Picture this: You are at a job interview. Everything is going well until the interviewer asks you the question, “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” You don’t want to sound too cocky, sell yourself short or sound unoriginal. So, what do you do? What do you say?
The mental health and virtual coaching platform BetterUp states that interviewers ask you this question to develop a clear picture of who you are as a person and potential employee. They want to understand your self-awareness, work style, capacity for self-improvement, how you will fit in with the organisation and how you react under pressure.
To avoid being a deer caught in the headlights, below is a guide on how you can answer your future employer’s questions relating to your strengths and weaknesses.
How to describe your strengths
“When you share your strengths in an interview, the conversation is still as much about their needs as your abilities,” says the business information hub Havard Business Review. When answering the question, follow these rules:
- Focus on a strength that is listed in the job description.
- Reframe the skill to make your response as specific as possible.
- Practice expressing your particular strength in four parts: The strength; an example of the strength in action, its impact, and how much you enjoy leveraging that strength.
An example of following these rules may sound like this:
“I think my greatest strength is team management. I really enjoy working as a team and leveraging everyone’s unique skills and perspectives on a project, while at the same time having fun and maintaining a manageable work/life balance. One of my proudest moments was winning a team appreciation award earlier this year, and honestly, I really enjoy doing my part to help everyone do their best work.”
Here are five strengths to consider, as shared by BetterUp:
- Conflict management.
- Emotional intelligence.
- Problem-solving.
- Adaptability.
- Stress management.
How to describe your strengths
Havard Business Review explains that the key to describing your weaknesses during an interview is to be authentic but not self-sabotaging. “An interviewer may remember your weakness and hold it against you — even subconsciously — so you need to limit and mitigate any potentially harmful impressions.”
Apply these Havard Business Review tips when sharing your weaknesses:
- Reimagine “weakness” as a “challenge,” even replacing the word “weakness” with “challenge” in your answer.
- Choose skills that are easily correctable through training or commitment.
- Avoid clichés.
- Choose a challenge that is not core to the job’s responsibilities.
- Practice expressing your particular challenge in three parts: The challenge; the minor consequences of the challenge; and your eagerness to address the challenge.
An example of following these rules may sound like this:
“One of my challenges is effectively proofreading my own work, especially in a fast-paced environment. I take a little longer, but often there’s not enough time, and I don’t want to let errors go through. One of my solutions has been relying on other writers and editors on staff to review my work, but I’m also looking at taking writing classes to help me elevate my editing skills to be more productive and efficient.”
Here are five weaknesses to consider, as shared by BetterUp:
- Lack of flexibility.
- Low confidence.
- Self-criticism.
- Time management issues.
- Poor writing skills.
Also see: Your job not paying according to your worth? Here is a polite way of asking for an increase
