Some people like to ask one interview question (e.g., “Why do you want to work at our company?”) while others start with a few different questions which may lead to more interesting answers. The most common interview questions are about three main topics: technical skills, personal interests, and cultural fit. These questions are generally asked during the initial interview, but they may also be asked later in the processor during a second interview. The most typical interview question asks you to compare two people, organizations, or products. In my opinion, it makes sense to get more information on personal preferences, since if the interviewer is interested in you as a person and vice versa, they will have more of an impact on your performance and success at work. Here, let’s know some Interview Questions on Strengths and Weaknesses.
Unlike the diversity of interview questions, the actual job itself is quite similar between companies.
If there are a variety of potential employers and opportunities available, then it makes more sense to look into drawing on different strengths rather than emphasizing weaknesses. For instance, if your weakness points to your flexibility and creativity, then it may be more useful to explore areas such as team working and corporate culture, which will be more important at work than what you did at school or in your hobbies.
Interview Questions On Strength
The literal meaning of strength is defined as the power or force that allows one to overcome resistance, which is the measure of how much force your muscles apply to lift something.
It’s surprisingly difficult for many people to talk about their strengths during an interview. For instance, what is it about your job that makes you most proud? Is it the pay, the benefits, the hours, or the culture? What keeps you up at night? These are all great questions to ask because they help recruiters assess your emotional intelligence (EQ) and help determine if you’re a good fit for their company.
Whether you’re trying to land your first interview or your tenth, most likely you will encounter this all-too-common question: “What is your greatest strength?”. It can feel like a loaded question because it’s not always easy to put your skills into words, but the key is to make sure that whatever phrase you choose reflects who you are. That way when the interviewer sees that answer on the spot they’ll know exactly what they’re getting in terms of personality and qualifications.
If you’ve ever wondered what types of questions are typically asked in an interview about strength, here are some common examples in different situations:
Examples On How To Answer The Question “What Is Your Greatest Strength” In An Interview Describing Your Traits:
Think of a strength you have and describe it in a sentence or think of a time when you have displayed this trait:
- My greatest strengths are my people skills and ability to execute through the mission and timeline needed to meet that mission. I possess a strong work ethic and would like to instill that same standard of excellence into your company.
- I am a great leader because I take charge and expect the best outcome from my team. I’m able to size up a situation quickly to have a clear vision, but also have the know-how to get everyone involved to achieve those goals.
- I possess great problem-solving skills; I can come up with solutions that work well in the situation at hand. It’s also great that I can take feedback and use it for future progress to meet or exceed expectations.
- I am extremely proud of my ability to establish team unity and ensure everyone has opportunities to grow, improve, and become better contributors. It takes all of us working together to accomplish major tasks or objectives so I always encourage our teams to communicate openly.
- My greatest strength is being able to effectively communicate with people from different backgrounds and cultures because I lived abroad for two years while I was in college, which opened my mind to looking at things from other perspectives and taught me how to be more open-minded about other cultures.
Examples On How To Answer The Question “What Is Your Greatest Strength” In An Interview Describing Your Skills:
People love sharing what their strengths and values are (even though we might not always do it), and employers love to know them too. That’s why this blog post is shared with examples on how to answer the question “What is your greatest strength” in an interview describing your skills with examples-
- Clarify that you can fulfill a specific role or help fill a certain skill-set
- Mention how you’ve had success in particular areas of your career, such as sales, marketing, administration, etc.
- Explain how you bring a personal element to the role. “Sometimes I’m motivated by those I work with, and sometimes I’m motivated by results”.
- Don’t overdo it with this topic. You can say you’ve been successful at ________________, but don’t go into details on what you did to achieve that success.
- Mention how you help your teammates succeed too! For example “I help my team members reach their goals by showing them all of the possible ways of doing things.”
- There are two sides to the greatest strength…strength, and weakness. Don’t forget to mention your weakness as well!
- “I don’t usually concern myself with what others think of my strengths or weaknesses.”
- “I’m very focused on everything I do, and my attention is rarely divided.”
- “I’m a quick study and can pick up new things very quickly.”
- “I’m very good at reading people. I know just when to push someone and just when to back off.”
- “I’m not afraid to take a risk if it’s going to help the company in the long run.”
- “My biggest strength is my ability to find issues and solve them.”
- “My greatest strength is my team orientation, even though I have a strong desire for achievement.”
