All those people who are going for any kind of Personal Interview (educational and job purpose) have to answer the question “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” People are unsure of how to answer this type of question. However, by crafting the content properly, you can give confident and thoughtful answer to the interviewer.
By just little preparation, you can stand out in answering this type of question.
To answer this type of question, first figure out why question is even being asked in an interview. You may hear these question phrases in many different ways, but the reason for the interviewer remains the same. They want to know what do you see your strengths and weaknesses, your honesty, how aware of your own self and your ability to learn from the mistakes.
“What are your strengths” interview question is a staple. You’re going to get this question, and it’s best if you prepare.
So, what is strength? In simple terms, something different and extraordinary in you. And here, lot of people make mistakes in describing their strengths as hard working, honesty, have positive attitude, punctual, etc. This are not strengths. These are required compulsorily for any job. These are not something different and extraordinary. Every person needs to have these qualities, but this cannot be strengths.
Tips to answer your strengths:
- Mention the strengths that match the job requirements.
- Describe the success stories along with the strengths by using CAR method (Challenge, Action, Result)
- Do not mention too much of skills as strengths.
You can use these as your strengths in an interview:
Leadership skills, multitasking, team management, quick learning, communication skills.
Now, what are your weaknesses? Weakness are difficult to answer, but be careful to answer so that you are not out of the job. Make sure to choose the weakness that is important for the job you are applying for.
Some tips to answer your weaknesses:
- Describe the steps taken to improve your weakness.
- Avoid mentioning the weakness that is important for the job.
- Do not use negative words like weak, failure.
- Be honest while answering the question.
- Describe the improvement and growth after taking the steps.