The Strengths Engineering series explores innovative uses of Gallup CliftonStrengths by global organizations and individuals relying on strengths to succeed in business and life. In this installment, discover how StreetWise Partners empowers underrepresented job seekers via their Top 5 CliftonStrengths.
The Organization
For job seekers on the margins, talent isn't the problem — it’s visibility. Without professional networks or the confidence to showcase their skills, many low-income and first-generation individuals are locked out of career opportunities before they can even begin. StreetWise Partners, a nonprofit focused on career mobility, is changing that narrative.
By embedding CliftonStrengths into its mentorship program, StreetWise equips participants with the language and self-assurance to land jobs and thrive in them. The results are higher employment rates, boosted salaries and a workforce that knows its worth.
Challenge and Solution
StreetWise serves three core groups: (1) first-generation college students eager for internships or jobs, (2) technical or vocational workers breaking into IT and tech, and (3) skilled immigrants striving to translate their experience into the U.S. job market. Many have never created a resume, learned how to build a professional network or aced an interview. StreetWise’s strengths-based mentorship curriculum bridges these gaps by equipping participants with the tools (and vocabulary) to present themselves confidently.
In structured mentoring cohorts, every participant discovers their Top 5 CliftonStrengths and learns how to translate them into resumes, elevator pitches and interview answers. Many arrive believing they have nothing special to offer, but CliftonStrengths reveal their inherent value and teach them how to talk about it.
Some staff, including StreetWise’s curriculum writer, are trained as strengths coaches. This means that strengths are woven into every phase of the mentorship curriculum.
StreetWise focuses only on each participant’s Top 5 strengths. With a population that often enters the program saying, “I have no skills,” focusing on their Top 5 allows participants an easily digestible and empowering answer to what they have to offer.
Many of StreetWise’s program participants are young adults who say they find the theme names and structure of their CliftonStrengths report fun instead of scary or clinical.
CliftonStrengths have proven especially crucial for women and people of color, who often suffer from and don’t know how to overcome impostor syndrome. By naming and claiming their strengths, participants have a way to define and state their unique value proposition in every stage of the job-seeking process and after.
Reflections From StreetWise Program Participants
- “I think it is useful to be aware of or reminded of your strengths. It gives you a foundation to build on. Knowing how to apply your strengths during networking is helpful.”
- “Knowing your Top 5 strengths creates confidence and helps you to know where to improve.”
- “Knowing your top strengths through CliftonStrengths provides a deeper understanding of your abilities and can help tailor your resume to present you as a unique, strengths-based candidate. It shifts the focus from just listing qualifications to showcasing how you will excel based on your natural talents, making your resume more compelling and impactful.”
Taking Strengths Further
During StreetWise’s annual staff retreat, all new team members discover their unique CliftonStrengths, and veteran staff engage in strengths conversations, using them as a foundation for understanding team dynamics. The retreat doesn’t focus on reviewing performance but instead prioritizes uncovering how individual strengths shape the way each person works.
For example, StreetWise CEO Shari Krull has realized that some people — like herself — thrive in spontaneous brainstorming sessions, while others need time to process ideas before contributing. During these retreats, she has also recognized how her team members’ strengths naturally align with their roles and how they work and perform best.
"Everybody has gifts, everybody adds value, and teams require all different kinds of strengths. It's been so fun to sit with my team and hear their strengths and know everyone is in a role best suited for them and our entire organization."
How It Started
Founded in 1997 in New York City, StreetWise expanded to Washington, D.C., in 2006 and has spent nearly three decades reimagining workforce development. The program goes beyond just job training, offering professional polish like industry knowledge, social capital, and the human skills that set candidates apart. Krull discovered her strengths 10 years ago; after several coaching sessions, it opened her eyes to how valuable knowing your strengths is — and how few low-income communities get the opportunity to do so. She sought to change that.
"Having strengths is a differentiator for us from other nonprofits and gives us a competitive advantage. Strengths also ensure that we have a strong pipeline of talent we can provide to employers. Our job seekers are well-prepared."
The Results
Eighty-five percent of StreetWise participants graduate from the mentorship program, and 70% land jobs within a year. Average annual personal income leaps from $12,000 upon entering the program to over $60,000 after graduating, putting financial independence within reach. But StreetWise sees even more opportunities by using strengths.
Leaders are assessing pre- and post-program surveys to find and distribute data-backed correlations among strengths coaching, confidence and job readiness. They’re also hoping this research will enhance their volunteer and mentorship programs. By making strengths a key starting point of its mentorship model, StreetWise continues to help program participants forge lasting careers and lifelong stability.
Have a story like this to share? We’re looking for organizations and individuals using CliftonStrengths in new ways to solve real challenges. Reach out to Strengths_Engineering@Gallup.com with your suggestions.
Use CliftonStrengths to give guidance, fuel development and create confidence for the people who rely on you.
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