Posted by CV Nation on
What are your strengths? This is one of the most common job interview questions. Interviewers ask this question to learn about your suitability for the job, so it’s important to get your answer right.
In this guide, we have included 12 example answers to ‘what are your strengths’. We also tell you everything you need to know to answer the question as effectively as possible.
Interviewers ask this question to learn about your key skills and to see if they match the ones that they are looking for in candidates.
If you can demonstrate that your key strengths match the ones deemed as essential in the job description, you’ll make a positive impression on interviewers.
Research is vital when it comes to answering interview questions about your strengths. We’ve already covered the reason interviewers ask this question: to learn if your skills match the ones they are looking for in candidates.
For this reason, it’s important to study the job advert and the job description for the role. This will enable you to learn about the essential skills. You will then be able to tailor your answer in line with your research.
Don’t try to cover all the skills listed in the job description. This will indicate that you’re trying hard to make yourself seem qualified for the job. Instead, focus on two or three of the key skills from the job description.
When answering this question, try to provide an example of a time you have utilised the skills to achieve positive outcomes. By providing an example, you’ll encourage interviewers to envision you using the skills to great effect for their company.
‘One of my biggest strengths is communication. During my career as a lecturer, I have been responsible for communicating ideas to large groups and tailoring my communication style when engaging with students individually. I also actively listen to learn about their needs and provide them with a better education experience.’
‘I have a very high work ethic. While employed in my last role, I went above and beyond on many occasions to ensure deadlines were met. As an example, when I was leading a project to install new office machinery across all departments, the project was in danger of missing the deadline. I stayed behind after work on five occasions to complete tasks. As a result of my work ethic, as well as the work ethic of my colleagues, the project was delivered on time.’
‘Customer service is one of my key strengths. I have built a track record of improving customer satisfaction and meeting customers’ expectations on a consistent basis.
While employed in my most recent role, I worked with a customer who was very dissatisfied with the experience he had previously received from the company. I started to listen to his point of view and determined that he was unhappy about the lack of communication he had received. I established meetings with the customer three times per week to discuss progress and to listen to his opinions. In the end, the customer was very happy with the service he received from me, and he even left positive reviews on the company’s website.’
‘I am an effective problem solver. During my career in software development, I have developed a reputation for identifying and resolving problems in an efficient manner. Of all the software solutions I have developed over the previous five years, none have been found to contain glitches or bugs. All such issues were identified and resolved during the testing phases of the projects.’
‘One of my greatest strengths is enthusiasm. I believe that people who are enthusiastic about their work are much more effective. I approach all tasks and projects with enthusiasm, and I have found that this helps me exceed targets.’
‘My key strength is leadership. I have a proven track record of getting the most out of employees and exceeding my objectives as a leader. One of the ways I do this is by inspiring employees and believing in them. I’m also adept at building cohesive, high-performing teams that are focused on getting results. During my last role, I led the Sales team to achieving the best sales performance in the company’s history.’
‘I am highly organised. Over the last three years, I have achieved all my targets and met all deadlines by effectively managing my time and prioritising tasks. As an admin assistant, organisation is key in ensuring I can contribute to the smooth-running of companies. As such, I take steps to ensure that office processes run efficiently. This includes using software systems to plan my work and ensure I am prioritising the right tasks.’
‘I am an excellent team-player. I enjoy working in teams and I find that I am much more effective when collaborating with others. During my most recent role, I collaborated with a team of six to implement new accounting systems in the Finance department. Our team operated harmoniously, and we delivered the project within budget and on time. As a result of this project, I was commended by Management for my quality teamwork.’
‘One of my key strengths is conflict resolution. I am skilled at resolving conflict in an amicable, professional fashion. Having been employed as a customer service advisor for over eleven years, I have experienced hundreds of conflicts in which customers have become irate. I handle this by maintaining my composure and keeping emotions out of the conflict.’
‘Honesty and integrity are among my key strengths. I believe integrity is vital for leaders in the workplace as it helps build better relationships with team members. Having established myself as a leader of integrity, people feel that they can come to me with any issue. This contributes to overall performance levels and has played a role in me exceeding my targets in recent times.’
‘My determination and desire to succeed are some of my key strengths. When I am working on projects, I always go above and beyond to complete them on time and within timescales. My determination for projects to succeed has seen me work extra shifts, bring my work home with me and take on extra work.’
‘My biggest strength is my technical ability. I have built and improved thousands of software applications, including applications that have saved companies millions of dollars. In my last role as a software engineer, I developed a bespoke booking system for a travel company. This booking system enabled them to monitor and edit all bookings from one place. The solution improved efficiency for the company and generated significant cost savings.’
We hope you have found this guide to job interview questions about strengths helpful. Now that you've learned how to answer questions about your strengths, you should consider learning to answer questions about your weaknesses. View our our guide to job interview questions about weaknesses, which includes 12 example weaknesses.
