Tips on how to approach your strengths and weaknesses in a job interview. In most job interviews, candidates are asked to describe their strengths and weaknesses, so consider how best to answer this question so that the information is useful to employers and doesn't hurt their business chances of being hired.
What employers are looking for:
Strengths
- Analysis capacity
- Communication skills
- Leadership skills
- Capacity for teamwork
Weaknesses
- Hard skills (defined by job description)
- Soft skills (such as public speaking)
Strength and Weakness in Interview
Follow our guide to indicate your job strengths and weaknesses in a professional way.
1. Think carefully about what to disclose.
Use the job description.
Your strengths and weaknesses should reflect the requirements of the position. Be sure to highlight the skills listed in the job description, and explain how you will earn or upgrade your Opportunity Points.
- In general, strengths should be skills that can be honed through experience. For example, if you mention communication, you might want to recall a situation where you used it to achieve a goal or solve a problem.
- Weaknesses can include a hard skill stated in the job description, as long as you emphasize your desire to acquire it through a course or program. In the same way, listing a soft skill that you lack must be supported by a learning or improvement plan.
2. Do not say more than necessary.
While it's important to be honest about your weaknesses, there are some traits that aren't appropriate or favorable to bring up in a job interview, such as being late, poor attention to detail, or an inability to meet deadlines. .
Sample answers:
Strengths:
I consider my leadership skills to be one of my greatest strengths. During my time as department head, I successfully merged two teams and ran training programs for all members to ensure everyone was confident in their new role. As a result, we were able to increase sales by 5%.
Thanks to my experience as a human resources representative, I have acquired excellent communication skills. I was responsible for facilitating informative workshops for staff members and mediating any conflicts in the workplace. I have also completed a course on effective communication at a renowned university.
I have five years of experience as a copywriter and consider myself to have strong writing skills. I've been promoted to an editorial role after five years with the company, so I've also improved my editing skills thanks to my new role.
I am very honest. When I feel like my workload is too heavy to accept another assignment, or if I don't understand something, I always let my supervisor know.
My ability to relate to people is my greatest strength. I find it easy to communicate with almost anyone and often know how to empathize with others appropriately.
Examples of strengths:
- Communication skills.
- Skills to relate to people.
- Writting skills.
- Analysis capacity.
- Honesty.
- Leadership skills.
- Patience.
- Empathy.
- Initiative.
- Self motivation.
- Computer literacy.
Weaknesses:
I find public speaking intimidating and have often struggled with presentations. As a result, I am currently taking a public speaking course to become more confident and learn how to structure a speech more effectively.
I often have a hard time delegating and choose to take on a greater workload to ensure a task is completed perfectly. This puts more pressure on me, so I've been using software to assign tasks and track their completion. So far this has helped me focus more on my own tasks.
Shyness is something I struggle with in large groups. I find it intimidating to ask questions or raise points, which is why I have often remained silent in the past. I've been trying to be more vocal in smaller groups to be more confident.
I mainly used python in my last position, so I don't have that much experience with Java. I took a Java course for a semester in college, but haven't used it since.
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 hard on myself.
Examples of weaknesses:
- Self-criticism.
- Shyness.
- Lack of knowledge of any particular software.
- Public speaking.
- Inability to accept criticism.
- Lack of experience.
- Inability to delegate.
- Lack of trust.
Consider the job description you are applying for, and think about the skills you have that match what the company is looking for. When mentioning them, try to support them with your experience or training. Your weaknesses should be honest, but not detrimental to your prospects.
Common strengths include leadership, communication, or writing skills. Common weaknesses include a fear of public speaking, a lack of experience with any software or program, or difficulty taking criticism.
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