How can you identify your strengths, interests, and values to make informed career choices?

Self-Assessment: a. Strengths: Start by reflecting on your skills, both hard (technical) and soft (interpersonal, communication, problem-solving). Take a look at what you excel at in your current job or other areas of your life. b. Interests: Think about activities or subjects that captivate your attention and make you lose track of time. What hobbies, passions, or topics do you enjoy exploring in your free time? c. Values: Consider your core values and principles. What matters most to you in life? Is it job security, work-life balance, creativity, helping others, financial success, or something else? Self-Inventory: a. Make a list of your strengths, skills, and talents. b. Create a list of your interests, hobbies, and passions.

“Alignment” is the key. Every person has unique “strengths”, “perspectives”, “desires”, “goals- long term/ short term”. What works well for one may not work for another. Identifying our strengths, interests and using it to our own benefit, have all been glorified beyond its true vitality. It is good to have self awarenes. But it’s a different ball game, if we are not able to align it with our wants and needs, our dreams and goals, our purpose in life. Eg: someone strong with numbers is being forced to become a CA, but he/she wants to be a designer ? How does it align? When we have aligned our thoughts and actions with our goals, identifying our strengths and interests becomes easy. Career could be just one of the goals.

“Alignment” is the key. Every person has unique “strengths”, “perspectives”, “desires”, “goals- long term/ short term”. What works well for one may not work for another. Identifying our strengths, interests and using it to our own benefit, have all been glorified beyond its true vitality. It is good to have self awarenes. But it’s a different ball game, if we are not able to align it with our wants and needs, our dreams and goals, our purpose in life. Eg: someone strong with numbers is being forced to become a CA, but he/she wants to be a designer ? How does it align? When we have aligned our thoughts and actions with our goals, identifying our strengths and interests becomes easy. Career could be just one of the goals.

Values are everything. If you clarify your top 5 values, they can steer you towards a set of career choices aligned with them. You will feel a greater sense of purpose if your career is congruent with your values. It is what will help you persist and develop resilience when your work gets challenging and difficult. If it's aligned with your values, you will have the strength and determination to see those challenges through.

Great suggestions! Beyond using these insights to make informed career choices, there is great value in using them to get really clear (and proud of) who you ARE, not who you're NOT. We each have a unique story and "superpowers" to offer and yet when seeking new opportunities, we tend to get caught up in what we are not. This is not helpful or necessary. What is your story? How will you share it with the world?