By Anthony Stough
If you’ve ever been in an interview you know that this question will come up along with its friend “What Are Your Weaknesses”. If you’ve never faced this question before, well it can be a bit confusing to answer. Follow our steps below to get the most out of your answer!
Why Does the company ask this?
With all the time reviewing your resume and application shouldn’t the employer already know this? The question itself comes off as very open and vague. Similar to the Tell Me About Yourself question, your answer really sets the tone of the interview.
Bottom line, the company wants to see if you’re a good fit for the role and team. Imagine this, let’s say that one of your strengths is being a morale booster on a team. Well, the team that you are interviewing for is a two-person team that is extremely analytical and the last thing that they want is someone with an outgoing personality. Does that mean that you’re automatically not going to get the job? Well, no but it does give you the opportunity to think through a better answer. Maybe a better strength would be to showcase how analytical or project-orientated you are.
how do you answer this question?
It’s important to really dive into your experience and know what you are actually good at. Even if you aren’t aware of your strength go ask a friend or peer. Once you have a strength in mind, think about whether it applies to the role and company. If you’re interviewing for a individual contributor role (non-manager) would it be appropriate to say that you’re a great manager? Of course not!
Some of the more common strengths are below:
Communication skills
Multi-tasker
Ability to prioritize under pressure
Influencer
If you’re still stuck and have no idea what your strengths are, you can find assessments online that you can take. Some are paid, but others like the VIA Institute on Character provide a free assessment. I highly encourage you to check it out if you’re stuck.
The most important part of your answer is the follow-up and professional example of why that strength is valid. This is your opportunity to showcase to the employer that you are the best fit for the role so make sure you show off your skills and experience appropriately. The best part is that you only need to choose one strength. If the employer wants to hear another strength of yours that’s fine. Be sure to have at least two strengths answers prepared.
let’s practice:
The Project Manager position that you are applying to requires a strong sense of teamwork with the ability to influence a team to ensure the completion of the work.
“One of my top strengths is my ability to stay calm and prioritize my tasks under pressure. During my tenure in the military as a Project Manager, I was faced with a situation where I had to ensure the entire set up for a operational site for the company. During the set up I was pulled away for a urgent presentation to our senior leadership team. Prior to every set up, I always ensure my team completely understands every aspect of the project plan. This allows for flexibility while staying on track. Due to the preparation, I trusted my team with the project and I presented to the senior leadership team.”
what impact does your answer have?
The example above tells the employer everything they need to know about your strength. It identified the strength (here: ability to stay calm under pressure, trust-building on teams, and/or organizational skills), but also elaborated why that strength is valid through an example. It also leaves room for the employer to ask you more about the specific example or they will just move on to the next question. Regardless, be sure to practice your answer so that you’ll prepared to answer this common interview question. Remember, show them why you are the best candidate for the role with a great strength!
Be sure to check out our other article "What Are Your Weaknesses”.