When you are interviewing for a job, the hiring manager’s main objective is to gain a more detailed perspective of what type of employee you are. This is why a common job interview question is to ask about your strengths and weaknesses. How do you respond in a way that will make the best impression? Learn more with these four tips for discussing your strengths and weaknesses in a job interview:
Be Authentic
A lack of sincerity will reflect more negatively on you than an imperfect response, so always be authentic when talking about your strengths and weaknesses. Do not come up with answers you think the hiring manager wants to hear – always base them on reality. Pick an actual strength of yours that relates to the job, as well as a true weakness (not a thinly veiled strength, such as “I’m a perfectionist” or “I work too hard!”) albeit, one that will not make the hiring manager question your ability to do the job.
Provide Context Via Storytelling
When you are discussing your strengths and weaknesses, you have the opportunity to control the narrative and make your responses more compelling by adding necessary context via storytelling. Do not just state your strengths and weakness – instead, provide real-life examples to support them. For example, if your greatest strength is your problem-solving skills, talk about a time in which you were able to critically analyze a situation, and develop a solution that had a positive outcome. If your weakness is that you are not prone to sharing responsibility on a project, describe an instance in which you became burnt out from not sharing the load.
Showcase Self-Awareness
It is not necessarily the actual content of your responses about your strengths and weaknesses that is important to hiring managers, it’s often a way to assess whether you possess self-awareness. Employees who lack self-awareness tend to be defensive and not able to take feedback, accept responsibility, or grow professionally. Thoughtful answers to hiring managers’ questions about your strengths and weaknesses will demonstrate that you’re open to considering your own behavior, motivations, and tendencies.
Highlight Growth
When discussing strengths and, in particular, weaknesses, in an interview, it is essential that you highlight your personal and professional growth regarding these traits/skills. Talk about how you discovered your natural strength in an area and how you have built upon it to become even better. With your weakness, communicate what you learned from your past mistakes, as well as what specific steps you have taken to improve in the area and/or prevent it from being an issue.
Are you ready to land your next job opportunity? Turn to Nesco Resource! We can help match you with the available positions from our clients that best align with your experience and goals. Our team of recruiters are here to offer their expertise, so you make a positive impression on hiring managers and interviewers. Get started – contact us today.
