Strengths assessment: 10 ways to know what you are good at doing

Updated 2024-02-20. Originally published 2011-12-06 on VocationVillage.com

One of the most common questions clients ask career coaches is, “How can I figure out what I’m good at doing?” Strengths assessment is a process that can help you figure out your strengths and/or skills.

Updated for 2024, here are some suggestions for strengths assessment:

1. Ask yourself: What do you do for family, friends, and acquaintances because the activity is easy for you but difficult for others?

For example, from the time I was an undergraduate in college, one of my skills was helping other students write essays that would help them land acceptance in grad school or resumes to secure jobs, so I started a part-time side gig doing those things. Later, I trained to be a career counselor and psychologist, and I continued to use my writing skills in those roles. In every job I have had, writing becomes a key component because it’s a strength I enjoy using.

2. Take the Gallup assessment CliftonStrengths 34.

Caveat: This assessment is excellent for identifying broad strengths, but is not specific to career paths. For example, you might discover that your key strength is using “Woo” (meeting new people and winning them over) but there are an infinite number of ways to use that strength. If you prefer to use an assessment that ties aptitudes to specific careers, see the next option, #3.

3. Invest a few hours in completing YouScience’s Aptitude & Career Discovery.

YouScience’s assessment uses “brain games” to discover your unique talents. When you get your results, YouScience will show you your aptitudes, your career interests, and the intersection between the two. The results are mapped to suggested career matches.

4. Start an energy log and track when you feel energized and enthusiastic and when you feel drained.

When you are engaged in activities that are in sync with your strengths, it is often invigorating, but when you are doing something that isn’t a strength, it can sap your energy because your brain must work so hard. Strengths are only strengths if they are sustainable.

5. Learn from the experiences of others.

At CareerOneStop (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor), you can watch career videos of hundreds of careers.

6. Experiment.

If you want to explore:

Writing … submit articles to publications, start a blog, pursue freelance work.

Speaking … participate in Toastmasters, volunteer to speak to church groups or professional associations or at conferences, videotape yourself giving a talk and upload it to a blog or YouTube.

Managing people … volunteer for a nonprofit organization and work your way to a leadership role managing other volunteers.

Working in health care … volunteer at a hospital.

Becoming a scientist … watch lectures at Khan Academy, science videos at Science Update, or enroll in an introductory science class at your local community college or online.

7. Some researchers believe it takes 10,000 hours to master any complex skill, so what can you imagine doing for that many hours?

I can hear the Renaissance people screaming in horror at this one, but I intend this guideline to be helpful, not oppressive. If you can feel in your soul that you should be a generalist, be one. But if the thought of being a virtuoso in a focused area appeals to you, pursue that route.

8. Your childhood is a good place to look for clues about your strengths. When you were in elementary and middle school, what did you gravitate toward doing? What did you do with free time? What compliments did you receive from teachers? Did you win any contests or awards?

9. Here’s a warning about the strategy in #8: Be careful that you don’t mistake genetics as a sign that you should choose a path that aligns with the area of strength.

Don’t feel pressured to use a natural gift if using that talent is unsatisfying. I appreciate the advice Marcus Buckingham gives when he says that something is a true strength only if practicing it motivates a person to do more. If a strength feels like a golden handcuff, it isn’t a strength. Satisfaction lies in using strengths that are congruent with one’s values, interests, and temperament, too.

10. Hire a career counselor or coach. Sometimes it is much easier to identify truths about yourself when talking them through with a career development professional. You can find affordable options for career counseling in government agencies like WorkSource, libraries, community colleges, and nonprofit agencies.