For a lot of young people, especially those who are not currently in work or education, the idea of “knowing your strengths” can feel frustrating.
You may have seen job adverts asking for confidence, communication, teamwork, problem-solving or resilience and thought: That’s fine, but what if I don’t have any of those? Or at least, what if you don’t think you do.
If you are NEET, out of work, lacking confidence or trying to figure out your next step, it can be easy to assume that strengths are something other people have, people with qualifications, work experience or a clear career path. But that isn’t necessarily true. Most people do have strengths. The real challenge is spotting them, understanding them and knowing how to explain them in a way that feels honest and useful.
How to spot your strengths
One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking strengths only come from formal jobs; they don’t. Strengths appear in everyday life, long before they show up in a workplace. For example:
- helping at home can show responsibility
- caring for a family member can show patience and reliability
- turning up to appointments shows commitment
- managing your own challenges can show resilience
- taking part in sport, gaming, music or group activities can show teamwork, focus or discipline
- volunteering can show initiative and willingness to learn
- helping friends with problems can show empathy and communication
A strength isn’t just something you were paid to do. It is often something you do consistently, naturally or well. So instead of asking yourself what job skills do I have, ask yourself what people need you for, what have I organised, or had to figure out myself, what have I done that took effort or courage, what do I enjoy that requires concentration or care? Those answers will tell you much more than a job title does.
What about when you’re not working or in education?
This is where confidence can fall the most. When you are not in work or education, it can feel like life is “on hold”, but being out of work or education does not mean you have no value and no strengths.
It just means your strengths are not yet being recognised in the right way. For example, someone who is NEET may still be, managing difficult circumstances, looking after siblings or relatives, attending support appointments, building confidence after poor experiences, trying to re-engage with opportunities, completing training online, helping at home or in their community.
These experiences may not look like traditional achievements, but they still tell a story about character, effort and potential and this matters because employers are not only looking for experience. They are often looking for people who are dependable, willing to learn and able to contribute, they are looking for attitude over skills. If you do not have a long work history, your strengths become even more important.
Why young people and NEETs often struggle to identify strengths
Many young people have never been taught how to recognise their own skills. If you have had limited opportunities, poor experiences in education, low confidence or gaps in your journey, you may be more likely to focus on what you have not done rather than what you have. That is why support matters and that can be the first step in building a stronger CV and a more confident application.
This is also reflected in the wider youth employment evidence. Youth Futures Foundation, the national What Works Centre for youth employment, focuses specifically on what helps marginalised young people move towards and into good work. Their work reinforces the importance of practical, confidence-building support at transition points, especially for young people whose strengths are not always recognised in traditional ways.
How to tailor your key skills for each role you apply for
Once you have identified your strengths, the next step is learning how to tailor them. This is important because the same strength can be described differently depending on the role. For example:
- If you are applying for retail, you might focus on communication, reliability and customer awareness
- If you are applying for warehousing, you might focus on teamwork, timekeeping and willingness to learn
- If you are applying for care, you might focus on patience, empathy and responsibility
- If you are applying for an apprenticeship, you might focus on motivation, adaptability and problem-solving
This does not mean making things up. It means choosing the strengths that are most relevant to that opportunity.
A lot of people make the mistake of using the same CV for every role. The problem with that is it can feel too general. Employers want to see why you fit this role, tailoring your document properly helps them see that.
Why tailoring your skills matters
Tailoring your CV matters because it makes your application clearer and stronger. It shows that you understand the role, that you have thought about what the employer needs, that your strengths match the opportunity and that you are not sending the same generic application everywhere. For young people with limited experience, this can make a huge difference. You may not have years of work history to rely on, so the way you present your strengths becomes one of the most important parts of your application. A tailored CV helps employers see your potential, not just your gaps.
A simple way to start is by writing down what you have done so far, even if it doesn’t feel like traditional experience. This could include school or college work, volunteering, family responsibilities, hobbies, group activities, part-time work, or any challenges you have had to manage. Once you have done that, ask yourself what each experience says about you. For example, helping to look after younger siblings might show that you are responsible, patient and reliable. Playing on a football team could show teamwork, discipline and commitment. Volunteering at an event might highlight communication, confidence and organisation, while continuing to attend support sessions can demonstrate resilience, motivation and commitment. The final step is to match those strengths to the role you are applying for. Look at the job advert and think about what the role needs most, which of your strengths are most relevant and how you can make those stand out clearly in your CV or application.
If you feel like you don’t have any strengths, you are not alone. A lot of young people, especially those who are NEET or still finding their direction, feel the same. But not seeing your strengths does not mean they are not there. Sometimes they are lost beneath low confidence, limited opportunities or a lack of support in how to describe them. The key is to begin recognising what is already true about you because strengths are often found in effort, attitude, experience and potential – once you know how to spot them, you are in a much better position to show employers why you are worthy of consideration for the available role.