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Owning your strengths doesn’t have to be awkward. This interview question is difficult because it asks you to showcase your qualities in a way that’s assertive but not arrogant.
It’s a tightrope situation, and candidates typically make these 3 mistakes when answering: ❌ Simply listing personality traits. “I’m likable, dependable, and a great team player” is not enough information for the interviewer to trust you. They aren’t looking for answers about your personality, but more specific skills. You need to provide some context or situations to back up your strengths.
❌Picking a hard skill that’s a requirement in the job description. Imagine a lifeguard picking swimming as their greatest strength. Skills mentioned as a requirement should be a given, and the interviewer wants more specific information to compare you to other candidates.
❌Downplaying your strengths or being cocky. There’s nothing wrong with recognizing your strengths, you’re giving employers necessary information. But to give a great answer, you need the right amount of confidence and the right attitude.
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Here’s how to fix these mistakes: 💡Choose a soft, interpersonal skill Technical skills can be learned. From the interviewer’s perspective, choosing a tool, software, or a framework as your main strength may be less impactful than picking a soft skill that tells them more about how you get the job done. 💡Always connect the strength to the role and industry Your chosen strength can be something you developed in your previous job roles, when volunteering, or at college. It doesn’t matter, as long as it aligns well with the role you’re after now. Some scenarios and ideas for strengths:
💡Attribute your strength to feedback or a complimentIt’s easy to sound arrogant if you provide no context for your strengths. The easiest way to correct this is to frame the strength as a compliment or feedback you received from a previous manager or colleague.The best way to do this is to say something like “My previous manager often complimented me on…” or “In my previous company, my colleagues often described me as…” and then say 1–2 skills, which you will then back up by an example. 💡Make it specific by adding an example To really stand out from other candidates, provide examples of specific situations when you displayed your strengths. You could use the same technique as the tip above, or go for a STAR format example:
💡 If you’re changing careers, focus on transferable skills Let’s say you’re a former teacher going into sales. You could say something like this: “I believe my greatest strength is my background in teaching. Over the years, I’ve developed patience, persistence, negotiation skills, and I had to handle a lot of objections. My colleagues often stressed the special bond I had with students.” Note how all of these skills are crucial for both teachers and sales roles.
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Pro tip: To make this question easier to answer for future you, keep a success inventory somewhere. This will serve as a repository of inspiration, but also help you get used to owning your strengths. All you have to do is choose a space (like a Word document or a notepad file) and copy-paste feedback, compliments, and other achievements. Trust me, it works.
Hope this helps!
If you need to dive deeper, here’s an in-depth guide on how to answer What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses. And if you want to practice your answer to this question, go to Big Interview and from your dashboard select Interviews > Question Library and either choose General > Top 10 Questions or search for [your occupation] strengths for a more personalized experience.
You can also check out:
You got this! 💙 Until next time, Pamela Skillings |
