So what exactly is the interviewer trying to find out in this question? According to Melody Mwendwa, an Interview Coach at Corporate Staffing Services, the interviewer wants to know what strengths and skills you posses that are relevant to the position you applied for. He or she basically wants to assess how well you fit in the role and if they notice you have those key requirements, it is a plus for you in the interview.
1. Read Through The Job Description To Assess Your Strengths
A good way to go about this is to read through the job description and understand your roles and responsibilities required. What are the specific roles and responsibilities in that particular position and how can you relate them to your strengths?
Also, your professional strengths in this case should be aligned with the position you are applying for. For this reason, Ms Mwendwa advises that before the day of the interview, do your research in advance to know what the core competencies are for the role.
For instance, if the job description requires someone who is a problem solver and you possess that skill, demonstrate your answer with an example.
Check out the sample answer below
“I think one of my greatest strengths is as a problem solver. I have the ability to see a situation from a different perspective, analyze the problem; find the cause as well as a possible solution.
During my last job, we lost track of some of our important files in the organization and this was affecting our work. I took the initiative to liaise with the management about it and even helped come up with an efficient file storage system.
2. What Do You Feel You Excel In?
Another way to tackle this question is to have a look at your personal attributes as well as your skills.
“Again here, you need to figure how your personal attributes relates to the specific position,” advises Ms Mwendwa.
For instance if you are applying for the position of a Finance Manager, you may take advantage of this opportunity and analyse your leadership capabilities.
In responding, demonstrate how your leadership skills have played a major role in getting your previous job done.
Check out the sample answer below
I have a strong ability to manage and support staff by facilitating relevant professional development most specifically in the area of financial and budget preparation.
3. What Do Other People Feel You Are Good At?
Sometimes you may find it hard coming up with a list of relevant strengths. To counter this, you can ask people what they feel about you before the day of the interview. They can be people you have worked with or have supervised you who can help you analyze your strengths.
Getting an outside opinion of what people think about you can help to bring out a perfect reflection of what you are good at. This is will in turn help you to talk about it in the interview.
The best way to prepare for an interview question concerning your strengths is by doing as much preparation beforehand as possible. What matters is your ability to communicate your skills and experience relevant to the job you are applying for.
