How to answer, “What are your strengths?”
“What are your strengths?” is a very common job interview question. Your response to this question should describe the alignment between the requirements of the job and your specific measurable accomplishments.
Here are the steps to take to ensure you have a great answer to this job interview question.
Be clear.
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to describe your strengths if you don’t yet know what they are.
If you aren’t yet clear about your strengths, first do some self-assessment, even if your job interview is tomorrow. Here is an article I wrote about how to learn what you are good at doing.
Photo by Heather Ford on Unsplash
Evaluate the job.
You probably have some strengths that apply to the job and others that don’t. To decide which strengths to emphasize in your job interview, review anything you know about the job and read between the lines about what the employer most values. Usually, you can decipher what is most important by looking at the order of the job requirements and preferences. The job description will list the most important criteria first.
When you thoroughly evaluate a job description, you may conclude that the skills the employer needs are not a good fit for the skills you prefer to use. You might still choose to participate in the job interview and you can decline the job offer if you confirm that there isn’t sufficient flexibility about the job to meet your needs. In the long run, unless you are facing a desperate financial situation where you must accept a job as soon as possible, it is better to land the right job than the first job offered to you if that first job is the wrong one.
Compile proof.
After you have identified your strengths, it is important to collect examples of measurable accomplishments.
It is a mistake to talk about vague strengths that most people claim, even people who don’t actually have those strengths and lack measurable achievements to prove what they say.
Some of the worst vague examples are, “I’m a team player,” and, “I communicate well.” These are not impressive without a lot more added detail and tailored for the job being pursued.
The more you can describe specific achievements that illustrate your strengths, the more persuasive you will be.
Examples:
“I managed three software development product launches that helped my employer attain its revenue goals for the past three years.”
“My employer surveys patients about the quality of my healthcare services and out of the most recent 100 surveys, clients rated my service as an average of 4.8 out of 5.0.”
“I have developed a reputation for holding an audience’s attention in entertaining but informative ways. As a result, conference organizers invited me to deliver five keynote speeches last year.”
“I write technical white papers. There are nine of my papers featured on my company’s website.”
Practice.
Practice saying your response by recording yourself and listening to your delivery. If you listen to yourself, even one or two times, it will improve how smooth your delivery is.
I hope this helps.
I first published this article on 2020-02-15 at VocationVillage.com. I updated this version.
