Why This Matters
Understanding your CliftonStrengths, values, and work preferences is essential to building a satisfying career. Aligning your career with what energizes you reduces burnout and improves long-term happiness, making it easier to succeed and grow professionally (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).
Quick Start
Complete the Like-Good At Quadrant worksheet to clarify:
- Where you have mastery and enjoyment (upper right quadrant)
- Where you’re investing growth and development (upper left quadrant)
- Where partnerships are best utilized (lower left quadrant)
- Tasks that drain you and should be minimized (lower right quadrant)
Explore your CliftonStrengths further and use them to shape:
- Roles and responsibilities you seek
- Organizations you prioritize
- Locations and work arrangements (in-person, hybrid, remote)
Next Steps
Complete this Values Exercise to understand your must-haves in a career and use results to inform your search, networking, and development
Talk to different types of people (friends, family, mentors, teachers, coaches, previous teammates or colleagues, etc.) You might ask:
- “What did stood out to you when looking at my quadrant or CliftonStrengths?”
- “What examples of these traits have you seen?”
- “What are some scenarios you would ask me for help with?”
Think:
- How did this talk confirm or change your own observations and insights?
- How will use some the examples they provided in your career?
- Learn how others perceive you and ask for examples of meaningful interactions. These can be used in interviews and strengthen your self-efficacy (your genuine belief that you can do difficult things)
As you prepare your Target List, consider:
- What industries excite me most?
- What size organization would I thrive most in?
- Start-up – fast paced, more varied responsibilities, tighter team
- Large (250+) – narrower focus and role delineation, stability, structure
- What company information appeals most to your values?
- Mission and purpose – what drives the work?
- Innovation – staying ahead of the market with their methods and technologies
- Earnings – starting pay, bonuses, equity, or other benefits
- Internal development and promotion – does the ability to grow within this organization important to you? If so, what would you like that growth to look like?
- What else?
Templates, Examples, & Frameworks
BASK Framework
The BASK framework helps you clearly describe your abilities in four key areas important for career success.
Use this as a reference for resume writing, talking about yourself at events and interviews, and strategizing your search.
Here are some examples of how this data (CliftonStrengths, values, preferences) can be used across various career activities and development:
- Goal Setting: Someone with a “Learner” strength sets a goal to gain certifications in emerging technologies. Their skills in research and analysis support this, and their workplace preference for companies with training programs aligns with their career value of professional development.
- Networking: An individual who is talented in relationship building and communication prioritizes collaborative work environments and expresses their commitment to teamwork as a core career value, helping them find like-minded professionals.
- Search Strategy: Futuristic and/or analytical thinkers can use their abilities to review industry trends, foresee potential advances or changes, and prioritize organizations well-positioned for such changes.
- Resume Writing: Compare your BASK qualities with job descriptions and highlight the aligned skills to tailor your resume for each role
- Interview Responses: Reflect on the conversations you had with various people about your strengths and the real-life examples they provided. Try to apply them using the CART matrix (interviewing guide) and develop them into compelling interview responses
Practice & Improve with Resources
Goal | Resource | Action |
Discuss Strengths with a Certified Coach | Make an appointment to gain insights and apply your strengths | |
Explore strengths independently | Review resources on your specific strengths & complete the Learning Journey | |
Assess career values | Complete the assessment and do so over time as they may shift |
Citations
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row.
Some content generated by ChatGPT, 2025, Open AI
