These 5 Questions Will Help To Reveal Your Strengths

When you work day in and day out, chasing one deadline after another, it can be difficult to stop and evaluate your own progress. Have you achieved everything you really can? Are you proud of your accomplishments, or do you wonder if you could aspire to even greater things? Don't let your current job title or daily responsibilities determine your worth. A new career and new opportunities may be ahead of you, but it's imperative to know your strengths and be able to pitch yourself as the best possible candidate. Companies realize that hiring for soft skills and cultural fit is crucial to building a talented team. If you're thinking about a possible career move, then start by asking yourself these five questions to determine your personal strengths:

1. How do I handle tough projects or difficult situations?

Everyone reacts to stressful situations differently. Do you go into analysis mode, and try to come up with a solution? Do you cut through the noise and focus on the most important tasks? If you're someone who can be cool, calm and collected, then you have an advantage over many people who become flustered, frustrated, or simply frozen in inaction.

In fact, if you can step into the fray and lead a conversation or a path to resolution, your skills are even more valuable. Companies are always eager to hire employees who can be relied upon in difficult situations. As a level-headed and confident leader, you'll be an asset to any team. Your strengths: poise, confidence, maturity, and cool demeanor; able to handle stressful situations calmly and professionally; able to lead teams through difficult situations.

2. When did I do something that surprised and impressed everyone - including me?

Think back to a time when you were handed a difficult task but you rose to the challenge. You surprised and impressed everyone, including yourself! The skills you exhibited are strengths you may not have even realized you had. Did you have to learn a new programming language or decipher a particular piece of hardware? Did you have to give an important presentation to a tough crowd? Or did you have to perform some complex data analysis and interpret the results?

Maybe you won over an elusive customer or salvaged a damaged client relationship. Whatever the case, you probably felt full of exhilaration when you achieved your goal. You need to capture those strengths and make sure they're reflected in your resume and in your interviews. You may even be able to build upon those strengths and turn them into a future career path. Your strengths: technical aptitude; ability and eagerness to learn new skills quickly; public speaking and presentation skills, customer relationship management; ability to handle new challenges by exploring different options and asking smart questions.

3. If my team members were describing me, what would they say are my best qualities?

Sometimes we need to look at ourselves through other people's eyes to discover our true strengths. Maybe it's never occurred to you, but your manager has noticed you're great at mentoring new hires and sharing your knowledge with others. Or maybe you never noticed it, but your team members love to have you in charge of projects because they know you're so organized that you'll easily hit the project milestones. You can uncover some of these strengths by analyzing your own behavior at work. Look at past projects, old email conversations, and your own work product to identify where you excelled. You can also have informal conversations with your coworkers to get their thoughts on where your performance shines. Your strengths: Personable; willing to share knowledge with others; organized; detail oriented; deadline driven.

4. When I walk into a meeting or a room full of people, what's my first instinct?

The answer to this question will help you understand whether you're an introvert, an extrovert, or somewhere in-between. If seeing a crowd of people makes you feel intimidated or exhausted, then you're most likely an introvert. While introverts are not necessarily thrilled to be immersed in crowded work or social settings, they do have wonderful strengths such as incredible focus, the ability to prioritize, and a desire to carefully research and choose the best possible solution to a problem. On the other hand, if a crowded room full of people energizes and excites you, then you're most likely an extrovert.

People who are extroverts enjoy interacting with others, love to dive into new projects, and are adept at multitasking. Whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, you should recognize and tout the skills you bring to the table. Your strengths for introverts: excellent focus, dedication and time management; ability to examine a problem from all angles to find the best solution. Strengths for extroverts: excellent interpersonal and communication skills; ability to adapt to shifting priorities; able to multitask while still focusing on results.

5. What's my favorite part of going to work each day?

This question can help you pinpoint what you're truly good at, because we all enjoy what we do well. If your favorite part of each day is the project status meeting, then you're probably a whiz at project management and love showing off timelines, completion statuses and burndown charts. You might be great at resource management, and you probably feel confident speaking in front of large groups and leading a discussion.

On the other hand, if you love the heads down time you spend doing data analysis and preparing reports, then you should consider adding data analytics or report expertise to your repertoire. And if you look forward to working with vendors or checking in with customers, then consider adding a product management or account management aspect to your career. Your strengths: project and resource management; reporting; data analysis; customer relations; vendor management. Your degree and experience might have gotten you to where you are now, but it's your soft skills that might get you to where you're going next. These questions are just the start when it comes to determining your strengths.