Following a recent post in which I highlighted a number of free careers questionnaires, I’m delighted to announce in this post, that a free version one of my all-time favourite questionnaires, Cappfinity’s Strengths profile, has recently been launched. In this post I’ll outline what the profile reveals and how you can use yours.
Strengths definition
Cappfinity describes Strengths as a combination of:
Performance: how well you perform when using these strengths
Energy: How energised you are when using these strengths
Use: How often you use them
Research
Research undertaken by Cappfinity and published in ‘The Strengths Profile Book’ by Dr Alex Linley & Trudy Bateman, has found that people who use their strengths are:
- Happier
- More confident
- Have higher self-esteem
- Greater energy and vitality
- Less stressed
- More resilient
- More likely to achieve their goals
- Perform better
- More engaged at work
- More effective at developing themselves and others
This is a seriously impressive list and worth exploring whether your strengths are a good fit for your current job role. Do the benefits above reflect how you feel in work? Or is there a disconnect?
The free questionnaire
In order to identify your strengths you complete an online self-assessed questionnaire which will take around 15 minutes to complete. Don’t over-think your responses; there are no right/wrong answers.
On completion you’ll see a one page summary. Your report will identify, from a total of 60 possible strengths:
3 Realised strengths: things you’re good at, enjoy using and have the opportunity to use currently.
3 Unrealised strengths: things you are good and and would enjoy using- if only you had the opportunity to do so.
2 Learned Behaviours: things you can do but which don’t energise you.
1 Weakness: something you’re neither good at nor enjoy.
How to apply the results
Some of the strengths highlighted may not come as a complete surprise. What’s interesting to explore is how you can use the findings.
If you’re applying for a job and are asked what you could bring to a role, you can draw on your Realised strengths. It’s worth taking time to list examples of when you’ve used your Realised strengths. This will anchor them and make them feel more ‘real’, rather than just a list of positive qualities that can otherwise feel a bit abstract.
Could you make your job more enjoyable by tapping into your Unrealised strengths?
Most jobs will inevitably involve us using some of our Learned Behaviours- or ‘duty strengths’ as I prefer to call them. You’ll probably find when you work through your ‘to do’ list that tasks requiring Learned Behaviours tend to stay at the bottom of the list. The trick is to make sure you spend more of your time using your Realised and Unrealised strengths in order to feel energised and fulfilled in your job.
If your job fills you with dread when you wake up in the morning it’s likely that you are having to use either your Weaknesses or Learned Behaviours far more than your strengths. This is a sign that it’s time to find a job that’s a better fit.
Strengths spotting
Ask people who love their jobs to talk about what they do. You will see them come alive as they describe their work. You will feel the energy they exude.
As a licensed Strengths practitioner, I’ve used the Cappfinity profile for a number of years with with students, staff and to support team and leadership development. Feedback from participants on the value of the profile has been overwhelmingly positive. All of us benefit from what understanding what we’re good at and enjoy. If we were all able to find a home for our strengths, maximising our unique combination of capabilities, the world would be a happier place.
Should I stay or should I go?
You might discover that the reason you are miserable at work is the mismatch between the requirements of the job and your unique strengths. You may have a ‘lightbulb’ moment when you realise that ‘it’s not you it’s the job’- and decide to look for a job where your strengths will be appreciated.
You may decide that having completed a free profile, purchasing the Introductory version of the profile is well worth the investment of £12.00. This version of the profile will reveal further strengths in each section of your profile, giving you more strengths to work with as well as a more detailed report.
Enjoy discovering and celebrating your unique strengths. There is no one quite like you! Share the profile link with others who may benefit.
Play to your strengths. They’re your greatest assets.
Wendy Nicole Anderson
