How to Know What You Are Really Good At

Following your passion is good advice, but it's not always very realistic. As well as considering what you love to do, you also have to consider what you are good at in order to make your job search a success. Follow these tips to work out what you are good at and determine how you can turn those skills into a successful and fulfilling career.

First, consider which skills have helped you thrive in the past. For example, if you performed well as a sales associate in a previous job, that could mean you have very good communication skills. Look for other aspects of your life where your communication skills have brought you success to determine whether communicating is something you excel at.

Next, think about when you feel your strongest and most confident. Is it when you are working alone on a problem or when you are leading a team? The times in your life when you feel most confident are likely to be the times when you are using your best skill, whether that is a flair for leadership or the ability to work alone.

You can learn a lot about your skills by listening to compliments from your friends, family and colleagues. Do people often comment on your superb organizational skills or the fact that you are good at explaining difficult concepts? The next time someone compliments you, make a mental note; it could be valuable information to help you decide which direction to take your job search.

You can even go back to your childhood to identify your skills and help inform your job search as an adult. What made you stand out when you were a child? Was it your good grades in math class or your ability to instantly make friends with every kid you met? It's likely that the things that made you stand out when you were young are skills that you still hold today, although you may have stopped noticing them or started taking them for granted. Consider both academic and soft skills to work out what qualities you can bring to your job search.

Once you have identified the skills you possess, you can use this information to help make your job search a success. Search through job postings on an online jobs site to see which ones ask for your particular set of skills. If you are looking for a change of career, remember to look at job postings outside the kind of roles you have previously held. You might be surprised to see that a job you had never considered could actually be a good fit for you.

Being aware of your skills is the first step in a successful job search. Find out what you are good at by paying attention to your past and present experiences, and then put that information to use in your job search to find a role that really suits you.

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