Examples on how to answer the question “What is your greatest strength” in an interview describing your habits-
Sometimes we ask ourselves what our weaknesses are, and sometimes we find ourselves in an interview where we’re asked about our greatest strengths. When this occurs it can often be stressful to think of ways on how you can answer that question without sounding too cliché or generic. Here are some examples that I have learned from different people I’ve talked to on the topic and sought their input:
Negative aspects of the strengths:
- I believe my greatest strength is understanding people and getting them to feel comfortable around me. I have been told this by several people I have talked with regarding my ability to connect with others.
- I am most proud of the fact that I am a firm believer in what drives my life and I believe that knowing yourself is the most important part of these things.
- I have a very sunny personality and can be very energetic and joyful when interacting with others. I’ve been told by a few people that they feel lighter after being around me for a while.
- Working with animals has always been a passion of mine. I enjoy working with them and what I find most interesting is the ability to make a connection with an animal and help it feel better.
- My greatest strength is my love of learning. I am always striving to learn new things and am always willing to go out on a limb if it means having improved knowledge on something new.
Negative aspects of the strengths:
- I tend to get too caught up in the details of work and miss the big picture sometimes. I must make sure to pull myself away from that as I know that it is not as important as the overall outcome.
- I’m a bit of a social butterfly and it’s difficult for me to focus when I’m talking with someone because I tend to lose track of what we’re discussing and this can sometimes bother those around me.
- I believe my greatest weakness is the fact that I don’t take enough breaks and work through meals and often find myself distracted by things other than work.
Interview Questions On Weaknesses
Weakness is an issue that is hard to avoid in interviews. Interviewers are looking to see how candidates react to adversity, and what they do when things go wrong. Understanding the interviewer’s point of view will help you prepare for this type of question.
One common weakness that employers ask about is the poor work ethic or laziness. Many people find this question offensive, but it is a reality of the business world. To demonstrate that you are not this type of employee, you must first understand what the employer is looking for. They want to know that their employees are going to give all they have to the job.
Describing Weakness In An Interview
Many people think that sharing a weakness is a bad idea because it might make them look even weaker. However, there are ways around this. You can talk about your work ethic or attitude, express pride in your dedication to the job, and then reveal your weakness. Another option is to find another weakness that doesn’t directly relate to work ethic.
Interviewers are also looking for ways you dealt with weaknesses at previous jobs. They want to know if you let yourself be defeated by something, or if you found ways to mitigate the problem. You should first discuss what happened, then explain how you overcame it. Employers do not want candidates that will stop at the first sign of trouble. They want people that can overcome issues and move on to bigger and better things.
A third option is to discuss a time when you overcame a weakness and were rewarded for it. Turn the negative into a positive and show how it helped you to grow as an employee. Whatever you decide, make sure it is honest and truthful.
Examples on how to answer the question “What is your greatest weakness” in an interview describing your traits-
Think of a weakness you have and describe it in a sentence or think of a time when you have displayed this trait:
- I am an extremely social person, so sometimes I find myself being too nice to people instead of being assertive with them because I care about making them feel comfortable. However, this can cause me to give in to unreasonable demands from other people because I don’t want to make them upset.
- I often struggle with not over-committing myself. This can be beneficial because it helps me to not overcommit myself to things, but it can also be harmful because I may not take care of myself as well as I should.
Think of a weakness you have. Describe how these weaknesses will help you in the interview:
- I love spending time with my friends, but if I spend too much time with them or see them too much, then this can cause me to not accomplish as much work as I should since I may be too distracted. I can utilize this weakness to keep myself from always staying in touch with my friends and instead do the tasks that I need to get done.
Think of a weakness you have and describe it in a sentence or think of a time when you have displayed this trait:
- I am not great at staying organized, and I often forget things and leave things half-finished. This can be both beneficial and harmful.
Examples on how to answer the question “What is your greatest weakness” in an interview describing your skills-
Interviewers often consider this question to be an opportunity for self-discovery. They want to know what you might not be upfront about in a candid discussion. Nevertheless, they usually do not ask this question without a direct context, because it is usually answered with a negative response and can make interviewees feel uncomfortable or embarrassed.
Many people say that their greatest weakness is that they work too hard or don’t give themselves enough time for family and friends. If you go with this response, it will be easy for the interviewer to rebut. Asking follow-up questions by saying that it’s great to work hard but should there not be a balance can help you avoid an awful response.
