Find out what your strengths are
Why your strengths are important
Knowing your strengths helps you pick careers, subjects or courses which bring out the best in you.
Strengths can help you develop your skills. If something’s a strength, you’ll enjoy doing it. And they can help you work towards your goals.
Developing your strengths
Your strengths should come naturally to you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make them even stronger. Getting to use your strengths is the best way to develop them further.
Try looking for activities in work, school, college or uni which let you use your strengths. Offer to take part in them or ask to pick up certain tasks.
You can also look outside of your daily tasks and find extracurricular activities or volunteering which help you build on them.
Check out these examples of things you can do to build on some common strengths:
- Writing: Try writing articles for your school newspaper or starting a blog
- Competitive: Joining a sports team
- Organiser: Help to organise an event, like your school prom or work night out
- Supportive: Volunteer for a buddy or mentoring system
- Responsible: Help out at the tuck shop or organising a charity collection
If you complete the Strengths tool, you’ll also find out about your unrealised strengths. These are suggestions of things you’re good at, but don’t do quite as much. Think about how you can fit these strengths into your work or life to build them up.
Five signs you’re using your strengths
Choosing a job or subject that suits your strengths is good for you. Why? Because you’ll do it better. That can make work or school much more fun.
Here’s what you can achieve when you’re using your strengths:
You’ll learn fast
You’ll pick tasks up and take in information much quicker if they use your strengths.
Enthusiasm
If something lets you use your strengths, you’ll be keen to do it. Your colleagues (or teachers) will notice your motivation.
Personal development
You learn best in areas where you already have strengths. So, using them helps you develop.
Confidence
If you’re doing things you do well, you feel confident that you can achieve more.
Happiness
All these things will help make you happier while you’re at work or school.
Ready to discover your strengths?
Find out what they are and how they can help you work towards your goals.
Related articles
Strengths dictionary
A guide to each of the strengths from our quiz, and the strengths families.
How your strengths help you build confidence
Here’s one really good reason you should be using your strengths.
Applying for a job? Here's how your strengths can help
Putting your strengths in the spotlight can help you make a good impression on a potential employer. Here's how.
Where can your subject choices take you?
Thinking about what subjects to take at school? We can help with our Subject Choices tool.
How to build confidence
Feeling confident is important not just in your career, but in every part of your life.
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