One of the most commonly asked interview questions experienced by most people or will experience at some point is “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”.
When asked what are your strengths and weaknesses during a job interview, you shouldn’t answer with “I’m a perfectionist” or “I work too hard.” Those answers may seem like compliments, but they’re red flags for hiring managers.
This article will go over suitable answers you can provide when the interviewer goes, “tell us about your strengths and weaknesses.” In the end, you should find useful examples of strengths and weaknesses to be equipped for a standout interview.
Tell us about your strengths and weaknesses.
First, we’ll begin list of strengths for interview
During the interview, when a question comes up, many candidates probably would be confused on how to answer your strengths without being seen as bragging too much. It’s important to be prepared for this question as you would want to craft your answer with a high degree of self-awareness and professionalism. Even if you aren’t asked this question, you should be aware of your strengths and what you can bring to the position you seek. This will help you put into words those strengths into other sections of the interview.
Having a relatable story to tell when asked this question will help you stand out from the other people interviewing for the position.
When the time comes to answer this question, make sure to include a range of strengths, including knowledge-based skills, personal traits, applicable skills, and you’ll need to be very specific.
List of Strengths for interview
- Communication
- Team player
- Organized
- Focused
- Taking Initiative
- Negotiation
- Active listening
- Empathy
- Continuous Learning
- Self-control
Even the most experienced candidates can still struggle with describing their strengths, so below is an example to motivate your strength lines.
Example of strength:
Whenever new updates in software are released, I’m always the first to try it out while getting familiar with it. I love pushing and learning every aspect of the new software. And once an error is noticed, I do not hesitate to make it known to the developer to fix it. This position will grant me the opportunity to apply my skills and passion and help make programming effortless for your company.
Weaknesses To Say in a Job Interview
As you must know, you will be made to answer some stiff questions throughout the interview. By now, you should have a hardy answer to that “What are your strengths?” but how do you answer when you are asked to describe your weaknesses?
Of course, you’ll seem arrogant if you say that you don’t have any weaknesses, but if you give off too many negative sides, you stand a chance of never getting the position.
It would be best if you appeared modest and open to learning without putting off the hiring manager with a load of weakness that you can’t overcome.
Identifying your weak areas and how open you are to improvement shows that you are a well-rounded candidate and should be given a shot.
List of Weaknesses for a job interview
Regarding weaknesses to say in a job interview, you can start by letting the interviewer know that while everyone has a weakness(es), they won’t affect your job negatively. Additionally, you can also say that you’re not afraid of facing those challenges head-on but rather looking forward to them. Letting your interviewer know that you’re up for the challenge will help put them at ease and show how ambitious and driven you are.
- Anxious
- Too detail-oriented
- Extremely Extroverted
- Lack of focus
- Does not follow trends
- Not skilled at delegating tasks
- Extremely Introverted
- Self-criticism
- Procrastination
- Too sensitive
- Disorganized
The first 3 weaknesses of the job interview examples above are some of the most common. However, knowing how to answer tackles these will set you afloat for success in your job search. If you have trouble coming up with an answer to this question, here is an example to motivate your response.
Examples: How to answer what are your weaknesses?
I tend to be super critical of myself, especially when I have completed a project and gotten amazingly positive feedback. Deep down, I feel I should have done more, there could have been more to it than I gave off, and those thoughts would only lead me to overwork myself and leave me worn out. Given some time, I’ve tried to look at my wins and achievements and welcome them with satisfaction. This turnaround has not only improved my work, but it brought back my confidence and self-worth, and I’ve also been able to appreciate the efforts of my team members and everyone who has always supported me. Here are turning weaknesses into strength examples you can use to your advantage.
#1
My name is Dev. I’m an introvert. At college, it was hard for me to make friends with my classmates at first. However, I never gave up trying, and one day, by chance, I talked to a girl called Sheena. She’s very lovely and makes friends easily. Since then, she has become my best friend.
#2
I’m an English student at college. One day, our teacher told us that we’d have a test on “Macbeth”. I didn’t have any textbooks, so that I couldn’t prepare for the test well. I only had some notes from the lesson before about Shakespeare’s works, but they contained too much vocabulary, making it very difficult to understand. Despite that, I managed to answer the questions correctly due to my insightful knowledge of Shakespeare. I felt very lucky!
Conclusion
Consistent practice, more practice, extra practice. Rehearsing is one of the most crucial and helpful steps before your interview. If you aren’t well acquainted with your examples and stories, you may forget it or come as a liar to your hiring manager. With the right amount of practice, you are sure to leave smiling and, of course, leave your hiring manager impressed when they drop the “What are your strengths?” or “What are your greatest weaknesses?” questions.