It is better to provide an example of something that you could do better. It should also be related to the position in question, so it should never sound like an excuse. An example might be that you can sometimes become too anxious or that you do not delegate responsibilities well. If the interviewer values the work that you will be doing, then he should be able to understand your difficulty.
Another common answer is to admit a problem with time management. If this is something that affects your professional life, the interviewer will probably already know about it. He will probably have other questions for you about specific situations in which time management was an issue so she can determine whether it poses a problem for you.
If you are making mistakes in your current job because of time management issues, there is another option. You can say that you could work better with someone who could delegate responsibilities better. This shows the interviewer that you are aware of your shortcomings, but also helps to raise your profile as an employee who is looking out for the company’s best interests, not just his own.
Examples on how to answer the question “What is your greatest weakness” in an interview describing your habits-
Candidates usually experience this question when interviewing for a job. It can be embarrassing to answer what your greatest weakness is in the interview because you do not want to tell them about your weaknesses in front of people. Here are some tips on how to answer this question with excellence.
- “One of my weaknesses is that I can procrastinate sometimes. While it’s not always a good habit, I’ve learned to use this time to do things like check out the news and social media feeds. This makes me better at work — since I’m more up-to-date on what’s going on in the world and know what topics and articles are relevant to my job — and it also makes me more engaged with both myself and those around me.”
Explain Your Weakness With A Positive Statement:
It is always good to start with something positive before you explain your weakness or bad habit. A great way to start this is by saying:
- “I am a determined and hard-working individual which is why I can somewhat overcome my weaknesses.”
- “I’m someone who has a good sense of motivation and that helps me overcome my weaknesses.”
Show That You Are A Good Problem Solver:
Also, say that you realized your weakness and you were able to do something about it by saying:
- “Over time, I have noticed I have a communication problem.”
Some Other Common Interview Questions Related To Strengths And Weaknesses:
Some other questions a supervisor might ask related to your strengths and weaknesses during an interview could be:
- What did you find most frustrating or challenging about your previous job?
- How did you usually react to a difficult situation in the workplace?
- What did you do when your boss did something that upset you?
- Tell me about a time when you were faced with an ethical dilemma.
- What is the most difficult work situation you have faced?
- How did you handle it?
- What do you think was the reason for your success in this job?
- Tell me about a time when you had to work hard to solve a problem.
- What do you think were the main reasons for your failure in this job?
- If I contacted your former boss, what would he/she say about you?
Conclusion:
In an interview, you may be asked some questions about your experience and knowledge. Interviewers ask open-ended questions to understand more about you and your experience. Some companies have their dress code for interviews where they could expect people to wear a suit so it will signify seriousness at that moment which could impact the interview process.
We hope you find our interview question on strengths and weaknesses to be enlightening. The most effective interview questions are not the ones focusing on the weaknesses but the ones that allow us to evaluate who you are, what motivates you, what are your weaknesses and strengths, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What is the difference between weakness and strength?
Weakness is when a person lacks skills in a certain area. For example, if someone can’t do the math then they have just admitted that it is their strength and that their weakness is doing math, or being good at it.
Strength is when a person possesses a certain skill or ability in a certain area. The greatest strength of the person is their imperfection.
- Why is it important to know about a person’s strength in professional fields?
The strength of a person is important to know for many professions, such as construction or physical therapy. To quantify strength, you need to be able to describe it. Many professions require strength. If you are a carpenter, you need to be able to lift heavy materials for hours on end. If you are a railroad conductor, you need to be able to move long lengths of steel or concrete. Physical therapists need to know the exact amount of force required to give an accurate message, or they will risk harming their patients’ muscles. Countless examples show that the profession of knowing someone’s strength is incredibly important for many fields.
Example of strength in the field of weightlifting- A person can lift heavy weights for a prolonged period. An example is an athlete who can bench press 300 pounds at one time. He/she can bench press 250 pounds over and over again for hours. The person is well built, having physical characteristics that are well suited for lifting weights or moving heavy objects.
- Why is it important to know about a person’s weakness in professional fields?
The weakness of a person is also important to know for many professions, such as construction or physical therapy. As mentioned above, if you are a railroad conductor, you need to be able to carry heavy materials on your shoulders. If you are a carpenter, you need to be able to lift heavy beams on your own. Physical therapists need to know the exact amount of force required for a massage in order not to harm the patient’s muscles. Countless examples show that the profession of knowing someone’s weakness is incredibly important for many fields.
