Why You’ll Want to Find Your Strengths

Scott Kuethen, CEO of Amtec, should’ve bought stock in Gallup Press, the publisher of Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. As a staffing company owner, he is constantly approached by job seekers looking for advice and coaching on how to find a job, how to write a resume, or how to change careers. If you were to ask him for help with your career search, the first thing he would probably hand you is the Strengths Finder book.  Why does he think it’s so important? “It can help people quantify their natural strengths and better apply that to the work they do,” says Scott. “Then they can be happier, more fulfilled, more engaged, and more satisfied in their work.”

The premise of the book is that everyone has unique strengths as well as areas of weakness, and it gives you a short test to identify your top talents—some of which you may never have even considered before. Rather than spending valuable time trying to get better at something you’ve never been good at, Rath recommends that you capitalize on and develop the strengths you already possess.

Let’s say you’re pretty good at math, but you can’t draw a stick figure to save your life. Rather than taking years of art school to try to get your drawing skills up to par, focus on something like accounting or engineering that takes advantage of your existing skills. You will get farther ahead faster and feel better about yourself in the process. Or suppose you’ve always loved baking and hated exercising, but your friend is trying to convince you that becoming a personal trainer is where the money’s at. This is the perfect time to take a good, long look at what you were really made to do!

If you’re looking for a job or thinking about changing careers, you’ll want to check out Strengths Finder 2.0.  Why waste more time fixing your shortcomings when you can tap into your existing talent? Wouldn’t you rather get to do what you do best every day?

Book review by Marcianne Kuethen for Amtec 5/31/2012