Best Careers for Each of the 34 CliftonStrengths Themes
Your CliftonStrengths results reveal your natural talents that can lead to exceptional performance in specific careers. Here's a comprehensive guide to professions that typically align well with each of the 34 talent themes, helping you find work where you can thrive.
How to Use This Guide
While these career suggestions are tailored to each strength, remember:
- Most people have multiple strengths that combine to create unique value
- Many careers can be rewarding for different combinations of strengths
- The best career depends on how you apply your strengths, not just which ones you have
- Consider your full Top 5-10 strengths when exploring options
Executing Domain Careers
These strengths excel at making things happen and getting work done efficiently.
Achiever
Best Careers: Sales representative, entrepreneur, emergency responder, project manager, athlete, military officer, medical resident
Why: These roles provide clear metrics of accomplishment and constant challenges to overcome.
Arranger
Best Careers: Event planner, operations manager, film/TV producer, logistics coordinator, air traffic controller, hospital administrator
Why: These roles require organizing multiple variables and adapting to changing circumstances.
Consistency
Best Careers: Quality assurance specialist, judge, compliance officer, auditor, systems analyst, HR manager
Why: These roles benefit from fair processes and equitable treatment standards.
Deliberative
Best Careers: Risk manager, investment analyst, security specialist, legal counsel, forensic accountant, cybersecurity expert
Why: These roles require careful consideration of potential pitfalls and consequences.
Discipline
Best Careers: Accountant, software engineer, air traffic controller, pharmacist, military officer, research scientist
Why: These roles thrive on structure, routine, and precision.
Focus
Best Careers: Surgeon, software developer, academic researcher, financial trader, professional athlete, air traffic controller
Why: These roles require intense concentration and goal-directed action.
Responsibility
Best Careers: Project manager, nurse, teacher, financial advisor, social worker, operations manager
Why: These roles involve taking ownership of outcomes that impact others.
Restorative
Best Careers: IT support specialist, emergency physician, crisis counselor, mechanic, management consultant, detective
Why: These roles involve solving problems and fixing what's broken.
Influencing Domain Careers
These strengths help take charge, speak up, and make sure others are heard.
Activator
Best Careers: Entrepreneur, startup founder, emergency responder, sales executive, film director, military officer
Why: These roles require initiating action and making quick decisions.
Command
Best Careers: CEO, trial attorney, military leader, police captain, emergency room physician, political campaign manager
Why: These roles require taking control of situations and providing direction.
Communication
Best Careers: Journalist, teacher, public speaker, salesperson, politician, podcast host, marketing director
Why: These roles involve explaining, describing, hosting, and public speaking.
Competition
Best Careers: Professional athlete, sales executive, trial lawyer, stock trader, political candidate, executive recruiter
Why: These roles provide clear metrics for comparison and winning.
Maximizer
Best Careers: Executive coach, editor, talent scout, quality control specialist, master craftsman, elite athlete trainer
Why: These roles focus on transforming strong performance into excellence.
Self-Assurance
Best Careers: Entrepreneur, CEO, trial lawyer, surgeon, professional athlete, film director
Why: These roles require confidence in one's own decisions and instincts.
Significance
Best Careers: CEO, politician, professional speaker, celebrity, entrepreneur, surgeon
Why: These roles provide visibility and recognition for achievements.
Woo (Winning Others Over)
Best Careers: Sales, politics, public relations, recruiting, fundraising, hospitality management
Why: These roles involve meeting new people and building instant rapport.
Relationship Building Domain Careers
These strengths help build strong relationships that hold teams together.
Adaptability
Best Careers: Emergency responder, journalist, travel guide, startup employee, crisis counselor, event planner
Why: These roles require going with the flow and responding to changing circumstances.
Connectedness
Best Careers: Counselor, clergy, social worker, holistic health practitioner, life coach, community organizer
Why: These roles focus on seeing how people and events are interconnected.
Developer
Best Careers: Teacher, coach, mentor, HR professional, youth worker, leadership development
Why: These roles involve recognizing and cultivating potential in others.
