Why Playing to Your Strengths Is the Real Career Cheat Code

He looked at me, genuinely shocked, when he realized I hadn’t done an internship with the firm. Somehow, I’d managed to land a full-time job offer at one of the world’s most elite accounting firms without ever participating in their so-called pipeline activities - you know, the summer leadership programs and internships designed to groom you for the job. I was competing with students who had been positioning themselves for years, boasting GPAs that were practically fictional. (Did you know you could get over a 4.0??)

Now, here’s the kicker: the cutoff GPA for these firms was 3.2. My undergrad GPA? A cool 3.21. And let me be clear.. I scraped my way there. I literally begged (no, pleaded) with my professor to bump me from a C+ to a B- which saved my GPA from a 3.19 and nudged me just barely across the line. I may not have been the best student, but turns out I was excellent at two things: math and negotiation. 

So, how did I end up in the same starting class as these wunderkids? Honestly, I asked myself that almost every day. 

Here’s what I figured out:

Play to your strengths (and then turn up the volume)

I may not have been a great student, but you know what I am great at? Talking to people. I know how to create a warm environment. I know how to be engaging. I know how to carry a conversation that makes people feel comfortable. Those are emotional intelligence skills, and they’re rare. That’s how I made my way through a grueling interview process and ended up working at the third highest ranking accounting firm in the world. 

The moral of the story is twofold:

1. Identify your superpowers. Take the things you are good at and put them front and center. Maybe you’re empathetic, adaptable, or insanely organized. Whatever it is, shine a huge spotlight on it. Then show companies why it matters to them. 

2. Don’t underestimate emotional intelligence. Sure, companies use technical skills as a baseline to weed out candidates. But once you’re interviewing, they’re asking very different questions:

1. How will you fit into the culture?

2. What kind of energy will you bring?

3. How will you treat clients, colleagues or the product?

4. Can you actually work well with people?

At the end of the day, those are the things that move you from “good” to “great.” Those are the qualities that get you the job offers from multiple top firms - even with a barely-passable GPA. 

So, if you’re in the middle of a job search, working towards that next promotion or generally trying to excel in your career, remember: you don’t need to be the smartest. You just need to figure out your thing, own it unapologetically, and let people see it.