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 6x times more engaged, 3x times more likely to report excellent quality of life, and significantly more productive with less turnover.
Top career assessments 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 Do People Change Careers?
There are several reasons why nowadays, a bunch of people decide to change careers. For instance, you may be bored in your current job and need a change of pace or you might feel that your work is not satisfying anymore.
Perhaps you have found another opportunity where you can utilize your soft skills or hard skills and personal talents more effectively. The motivation behind a career change is often deeply personal and unique to each individual. However, those who make this decision thoughtfully and align their new career with their innate strengths tend to find greater satisfaction and success.
Why strengths-driven career changes work
Focusing on your innate strengths isn’t just to feel good – it’s to be smart:
- People who use their strengths daily are 3 times more likely to report excellent quality of life, 6 times 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 test & digest the report
What to do:
- Spend 15 minutes completing the free HIGH5 test to uncover your top 5 strengths. After that, upgrade to reveal other strengths described as Leverage (6–10), Navigate (11–14), and Delegate (15–20) strengths
- Upgrade to the Career Strengths Report and read it: 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
Add your strengths to your resume to 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. Resume statistics can help you understand how recruiters see and use CVs and resumes, and you can adjust accordingly.
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 based on real-world feedback.
This stage keeps your pivot dynamic and self‑improving, anchored in strengths but validated and refined through feedback loops.
When is the Right Time for a Career Change?
Determining the right time for a career change involves a complex interplay of factors, including job satisfaction, personal well-being, and life circumstances. While dissatisfaction with your current role can be a strong indicator, it’s equally important to have a clear understanding of your strengths and how they align with potential new career paths. The HIGH5 strengths test can provide valuable insights in this decision-making process. By identifying your top five strengths, you can evaluate whether your current career allows you to fully utilize these strengths. If there’s a significant mismatch, it might be the right time to consider a change. Moreover, understanding your strengths can help you navigate the various factors influencing your decision – such as health, family status, financial considerations, and social life – by highlighting career options that not only utilize your strengths but also align with your broader life goals and circumstances.
Whatever the reason may be, if you’re seeking a career change for any of the reasons listed below then take action immediately.
1.) Health – If your mental health has declined because of your work environment or maybe even due to your lack of motivation, it’s pretty normal to want out sooner rather than later.
2.) Family – If you have a family, then your work-life balance needs to be adjusted and must take a backseat to that of your family responsibilities and vice versa. Sometimes this can mean changing jobs if the hours aren’t convenient for you anymore or maybe moving to another city since it’s out of state.
3.) Financial Stress – While some people might not mind working long days, others find themselves in need of more money, which is fair enough since everyone deserves enough to live off. This leads them to stress because they see no way out.
4.) Social Life – One of the most important factors that influences career changes is your social life; if you don’t like the people around you or even your boss, since he’s always been rude towards you, then there’s no point in staying at your current job.
5.) Back to School – Some people see switching careers as an opportunity to learn new things and push themselves forward to be better than before.
6.) Pursue What You Love – This is by far one of the biggest reasons most career switchers provide as an answer when asked about their reason for switching careers – pursuing what they love the most.
Will a career change make me happy?
This is a tough question, but we all want to be happy in our jobs. You’ll never know if you don’t try.
It’s important to take some time for introspection before deciding anything, and then letting your decision inform your actions.
Can I change my career at 40?
Yes. At this stage of life, it can be easier than ever before because you’re more knowledgeable about who you are and what makes you happy.
A part of the beauty of life is that everyone has an innate personal wisdom that starts coming forth as they age, so listen to yourself.
If there are things that give you joy, spend more time on those activities and find out where those lead.
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
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.
Can psychometric tests guide a successful pivot?
Yes, studies show strengths-focused approaches significantly boost job satisfaction, adaptability, and success in career exploration.
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.
How do I highlight strengths on LinkedIn or a 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.
