Clifton Strengths Finder Test

I had to take this strengths finder test for work and found it to be pretty enlightening and very much on track with what I would expect for an INTJ such as myself.  There are 34 characteristics, according to Gallup, that define how an individual works/communications/gets inspired.  The top 5 characteristics are considered core strengths of one's personality.  Again, the iNtuition side of me loves verifying personality types from many different angles.  This test is based on the book "Now, Discover Your Strengths".  Here is a wiki page with more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now,_Discover_Your_Strengths

Some people may feel these kinds of tests are invasive (especially if shared broadly at work like my workplace does) but I am a believer in the power of understanding personalities and learning how to correctly place them to be happiest and work with them to communicate efficiently.  If I have problems communicating with someone, I will often do a mental exercise of reviewing their past behavior and communication style to figure out their personality type.  I then look up how my personality type needs to communicate with them to avoid misunderstandings and distrust.  It is quite amazing how well this works when applied correctly and you'll soon find yourself adjusting communication style almost subconsciously after practice (more on this in another article).

This strengths finder test seems very well suited for identifying strengths and interests in the work place.  Using that knowledge, finding a position that is fulfilling should become much easier of a process.  I recently used this type of information to make adjustments to my own career.  Depending on the results, it also makes recommendations for personality types that should be sought out in the workplace to augment ones own strengths or help focus talent in the best way.  There are also suggested exercises for working on non-dominant strengths to become more well-rounded.

For those who are curious, is a really brief summary of my results from a paid test and my take on how each result corresponds to my INTJ personality:

1. Achiever - one with a constant drive for accomplishing tasks
• I believe my Judgment in INTJ is the driving force here which causes me to push myself and set high standards
2. Learner - one who must constantly be challenged and learning new things to feel successful
• This is probably from a combination of Introversion, frequently living mentally, and Judgment, need to push myself (INTJ)
3. Ideation - one who is adept at seeing underlying concepts that unite disparate ideas
• This seems to fall squarely on iNtuition or the need to find the underlying theory behind everything (INTJ)
4. Intellection - one who enjoys thinking and thought-provoking conversation often for its own sake, and also can data compress complex concepts into simplified models
• This seems to be a combination of iNtuition and Thinking (INTJ)
5. Analytical - one who requires data and/or proof to make sense of their circumstances
• Thinking all the way; everything needs hard proof and solid foundations (INTJ)

Really no surprise at all in the results.  If I would have been asked to pick which ones were most like me, I think these are the ones I would have selected after reading all 34 type descriptions.  This leads me to give some credence to the test itself based on other tests/observations.  If you take this test, please share how accurate it seems to you and always use professional guidance!