You Are More Than Your Resume
When you visit our homepage, you have the option to take our assessment for free. If you’re wondering what it will amount to, read on…
Our assessment results in telling you what your top three strengths are and what characteristics you value most in yourself. No matter what three words are presented to you in the end, remember that they are strengths and therefore valuable. They don’t become valuable however, until you utilize them in some way to assist your effectiveness in the world.
Character Strengths
Think about your resume and what it reveals about you. To employers, your resume and experience may describe your potential for success and serve as a starting point for describing yourself as a professional. Too often you look at the 8 ½ “ x 11” piece of paper and derive from it who you are. Yes, your resume is telling of your education level, work experience and activities, but that sheet of information lacks the inexplicable “Character Strengths” that make you valuable beyond your concrete skills.
Where these strengths came from
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) measures what is wrong with a person, but what measures what is good? A group of psychologists led by Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman found a way to measure “good character.” They classified the 12 requirements necessary for a characteristic to be considered a “strength.” From here, they found the 24 strengths that meet these requirements, including: Self-regulation, Modesty, Curiosity, Creativity, Leadership, and more.
The Value of Character Strengths
You have these characteristics but too often you undervalue them in yourself and you don’t think that they can help you in the workplace. Well, I am happy to remind you that that’s false. These character strengths are known as your “soft skills” and although there isn’t a section on your resume for them, they often times make employees stand out in the workplace. That said, if you understand your soft skills, then you are more capable of applying them in new ways. Research shows that when individuals use their top five character strengths in new ways, it increases happiness and decreases depression. So when you draw on our soft skills at work, you’re happier at work, you’re more engaged with the tasks at hand, and you’re ultimately highly productive. So go ahead! Take our assessment and learn your value!
Molly McShea works at StrengthsInsight as a Marketing Strategist. A former varsity athlete at Georgetown University, she has a passion for linguistics, learning new things and discovering more about the world.
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