As a student at Harvard, you have access to StrengthsProfile, a 20-minute online data and research backed self-assessment tool from Cappfinity. According to Cappfinity, “a strength is something we perform well at, is energizing and we do often – in summary, it’s our authentic self at our best. When we put our strengths to work, we are happier, more confident, and more able to achieve our goals. We feel motivated to do great work and become engaged and productive individuals, teams, and organizations. When we don’t know what our strengths are, we waste valuable time on things that drain us.” When measuring your strengths, Cappfinity considers “something you do regularly, you do well, and energizes you when doing it”.
In essence, the StrengthsProfile self-assessment focuses on your innate strengths, in contrast to other career self-assessments that focus on your interests and skills. While interests and skills are of course important, they are only one part of the equation, and strengths are often minimized in the career discovery journey. This self-assessment can provide insights and help effectively map these insights into practical career steps.
StrengthsProfile divides your results into 4 categories: realized strengths, unrealized strengths, learned behaviors, and weaknesses. It also offers you a strengths-based career guide, with 6 options aligning with your realized strengths, and 2 aligning with your unrealized strengths. This career guide takes into account the order/ranking of your strengths, your learned behaviors, and weaknesses, and is backed by a white paper and extensive research. Essentially, people with the same combination of strengths report high levels of satisfaction in particular careers.
Realized Strengths: Strengths you use and enjoy. “You’ve probably become well known for some of these strengths and they have served you well in your life. These are things that drive you to get out of bed in the morning and keep you motivated during the day.”
Unrealized Strengths: Strengths you don’t use as often. “We call these your hidden talents, but don’t store them away for too long! Some of these may be really useful in your daily life to help you achieve your goals.”
Learned Behaviors: Things you’ve learned to do, but may not enjoy. “You may have even thought these were your strengths as you are good at these things. It is essential to identify these so that you can continue to use them, but perhaps with caution.”
Weaknesses: Things you find hard and don’t enjoy. “We all have them, honest! By identifying and talking about these you can understand whether they have an impact on you. If not, don’t use them and if they do, use your strengths to compensate.”
But what if you already know what you’d like to do post-grad? Can a strengths-based self-assessment help you? Imagine this: You’re sitting at an interview, and the interviewer asks “What are some of your strengths?” You stumble through an answer, even though you’ve rehearsed this 50 times. A variation of the “strengths & weaknesses” question is always in the top 10 of Most Common Interview Questions. So how can you answer this confidently and well, using specific examples and succinct language? By conducting a self-assessment based on your strengths. Curious about how your brand, and how to integrate your unique strengths into your resume? Click for tips!
Interested in taking the StrengthsProfile assessment for career discovery? Reach out to Katie at kfell@fas.harvard.edu to get emailed an invitation to take the 20-minute online assessment. Want to know more about your strengths for interviews? Mention it in your next advising meeting, and any advisor can email you access!
