Why CliftonStrengths? And what about all those other assessments?

A quick google search will tell you that there are hundreds of strengths, personality, and interest inventory assessments out there.

The question is, how do you choose the right one? Maybe you are trying to decide which one is best to use to get you more information about your work style? Maybe you want to learn more about what career is best for you? Maybe you want one that goes a little deeper into your personal behavior and insights? What is the best assessment for kids? Which ones are less expensive or even free?

All of these are great questions and unfortunately, there is no specific answer to these questions.

The good news is that I have done some of the research and hard work for you. I have taken more assessments than I can count which is why I have created a quiz to give you some guidance and tell you which one is best for what you are looking for.

They are all great for different reasons and you will find that some are better than others just based on your personal preferences.

Assessments come in all different lengths, prices, formats, and results. Some are number heavy, some are word-heavy and some are a combination of both.

I have personally taken the Myers Briggs assessment, the Enneagram, the Strong Interest Inventory, Core Values Index, a few other smaller ones mixed in there, and last but not least, CliftonStrengths also formally known as the StrengthsFinder.

All assessments bring a unique quality to them. There is also research out there comparing the similarities of different assessments. I recently sat in on a training comparing the similarities between CliftonStrengths and the Enneagram and how the results could be interpreted. What you can find is the core foundation is the same for almost all assessments. Their goal is to uncover information for you about yourself that can be used for personal development in different areas of life. The way to get to the final results and how the results are presented are the main differences. It all depends on what answers you are looking for.

When I first began learning about myself through the many assessments I took, one of my first questions to the different coaches I met with was, “Why did you choose to focus on the assessment you work with?”

I got a lot of different answers and explanations and none of them were wrong but there was one answer and assessment that felt like a better fit than the others and that was the CliftonStrengths Assessment.

In college, I was given the task to take the Myers Brigs and I discussed my results and career suggestions with the school psychologist. This assessment gave me the ‘what’ to focus on but understanding the ‘why’ I needed to focus on these options was a little harder for me to grasp based on how the information was presented.

It wasn’t until I found CliftonStrengths that my stars aligned. It gave me the understanding that took me so long to find. It finally gave me the ‘why’ I needed to focus on the career suggestions that were given to me.

So what makes the CliftonStrengths Assessment stand out?

For starters, 1. It is extremely easy to follow. It offers you clear directions and short paragraph explanations. There are no numbers involved with the CliftonStrengths Assessment.

2. It extrapolates on what an individual already naturally does really well. I love that it focuses on who you are at your core and what gifts you were naturally born with. Diving into this can give us so much confidence and clarity from the get-go.

3. The assessment will generate your top 5 strengths out of 34 options. Everyone holds all 34 in some capacity, but to get started focusing on your top 5 is plenty of information.

4. The reports are given in paragraph form. You will receive two reports when you complete the assessment. A strengths insight report is general information about the strength and a signature theme report which is unique to you and how you answered the assessment. My sister and I share one of the same talents in our top 5 and it was so fun to see that the paragraphs we received were different because even though we share similar DNA we are still different people and therefore answered the assessment differently.

5. The main reason this assessment felt right was from the conversation that was created around the information provided. With CliftonStrengths, I was most easily able to create meaningful reflection which guided the conversation further and deeper. I gained understanding much quicker than I did from other assessments I tried (even when working with coaches). I gained a clear view as to how I was showing up in different roles in my life and therefore application and next action steps were very obvious to me. And I know you can find the same by taking this assessment.

Getting started can be a daunting step but it doesn’t need to be. Are you looking for an assessment to take and have more questions? Please do not hesitate to email me any questions you may have. As a Gallup certified coach, I can answer any assessment questions. Click HERE to reach out!