This is a continuation of a post on finding the right fit when interviewing for a job. In that post, I talked about the role of values–how well your own values line up with a company’s values.

Part 2 is to look at your talents–what you are naturally good at, what’s innate and not learned, the stuff that comes easy.  How do you figure out your talents? I ask my coaching clients to buy the book, Now, Discover Your Strengths, to understand a framework for talent and to access an online assessment of their talents. See my review of the book for more info. 

Why focus on talent?  Because you can’t train for talent. You’re born with certain talents. If you are interviewing for a job that requires continuous learning because projects or clients are very different each time, you might be unhappy always being the new kid on the block. Sure, with enough will power and tenacity, most anything is possible. But how much additional energy does it take if your daily work requires something that doesn’t come naturally?

Knowing your talents not only means that you can avoid jobs that require something else. It also means that you can look for jobs that leverage your talents–where what you do effortlessly, without thinking, is exactly what’s needed to be successful in that job. Hey, how good is that?

What are other talents that relate to a job?  Going back to the book, Now, Discover Your Strengths, the Gallup Organization has defined 34 "themes of talent."  Mine are Achiever, Arranger, Learner, Input, and Focus.  Arranger is a favorite of mine–being able to juggle many things at once and being adept at arranging those things in an optimal configuration. (You should see how I load up dishwashers.)  In a corporate setting, it means that I handle project management roles with ease. As a solopreneur, it means that I can wear many hats and work with many outside vendors and it doesn’t drive me crazy. In fact, it’s enjoyable.

In an interview, figuring out if your talents line up with the job is a matter of:

• Asking the right questions.  Ask about the success criteria for the job.  If someone else has been in this job before (i.e., it’s not a new role), ask what made their best person in this job so exceptional. You don’t want to know about someone who was good in the position. You want to know about someone who stood head and shoulders above the rest. Their best person. 

• Noticing your reaction to the answers. Listen for the underlying traits that make a person in this role an outstanding performer. Look to see if you have any similar talents. Notice your own reaction in hearing about their best person. As in "Oh, yeah, I do that all the time." Or is it, "Wow, that seems really hard for me."

You’ll know if there is a good fit, not only by the information you receive from the interviewer, but also by how you feel afterwards. If this is a job that you can’t wait to start, chances are there are some talents the job requires that you have.

One final note. Often we are told that we can learn on the job, gain the right skills, come up to speed. Yes, and if the underlying talent is not there, you are working with a weakness. Working on weaknesses is in the words of Gallup, "damage control."  Improve on your weaknesses so they don’t get in the way. But don’t fool yourself that you can excel in that area. It just won’t happen. No matter how much effort you put into it.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of this topic on finding the right fit. where I’ll talk about passion.

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