of your life – one could be a current or former colleague, another could be a friend, and the third may be someone who’s known you all your life, like a family member. Briefly explain that you’d like their help with an exercise you’re working on and ask them to share the top three strengths they see in you, along with a short explanation behind each chosen word. You may find that there’s some overlap between the strengths these people choose, which perhaps you hadn’t already considered.
Showcasing your strengths
Getting crystal clear on your strengths is important, but so too is how and where you communicate these strengths to others. Make sure that your CV showcases your greatest strengths – stick to a maximum of three – and bring them to life by providing succinct examples of when you’ve demonstrated applying these strengths and the impact they had on a team or project. Those stories will help a recruiter understand the value you offer and make it easier for them to picture you in the role they’re hiring for.
You may also want to incorporate your strengths into your LinkedIn profile in the ‘About’ section – think of this as your personal shop window. It’s your chance to share who you are, what matters to you and the experience you have. When writing this paragraph, think about what information you want the person visiting your profile to understand about you, and ensure those key messages are coming across. Consider getting a second opinion and ask someone you trust to give their honest feedback on what they take away from your profile.
Building on your strengths and developing new skills
There are plenty of course providers offering opportunities to learn more about an area you already have some expertise in, or even an entirely new topic that interests you. At Manpower, all our associates are given free and unlimited access to our online platform, powerYOU, where you’ll find thousands of free courses to develop your knowledge and skill set for future job possibilities. Courses cover a huge range of topics and include everything from programming languages like SQL and Java, to business disciplines like human resources and project management.
As a global leader in the recruitment industry, Manpower can help you make your next meaningful move. We’re paving the way in the world of work, with hundreds of temporary and permanent jobs available across a range of industries. With offices spread throughout the country, our experienced consultants will support your job search by using their specialist knowledge to match your strengths with suitable opportunities.
Visit our website to view all our job opportunities and apply for a role today.