How to Answer: What are your strengths?
8. What are your strengths?
The Goal
When an interviewer asks about your most significant strengths, they want to identify if you have the skills required to do the job successfully. For this reason, you must be ready to communicate the connection between your skills and what the company needs to find in their next hire. The goal of your response is to highlight your belief that the company's needs and your skills are a match. You also want to showcase your readiness to make a specific contribution to the company.
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
What to Avoid
Avoid overused generic responses such as, 'I am an excellent communicator,' or 'I am a hard worker.' The interviewer wants to see how you stand out from other candidates. Your strengths can be skills or qualities that help you overcome difficult circumstances or accomplish challenging tasks.
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Pro Tip
The interviewer might ask this question in various ways, including:
- What is the most vital asset you will bring to our company
- What are your top skills, and how will they benefit us if we hire you
- What stand-out skills do you have that the other candidates may not
Be prepared to answer this question in various forms.
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
How to Answer
Speak specifically about the strengths you possess that will make you good at this job. When deciding which strengths to mention, it's essential to carefully review the job posting to uncover the hiring company's greatest needs. Then, you can talk about which strengths you possess that align with the company's needs. Choose unique strengths and offer a range of variety when you respond. Your greatest assets could include:
- Hard skills such as technical expertise or project management skills
- Soft skills such as time management and critical thinking
- Personality traits such as being adaptable, kind, and self-sufficient
- Knowledge-based skills such as speaking multiple languages
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Answer Example
"My greatest strengths are in my perceptiveness and ability to be observant of the needs of others. These strengths are part of what makes me an excellent performer in a client-facing role. I understand, from the job description that you seek a client manager who brings an honest and empathetic approach to customer engagement. These strengths that I mention align very well with this need."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Admin Example
"I place a lot of value on continually educating myself and spend a great deal of my spare time learning and growing professionally and personally. I am thoughtful and have a high level of emotional intelligence. I appreciate that everyone has an opinion and a unique approach to work. Taking this understanding, I can patiently adapt to a variety of communication approaches. Lately, I have been working on my technical skills, and for the past six months, I attended an online course focused on Excel skills. I am proud to say that I am now an Excel power user!"
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Manager Example
"My greatest strengths include understanding employee differences and their unique needs then delegating tasks according to individual strengths. I build long-lasting and trusting professional relationships with the people whom I lead because they appreciate that I look deeper into their needs and apply their greatest assets to ensure their contribution feels aligned."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Sales Example
"My greatest strengths are in my communication skills and my ability to win others over. I have the innate ability to read a room and quickly adapt based on the overall vibe and personalities of those present. I believe that my communication and people-based strengths have greatly contributed to my overall success in sales. I leverage these strengths for tasks such as writing emails, pitching clients, or renewing and negotiating contracts."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Retail Example
"My greatest strengths include my ability to boost confidence and buy-in from my team members. I like to excite the team at the beginning of the day with my cheerful, go-getter attitude. I am also highly self-aware and an excellent listener, which helps when it comes to assisting customers and closing a sale without being pushy. I relate to the customer, get to know them and their needs, build excellent rapport and make educated recommendations that suit them. These customers buy and often return. My closing rates and referral rates are the second-highest in the company out of 45 retail associates."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Teacher Example
"My genuine passion and joy for teaching and my focus on student wellbeing are my greatest strengths. I truly enjoy what I do every single day, and I view my job as a blessing. I recognized my passion for teaching early on in my college education when I switched my focus to an education degree, and I followed my desire to be a mentor and a positive influence on children."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Marketing Example
"I believe my greatest strength lies in my analytical and creative mind, as well as my desire to learn. I have worked hard to cultivate my creativity and grow my professional understanding of digital marketing through numerous workshops and masterminds that I attend. I have gained an understanding of both the creative and the analytical sides of marketing, which sets me apart, as other marketing professionals tend to lean one way."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback
Anonymous Answer
I care very much about people and their ability to succeed ( however that looks for them).
Feedback is essential to one's success, and without it, we, as leaders, deny people the opportunity to be the best they can be. I excel at coaching and developing people's ability to provide feedback in a meaningful way."
Rachelle's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Rachelle's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
I have shown dedication, working almost seven years for the company, and working long retail hours, 45 hours a week. My long-lasting relationships are demonstrated by the fact that my former team members have asked for my advice for interviews."
Rachelle's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Rachelle's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
I look forward to using these skills in my role in your organization."
Rachelle's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Rachelle's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Rachelle's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Rachelle's Feedback