{"id":128432,"date":"2019-03-21T21:36:34","date_gmt":"2019-03-21T21:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=128432"},"modified":"2025-07-01T22:12:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:12:08","slug":"find-hidden-talents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/find-hidden-talents\/","title":{"rendered":"How to uncover your hidden talents"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Work<\/p>\n

We all talk about the dream: doing what we\u2019re passionate about. It\u2019s a noble aspiration, but realistically, we\u2019re not all able to pull this off.<\/p>\n

Some of us start careers we thought we wanted, only to find the shine wearing off sooner than expected. In other cases, we try to make moves from a job that\u2019s just a paycheck to something that offers more than food on the table.<\/p>\n

It’s frustrating to watch other people dive into careers they care about, while you’re feeling side-lined, waiting for your hidden talents to reveal themselves.<\/p>\n

Is there a way to distill this down to a science? Or are we doomed to hoping we luck out and stumble upon our greatest gifts when we least expected?<\/p>\n

Here are some tips for finding out what you’re good at, as well as how you might apply them in the real world.<\/p>\n

How to find your hidden talents<\/h2>\n

What makes you lose track of time?<\/h3>\n

Imagine you have a full day with nothing on the books \u2014 what activity would you do to pass the time? Is it going for a long run? Starting a new art project or playing an instrument? Writing short stories?<\/p>\n

Identify a few of these activities and write down what you like about them.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a writer in your downtime, take note of what you like about it. Is it inventing new worlds or analyzing current events and sharing your opinion?<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s the latter, those qualities could lend themselves to being a blogger or an analyst. The former, you might find yourself helping brands tell their story.<\/p>\n

An artist looking for a more reliable career path could be well-suited to UX design or something with a strategic component \u2014 as it takes a lot of big-picture planning to execute a series of paintings.<\/p>\n

The point is, the things you like about your existing hobbies could be transferrable \u2014 it just might not be obvious from the outset.<\/p>\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n

Complete guide to advancing your career<\/p>\r\n Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

Do some personality testing<\/h3>\n

Personality testing does have some limitations, but they might get you to think outside of the box when it comes to finding your strengths.<\/p>\n

We recommend taking a few and being as honest as possible \u2014 not answering with aspirational responses.<\/p>\n

The 16 Personalities Test<\/a> is one of the more popular choices around, and the free test goes into great detail when it comes to the best career paths and why your personality might be attracted to those choices.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

There are longer personality inventory tests, as well. There\u2019s the Revised NEO Personality Inventory, a test aimed at measuring the Big-5 personality traits<\/a> (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism).<\/p>\n

\"OCEAN<\/p>\n

Or, the HEXACO Personality Structure Inventory, which measures those same traits \u2014 both are around 200 questions long and take about an hour to complete.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, test results should be taken with a grain of salt. They\u2019re not perfect \u2014 but they can give you a sense of the qualities you might want to seek out in a career.<\/p>\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n

Complete guide to self-improvement: mind and body<\/p>\r\n Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

Ask around<\/h3>\n

Obvious, right? It might be a little uncomfortable, but one of the most effective ways to identify your strengths is to get some external feedback.<\/p>\n

The key is to ask a handful of people \u2014 friends, family, colleagues \u2014 those who know you well and likely to be honest.<\/p>\n

Frame it like this, \u201cI\u2019m doing some self-work and could use some feedback.\u201d \u201cOr, I\u2019m considering a career change and am crowdsourcing suggestions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then ask some questions:<\/p>\n