One of the most common interview questions that most of us have already heard or will only hear at some point: “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
This article will provide a list of strengths and weaknesses that you can mention at the interview, as well as many answer options that can hit your recruiter.
During the interview, it is likely that an HR specialist will ask you to describe your strengths. Many candidates often experience difficulties in how to respond to this question. Your goal is to answer with a high degree of self-awareness and professionalism.
It is crucial to be ready for this question and have a well-designed answer with you. Even if the recruiter does not ask this question, you will be aware of your strengths and what you can bring to this position. This will help you convey your strengths by answering other interview questions regarding examples of your work and other work situations.
Even the most experienced candidates have difficulty answering a question about their strengths, so we have put together a list of examples to help you write your story. You can take the advice of each of these examples so that your story fully unleashes your potential and impresses the hiring manager.
1) I like to test the software that my company is starting to use. I like to go through sections and links to the new program for a long time and hard to find out more useful functions. It was only last week that I discovered a problem in our internal project management and tracking program. I immediately contacted technical support, and they immediately fixed it. This position will allow me to apply my passion and help you improve programs for your company.
2) I always preferred to work in teams and found my collective nature is one of my strongest qualities. In the projects that I led, I did my best to inspire the rest of the team, and this helped us all achieve our goals much faster. In fact, in two years, I have increased the productivity of our department by 10%.
3) I always find myself thinking that my strong side lies in the ability to write well. I work well under pressure and have never missed deadlines. One specific example that comes to my mind is when my chef asked me to complete the project two hours before the deadline because my colleague became very ill. It was tough. I had to gather all the organizational skills and complete the project on time. Subsequently, I got feedback that this article was very well received by our readers.
4) I am new to the financial industry, but I find that I am good at working with numbers, and I love that. I love helping people save money and finding new investment opportunities for my clients. I am very pleased to learn about their needs and find ways to help them achieve their desired lifestyle, and I helped my clients collectively increase their capital by 10%.
Being able to tell a story provides you a competitive edge. If you can articulate your strengths in case studies, this will enormously help you in your job search.
As you already know, throughout the interview, an HR specialist will ask you to answer several difficult questions. By now, you should have a clear answer to the question: “What are your strengths?” But what do you say when you need to describe your apparent weaknesses?
Knowing how to answer the question “what are your weaknesses?” will help you succeed in getting a job.
1) I am prone to constant self-criticism. Whenever I finish a project, I cannot calm down. I feel that I could have done more, even if my work received a positive assessment. This often leads me to overwork and feel exhausted. Only recently, I decided to find out the cause of such symptoms and realized that I needed to be more confident. I analyzed the reviews about my work and my achievements over the past year and realized that I am one of the most productive employees. It just gave me confidence in my abilities.
2) I am self-contained, which makes me afraid to share my ideas or speak in group meetings. I constantly feel that I have something good to offer, but my fear to speak loud was under control. After my team hadn't lived up to expectations in two projects in a row, I decided to fight with my isolation. I started watching lessons on YouTube, read several books on this topic. I'm still at the training stage, but I already have progress and know that I am better than one year ago.
3) I'm still poorly versed in electronics and digital innovations. It is always difficult for me to use a new program or application that my company is starting to use. I spend a lot of energy, time, and nerves to get used to such things. Recently, I first received a discreet review from my boss about my productivity. I immediately understood the reason and began to try to quickly master the new application. 10-15 minutes of lunchtime and the help of knowledgeable colleagues allowed me to solve the problem within a couple of weeks, and now I have returned to my previous level of effectiveness.
4) I always try to avoid conflicts in my personal and professional life. This sometimes forced me to compromise, sacrificing the quality of my work to maintain peace in the team. This became a real problem when I became the head of the department. One of the most important aspects of managing people is to tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. I recognized this weakness and worked actively to constructively express my opinion for the effective work of the department.
The better you can articulate your most significant weaknesses by citing examples and how you try to overcome them, the faster you will succeed in finding a job.
You should always show that you know your weaknesses and are working on them so that they do not bother you in your professional life. If you are trying to find your weaknesses, ask a close friend or colleague to help you or use the same annual performance report. As soon as you can identify your weaknesses, stories, and examples will immediately be found.
Now your primary goal is to find your strengths and weaknesses. The practice is one of the most important steps before an interview. If you are not well versed in your examples and stories, then you will seem insincere.
