What is your greatest strength job interview

Tough Interview Question - What is your greatest strength?

What is your greatest strength?

Similar interview questions:
What do you do best?
What is an area where you are considered to be an expert?
Is there an area where you are the go-to person on your team?
What is your greatest attribute?

Why the interviewer is asking this question:
The interviewer is attempting to identify your core competencies and whether they align with the needs of the role. The interviewer is also attempting to find out if you have an accurate view of self in relation to what is truly your greatest strength. Most practiced interviewers are aware that candidates often present false strengths in hopes of falsely aligning with the position, so a typical behavioral follow-on question is: "Can you give me an example of how you've used that strength in your job?" Or an even tougher question is to time-bound the behavioral question: "Can you give me an example of how you've demonstrated that strength in your job in the past week?" So don't try to fake your way through the answer with a strength you cannot back up with examples. Another experienced interviewer method to get past your practiced answer is to ask: "What is your second greatest strength?" and "What is your third greatest strength?"

The best approach to answering this question:
We all have multiple areas of strength, so the key is to select behavioral traits which align with the needs of the role and have examples to show these traits as strengths. Do your research in advance of the interview to know what the core competencies are for the role. Give an example of applying your strength in your current or most recent role.

An example of how to best answer this question for experienced candidates:
"I have quite a few strengths…(pause to think)…probably my greatest strength is my reliability. Part of my reliability is consistently being there, I have a 100% on time record at work and have had it for the last three years. But it's more than that. People know that they can trust me to do what I say I will do, they trust me to deliver. For example, my boss had a difficult project that needed to be completed in a short amount of time. He asked me in a meeting with the rest of our team to take on this project. After the meeting, he told me that he gave me the project because he knows that I will deliver on time. He's right. I just delivered that project yesterday, a day ahead of schedule. And it was right the first time, no corrections needed."

An example of how to best answer this question for entry level candidates:
"Good question. I have quite a few strengths, but if I had to focus on one that I would consider to be my greatest strength, it would be my work ethic. I’m driven to succeed and deliver results, which I know is not the case with many others. As an example, on my recent internship, I was given a secondary project which my boss later realized was much too large in scope to be accomplished within the timeframe of my internship. Yet I was really into the project and kept working on it long after the other interns went home each day. I really wanted to deliver this project before my internship was completed. In the end, I was able to have a prototype up and running before my last day. My boss said she was amazed at how much I accomplished and how I completed something that she didn’t think would be possible…"

An example of how you should not answer this question:
"Well, I think I'm pretty much awesome in any and every area you can think of. You name it, I have it covered. In fact, I really don't have any weaknesses, pretty much everything is my strength. So if you were going to ask that question about what is my greatest weakness, don't, because I don't really have any. That really bugs me when people ask that question, because it assumes that I have a weakness of some sort and I don't. If you look up 'awesome' in the dictionary, my name will be there."

Remember to answer each interview question behaviorally, whether it is a behavioral question or not. The easiest way to do this is to use an example from your background and experience. Then use the S-T-A-R approach to make the answer a STAR: talk about a Situation or Task (S-T), the Action you took (A) and the Results achieved (R). This is what makes your interview answer uniquely yours and will make your answer a star!

Further review: know the answers to these 100 Common Interview Questions to be fully prepared for your interview!

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What employers are looking for:

Read through our guide to answering "what are your strengths and weaknesses?" in a professional and impressive way.

1. 

Think carefully about what you should reveal.

1.1 

Use the job description to frame your answer.

Your strengths and weaknesses should reflect the requirements of the role. Ensure that you highlight your skills that are listed in the job description, and explain how you will gain or improve critical skills that you lack.

In general, your strengths should be skills that can be supported through experience. For example, if you list communication as a strength, you may want to recall a situation in which you used communication to reach a goal or resolve a problem.

Your weaknesses can include a hard skill set out in the job description, provided that you emphasize your desire to acquire this skill through a course or program. Similarly, listing a soft skill you lack should be supported with a plan to learn or improve this skill.

1.2 

Try not to reveal too much.

While it is important to be honest about your weaknesses, there are a few traits that are not appropriate or beneficial to mention in a job interview. This includes tardiness, poor attention to detail, and an inability to meet deadlines.

Example Answers:

Strengths:

1. I consider my leadership skills to be one of my greatest strengths. During my time as a department head, I successfully merged two teams and organized training programs for all team members to ensure that everyone was confident in their new role. As a result, we were able to increase sales by 5% within our first month as a new team.

2. Thanks to my experience as an HR representative, I have gained excellent communication skills. I was responsible for facilitating informational workshops for staff members and mediated any conflict in the workplace. I have also completed a course on effective communication from UCLA.

3. I have 5 years of experience as a copywriter and consider myself to have strong writing skills. I was promoted to an editorial position after five years at the company, so I have also improved my editing skills thanks to my new role.

4. I am very honest. When I feel that my workload is too large to accept another task, or if I don't understand something, I always let my supervisor know.

5. My people skills are my greatest strength. I find it easy to connect with almost anyone, and I often know how to empathize with others in an appropriate way.

Examples of Strengths.

• Communication skills.
• People skills.
• Writing skills.
• Analytical skills.
• Honesty.
• Leadership skills.
• Patience.
• Writing skills.
• Empathy.
• Initiative.
• Self-motivation.
• Computer literacy.

Weaknesses:

1. I find public speaking intimidating and have often struggled with presentations. As a result, I am currently taking a public speaking course at a community college to become more confident and learn to structure a speech more effectively.

2. I often struggle with delegating and choose to take on a larger workload to ensure that a task is completed perfectly. This puts more pressure on myself, so I have been using software to assign tasks and track their completion. So far this has helped me to trust my co-workers and focus more on my own tasks.

3. Shyness is something that I struggle with in large groups. I find it intimidating to ask questions or raise points, so I have often remained quiet in the past. I have been trying to be more vocal in smaller groups to become more confident.

4. I mainly used Python in my last position, so I don't have as much experience with Java. I did a course on Java for one semester at University, but I haven't used it since then.

5. I struggle with negative criticism and can become obsessed with perfecting my work after receiving notes from a supervisor. While I appreciate the guidance, I think I can learn to be less harsh on myself.

Examples of Weaknesses.

• Self-criticism.
• Shyness.
• Lack of knowledge of particular software.
• Public speaking.
• Taking criticism.
• Lack of experience.
• Inability to delegate.
• Lack of confidence.

More Interview Resources.

• How to Research a Company.
• How to Prepare for a Job Interview.
• How to Answer: "What are your weaknesses?"
• How to Answer: "Why Do You Want to Work Here?"
• How to Answer: "Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?"
• Questions to Ask Interviewers.
• How To Write A Follow-Up Email After An Interview.
• How to write a cover letter.