Embarking on a career change roadmap using your strengths starts with understanding who you are at your core and leveraging that insight to confidently pivot into a new path. Research shows professionals who apply their strengths daily are 6 times more engaged, 3 times more likely to report excellent quality of life, and significantly more productive with less turnover.
Tools like HIGH5 and MBTI don’t prescribe a job; they illuminate how you work best, helping build a role that fits your natural talents. This guide offers a structured, step‑by‑step plan, from decoding your assessment results to validating and launching a strengths‑aligned career. Whether you’re mid‑career, planning a pivot, or simply seeking more meaning in your work, this roadmap empowers you to transform your innate strengths into a confident, fulfilling career transition.
Why strengths-driven career changes work
Focusing on your innate strengths isn’t just feel‑good – it’s smart:
- People who use their strengths daily are 3× more likely to report excellent quality of life, 6× more engaged, 8% more productive, and 15% less likely to quit.
- Strengths-based counseling boosts self-esteem, goal achievement, and life satisfaction, especially effective for job seekers.
- Professionals using their unique strengths report higher motivation, job satisfaction, adaptability, and performance.
Step 1: Take your HIGH5 Career Strengths Test & digest the report
What to do:
- Spend 15 minutes completing the HIGH5 test to uncover your top 5 strengths, a blend of Focus (top 5), Leverage (6–10), Navigate (11–14), and Delegate (15–20) strengths
- Read the Career Strengths Report: It pinpoints strengths that energize you, suggests industries and roles, plus resume and interview tweaks
This sets the foundation. Knowing which strengths are your Focus, what you are great at, and your most powerful motivators, helps design a career path built to energize and sustain you.
Where to start?
Link to the HIGH5 strengths test
Link to the Career Strengths Report
Step 2: Explore strength-aligned careers
Use your strengths as a compass to find fulfilling job opportunities.
- Use the HIGH5 report’s Career Pathways section to accelerate industry discovery
- Cross-check with job boards: look for roles that mention your strengths in job descriptions.
- Learning & certifications: Make a SMART plan for acquiring key skills if needed.
Aligning your core strengths with real-world roles increases the odds you’ll feel engaged, energized, and excel from day one.
Step 3: Validate before you commit
Don’t just hope, test it through real-world validation.
- Informational interviews – Ask: “What parts of your role energize you?” “Do you use Problem Solver skills daily?” Contextualizes how your strengths manifest in real work situations.
- Shadowing or project trials – Volunteer or freelance in a target role to immerse yourself in day-to-day tasks.
- Build a strengths-aligned mini project – Design a small test: e.g., craft a process improvement plan (leveraging Strategist), draft a blog post (leveraging Storyteller).
This hands‑on testing moves beyond theory. You’ll assess how well your strengths translate into real performance and satisfaction.
Relevant: Strengths-based interviews
Step 4: Add your strengths to your resume and improve your personal brand
Stand out by marketing yourself with clarity and confidence.
- Resume & LinkedIn summary – Use a header like: “HIGH5 Focus Strengths: Philomath, Strategist | Portfolio of analytic writing and process optimizations.”
- For each role bullet: “Applied Problem Solver strength to resolve [challenge], delivering [result].”
- Personal website/profile – Include a Strengths Snapshot: List your top strengths and share a quick story of when each was used to achieve results.
- Add a “Strengths in Action” section with case studies from your mini‑project or professional experience.
Framing your brand around strengths clearly signals to employers what you bring, beyond generic job titles or responsibilities.
Step 5: Launch and build confidence
Enter your new career with a strengths mindset that fuels growth.
- Strengths daily log – Track when “Focus” strengths feel used and energized. Note tasks that felt draining.
- Growth plan using leverage strengths – Plan how to build and leverage your strengths for balance. E.g., if Time Keeper is a Leverage strength (#10–#14), schedule checkpoints to improve punctuality.
- Coach or peer accountability – Work with a HIGH5‑certified coach or peer group focused on leveraging strengths for career growth.
- Iterate based on feedback – Post-interview or pilot, reassess what strengths shined or flopped. Adjust career path targeting paced on real-world feedback.
This stage keeps your pivot dynamic and self‑improving, anchored in strengths but validated and refined through feedback loops.
Summary table
| Step | Action | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Take HIGH5 test & digest | Complete HIGH5 & read report | Clear strengths roadmap |
| Research career options | Research career suggestions for each strength | 3–5 roles worth pursuing |
| Validate in-depth | Research career suggestions for each strengths | Hands-on confidence in fit |
| Brand around strengths | Strengths-focused resume, profiles | Stand out authentically |
| Launch and iterate | Log, coach, feedback loop | Sustainable, strengths-aligned career growth |
Frequently asked questions
1: How do I use the strengths test results to pick a new career?
Map your top strengths (from HIGH5) to career clusters. Validate via interviews, shadowing, and trial projects to ensure clarity and confidence, or simply upgrade to the HIGH5’s Career Strengths Report.
2: Can psychometric tests guide a successful pivot?
Yes, studies show strengths-focused approaches significantly boost job satisfaction, adaptability, and success in career exploration. Source: NCDA
3: How do I validate a career path before resigning?
Conduct informational interviews, shadow, volunteer, build test projects, and critically compare role demands with your strengths.
4: How do I highlight strengths on LinkedIn/resume?
Add your strengths to the list of skills or create a new section named “Strengths”. Showcase situations where your strengths have helped you, your team, or your organization improve results.
