How to Answer: What is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an American Express job interview.
6. What is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness?
Focus Your Answer On
This question asks you to offer a self assessment of your skill level. If you are fearful of coming across as over or under qualified, then you may send the wrong signals. The assessment vendors and recruiters use this question to evaluate how comfortable and confident you are in your skill level. So take a deep breath, and comfortably identify your strengths and weaknesses, and be honest and transparent. Be steady and consistent in your tone and body language when discussing your strengths and weaknesses. This will speak to your skill development and experience.
Written by Kevin Downey on August 30th, 2022
What You Need to Know
Think about any self-assessments you may have done with your previous employers. Recall any of your performance reviews and see if any of those growth opportunities can be applied to your answer. When sharing your weakness, your goal should be to display that weakness as a strength. Remain conscious of your body language throughout the interview process. Maintain an even tone when discussing both your strengths and weaknesses. Remain professional and consistent, no more or less enthusiastic when sharing either, is the strategy here.
Written by Kevin Downey on August 30th, 2022
Answer Example
"I can be hard on myself. This often comes up in my reviews. Even the toughest bosses I've had said they don't push me too hard because they know I'm pushing myself harder than they ever would. In the past, this caused me to trip myself up, but I've gotten better at this, and staying focussed on where I need to grow. That, in a way, is one of my strong suits. I am very competitive with myself, so I often evaluate what I could have done better, and always strive to outdo my best."
Written by Kevin Downey on August 30th, 2022
Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback
Anonymous Answer
I get nervous before giving a presentation. It is tough for me to relax. For example, I had a non-thesis research presentation during my Master's program. I practiced the speech by speaking aloud many times. This practice helped me to calm my nerves and avoid any unnecessary mistakes. As a result, I did a great job. It's important to me that I overcome my weaknesses, and practicing helps me achieve this goal."
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