Empathy
Best Careers: Nurse, counselor, social worker, customer service, pediatrician, hospice worker
Why: These roles require sensing others' feelings and perspectives.
Harmony
Best Careers: Mediator, HR specialist, customer service manager, marriage counselor, team facilitator, diplomat
Why: These roles focus on reducing conflict and finding consensus.
Includer
Best Careers: Community organizer, diversity officer, teacher, nonprofit director, HR manager, event planner
Why: These roles involve making people feel welcome and valued.
Individualization
Best Careers: Counselor, coach, novelist, talent scout, custom tailor, personalized medicine
Why: These roles require understanding unique qualities in people or situations.
Positivity
Best Careers: Motivational speaker, camp counselor, party planner, sales trainer, cheerleading coach, cruise director
Why: These roles involve energizing others with enthusiasm.
Relator
Best Careers: Therapist, personal assistant, private investigator, family doctor, long-term account manager
Why: These roles involve working deeply with the same people over time.
Strategic Thinking Domain Careers
These strengths help absorb and analyze information to make better decisions.
Analytical
Best Careers: Data scientist, financial analyst, research scientist, business consultant, engineer, detective
Why: These roles require examining data and challenging assumptions.
Context
Best Careers: Historian, archivist, investigative journalist, family therapist, organizational development consultant
Why: These roles benefit from understanding the past to guide the present.
Futuristic
Best Careers: Innovation consultant, science fiction writer, urban planner, venture capitalist, trend forecaster, product designer
Why: These roles involve envisioning and planning for what could be.
Ideation
Best Careers: Advertising creative, inventor, entrepreneur, research scientist, innovation consultant, screenwriter
Why: These roles require generating novel ideas and connections.
Input
Best Careers: Librarian, researcher, journalist, intelligence analyst, academic, data curator
Why: These roles involve collecting and archiving information.
Intellection
Best Careers: Philosopher, professor, writer, strategist, think tank researcher, organizational psychologist
Why: These roles require deep thinking and introspection.
Learner
Best Careers: Academic, medical researcher, technology specialist, investigative journalist, career changer, professional student
Why: These roles involve continuous learning and skill acquisition.
Strategic
Best Careers: Management consultant, military strategist, business development, venture capitalist, game designer, policy advisor
Why: These roles require identifying patterns and alternative paths.
Finding Your Ideal Career Path
While these career suggestions align with individual strengths, your ideal path likely combines multiple strengths:
1. Look for Overlaps
Identify careers that appear multiple times across your top strengths. For example, if "Teacher" appears for both your Developer and Communication strengths, this could be an excellent fit.
2. Consider Strength Combinations
Unique career paths emerge from your specific combination. Someone with both Strategic and Command might excel as a military strategist, while Strategic with Empathy might thrive as a organizational development consultant.
3. Think About Strength Expression
How do you naturally express your strengths? Two people with Achiever might thrive in different environments - one in competitive sales, another in marathon running.
4. Explore Within Your Current Field
Often you can better align with your strengths by shifting roles within your industry rather than changing careers completely.
Example Career Combinations: A person with Input, Learner, and Intellection might thrive as a research scientist, while someone with Woo, Communication, and Positivity could excel in sales training.
Strengths-Based Career Development
Once you're in a role, continue developing your strengths for greater success:
- Seek projects that utilize your top strengths
- Partner with colleagues whose strengths complement yours
- Communicate your strengths to supervisors so they can assign appropriate work
- Develop skills that enhance your natural talents
- Track accomplishments that demonstrate your strengths in action
Final Thoughts
Aligning your career with your CliftonStrengths themes leads to greater engagement, productivity, and satisfaction. While these suggestions highlight typical strong fits, remember that strengths can be valuable in many contexts. The most important factor is finding ways to regularly apply your strengths in your work.
Ready to discover your unique strengths profile? Take our free StrengthsFinder assessment to identify your top talent themes and begin exploring careers that will let your natural talents shine.