One way or another, at one of the interviews, you will have to hear this question. At this moment, the main thing is not to get confused, but to give an honest and thoughtful answer with the necessary subtext, which will emphasize your professionalism and impress (in a good way) the employer.
However, keep in mind that a well-written cover letter can also make a good impression, especially if it is a federal position. Sample cover letters for government jobs provide clear guidance to help you craft an enticing message to a job recruiter. Your federal cover letter example should be no more than one page and quickly highlight your best qualifications for the desired position.
Why it’s important to prepare for your interview
Even if during the interview the question “What are your strengths and weaknesses” does not sound in such a wording, it will indirectly touch upon all the topics of your interview with the employer. Therefore, a well thought-out answer will be very useful to you.
In any case, an interview is a kind of advertisement, only you yourself are the advertised product. Therefore, you should be able to present yourself to the employer, focusing on your strengths and professional qualities.
Further in the article you will find tips for preparing the correct answer to the employer’s question, a list of strengths and weaknesses, recommendations and examples of successful answers to the question “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
“What are your strengths?”
A list of strengths and examples of answers to the employer’s question
Surprisingly, many people find it difficult to talk about their strengths. After all, the balance between modesty and self-confidence is difficult to maintain, especially during such a stressful situation as an interview.
The first thing you need to do before you start preparing a story about your strengths and weaknesses is to study the basic requirements for the position. You will further use these requirements as a basis for your answer.
Instead of telling the employer the banal phrase “I am very hardworking and responsible,” try to prepare a short story about yourself. Highlight the strengths and skills you need for the job. Be sure to provide specific examples from your professional life.
During the interview, tell us what your strengths are, what skills and knowledge you have as a professional, and do not forget to mention your personal qualities.
Convince the employer that you are not only a great specialist, but also a good person.
List of strengths
Your strengths may include qualities such as:
- Ability to make decisions;
- Creativity;
- Conscientiousness;
- Honesty;
- Sociability;
- Performance;
- Initiative;
- Ability to work for the result;
- Hard work;
- Conscientiousness;
- Punctuality;
- Discipline;
- Self confidence.
You do not need to list all the qualities from this list at the interview. You must be clear about which strengths are needed for the position you are applying for.
Examples of successful answers to the question “What are your strengths”
Example 1
Strength – Leadership
“I have always shown myself as a born leader. I have 10 years of experience in finance and sales, and at the end of each reporting period I have achieved exceeding all KPIs. Over the past 4 years, he has been promoted three times.
Of course, this is not exclusively my merit. I always select only highly qualified specialists for my team. And I am proud of my ability to see potential in an employee.
I never stand still, I work on myself and develop my management skills. In this position, I plan to further improve my leadership skills.”
Example 2
Strengths – communication skills and focus on results:
“I prefer to work in a team, I can easily get in touch, I know how to cooperate and work with colleagues together.
At Company X, I had to work in various project teams, whose members were creative people and performed a variety of technical tasks. But this did not stop me from getting a promotion – for the last 2 years I was in charge of the technical department. During this time, I was able to achieve an increase in the company’s production capacity by 20%.”
Example 3
Strengths – responsibility, organization and discipline:
“I consider responsibility and discipline to be my strong point, I easily obey the rules, I work conscientiously. I just cannot do otherwise.
I remember there was a case when my colleague forgot about the project, and there was only one day left until the deadline for the material. The editor-in-chief asked me to at least try to fix the situation somehow. Since the article was important for our newspaper, I immediately got down to work and was able to complete it just in time. By the way, the article turned out to be of high quality and our reader took it with a bang.
Mistakes to Avoid When Sharing Your Strengths
- Don’t list all of your strengths. One or two, maximum three qualities will be enough, but precisely those that directly relate to the applied position. And don’t forget to give examples.
- Don’t joke.
- Don’t be arrogant, don’t exaggerate your abilities or lie.
- But do not be too modest, do not belittle yourself.
“What are your weaknesses?”
What to answer to the employer in the interview
The issue of strengths and weaknesses is complex enough. You are already prepared for one part of this question (about strengths) and you know what to answer to the employer.
But what do you say when asked to talk about your weaknesses? After all, if you answer that you have no shortcomings, you will seem arrogant to the interviewer. Conversely, name too many negative qualities, and this will destroy all your chances of getting the desired position.
In the eyes of the employer, you should look modest enough and at the same time show that you are working on yourself. For example, tell a relevant story about the steps you take to turn your weaknesses into strengths.
Build your answer using the following outline:
“Weak side -> context, example or history of how this side manifests itself in your professional activity”
Examples of answers to the employer’s question “What are your weaknesses”
Example 1
Weak side – self-criticism
“I can be overly critical of myself. Throughout my career, I notice the same pattern: no matter how well I accomplished the task, I still feel that I could have done even better. As a result, burnout.
I decided I needed to do something about it and started working on my self-confidence. Therefore, over the past two years, after finishing work on any project, I try to pause: I celebrate my achievements and praise myself for the work done. It also helped me that I began to treat my colleagues differently, to notice their successes and rejoice in common victories. ”
Example 2
Weakness – procrastination or a tendency to constantly put things off “for tomorrow”
“I have a negative character trait – to postpone everything for later. I used to think that procrastination was my own problem. But as an engineer in Company X, I realized that because of my habit, our entire team began to suffer. Colleagues were stressed – will we even have time to complete the project on time. And, as a result, the atmosphere in the team was heating up.
At that moment, I realized that it was time to change something, it could not continue this way, otherwise I would lose my job. I began to make myself a list of tasks for the day and perform them in strict sequence. Thanks to this planning, I became much more organized.”
Example 3
Weak side – fear of public speaking
“To complete a project and prepare a presentation for it is a mere trifle for me. But when it comes to speaking in front of colleagues or potential investors, here all my confidence evaporates somewhere.
The head of our department was aware of this problem and usually asked someone from the team to speak and present the project. And then one day, listening to the speech of my colleague, I realized very clearly – to present my project, my brainchild in all the details, with all the details and nuances, can only be myself – its author.
I began to prepare in advance for the performance, rehearsed and even recorded myself on video. This helped me to look at myself from the outside and notice mistakes – my voice faltered, the intonation was not the same, there was no eye contact, etc. Now, the more I perform in front of an audience, the more confident I become. ”
List of Weaknesses
Of course, it is not at all easy to admit your shortcomings, and even more so to tell a stranger about it. But still, nothing can compare with a truthful and sincere answer.
It is important to follow one rule here:
talk about a deficiency that will not directly affect the performance of job responsibilities at a new place of work, or a negative quality that you are actively working on and trying to improve.
Examples of weaknesses or weaknesses:
- Disorganization
- Perfectionism (if you notice negative consequences)
- Self-doubt, shyness, fear of public speaking
- Procrastination
- Increased anxiety
- Excessive scrupulousness
- Overconfidence
- Emotionality
- Lack of experience
- Fear of air travel
- Excessive gullibility towards people
- Restlessness
Some weaknesses in one profession can be advantages in another.
But that you are lazy, not punctual, do not take responsibility and do not like to make decisions, it is better not to talk to your potential employer at the interview.
Conclusion
When asking a question about strengths and weaknesses, the employer, first of all, wants to understand how adequately you assess yourself, what, in your opinion, qualities you have.
Be sure to take the time to prepare yourself for any of the questions you might hear in a job interview. This experience will stay with you for life. Easy interview for you