Have hesitations? Here’s help!
Congratulations! You’ve done some deep work to name your strengths, see how you have used them, how you can use them in the future, and how to help yourself avoid their pitfalls.
Sometime’s it tough to share our strengths
Many people find it difficult to describe their strengths on applications, on interviews, and in a group. Sharing them can feel like bragging – which we’ve been well taught not to do. It can also feel like saying we’re better than others – which we know isn’t true, even if we’re better at something than others are.
So what are we doing when we are sharing our strengths?
We’re describing, not bragging or being prideful. We’re helping out.
Overcome by remembering your shoes
For an analogy, let us consider athletic shoes. For those of you who like to exercise, your shoes are a big consideration. They need to live up to the stresses you put on them, as well as protect and support your feet.
When you shop, you’ll need to have ways of comparing and contrasting descriptions so you can make the best choice for what you need. You might take into account how they ventilate, how they perform in water, what cushioning they have, and their weight among others. If you don’t have ways to understand your options, how can you make a confident choice?
College and scholarship committees members and employers face the same challenge as you do when you’re choosing shoes. They are trying to make a choice among hundreds if not thousands of applicants. How do they know who to pick? The people who describe themselves well make their job SO MUCH EASIER.
Describing yourself well and sharing who you are isn’t bragging. It’s not saying you’re better than anyone else. It’s simply telling someone what you are like. From there they can make a choice about whether you’re a good fit for their organization. But doing your part can take you far!
So be free to share your strengths. You can help yourself and actually the people doing the choosing.