One of the first things to realize when considering how to choose a career that suits your strengths is that you succeed based on who you are, instead of who you are not. There are certain inalienable characteristics about you that will not change.
For example, whether you are an extrovert or an introvert has an immense impact on the career you will excel in. To illustrate, if you are an introvert, you probably would not be suitable for a career which requires you to have intense, personal interaction with customers, such as a sales job.
While everyone can certainly work on their interpersonal skills, if you are naturally more reserved, your core personality will most likely never change.
Everyone is born with some traits that they have no control over, so you should not consider these to be limitations. Focusing on your limitations will only hinder you in finding the perfect career.
Change the Things You Can
It is important to recognize what is in your control to change. If you simply lack knowledge or experience in a field, do not count this as a weakness. Knowledge and experience are easily gained by schooling or on-the-job training.
Never focus on what you cannot do while searching for a job. Instead, focus on what you can do. The first step in doing so might be to take an inventory of your personal qualities, talents, interests, experience and knowledge. There are many resources out there that can help you. Find an online quiz that asks you questions about your personality type or career aptitude.
If you have trouble identifying your strengths, ask a friend, co-worker or mentor to guide you. Sometimes it takes the insight of another person to realize your strengths. That being said, you should realize that you will not be successful on your own. Look for opportunities through people you know. They may consider options for you that you had not thought of yourself.
Think You’ve Got Talent?
Strengths are often defined by the tasks or challenges that you excel in consistently. Whether you realize it or not, you have certain innate talents that you can use to your advantage. Think of what you do well in your personal life and if those talents can transfer over to a career path.
A career path should be based on what you love to do every day, instead of what you think you should love to do. You should consider why you are attracted to a certain career field. If it is for the wrong reasons (i.e., power, money, prestige), chances are you will not enjoy it or excel in it.
Don’t expect every job to be a perfect fit, but do realize that the position you choose should make more use of your strengths than it does your weaknesses.
Steps to Finding Your Career
Realizing you have talents is only the first step when discovering how to choose a career. You will not get recognition or your dream job handed to you without any work or input from yourself.
After you identify your strengths, you must set a plan in action to make use of them. Create an action plan, with clear goals and expectations. Acquire the skills needed for the job and sharpen the qualifications you already have.
Decide what strengths you are going to use to obtain the job, and what strengths you will focus on once you have attained it. Make sure to have clear, concise examples of how you have demonstrated the strengths that you have identified.
For example, if you think you are a good communicator, you should have a past experience or situation in mind that illustrates your communication skills.
New Possibilities Await You
You might be at a loss when learning how to choose a career that utilizes your strengths. Simply follow these guidelines and I guarantee your mind will be opened to exciting, new possibilities.
Get started today by taking the strengths and weaknesses test and find yours today.