Demystifying Interview Questions: ‘What Are Your Strengths?’

The commonly asked interview question “What are your strengths?” may seem like a no-brainer (unlike it’s tricky evil twin, “What are your weaknesses?”), but it’s more nuanced than you might think. Like all interview responses, your answer to this question must primarily consider the audience’s point of view. Your audience – in this case, employers – aren’t motivated by what you want, but what they want. What will it take to motivate the employer to hire you, or at least invite you back for a second interview?

Employers are looking for a person to solve a problem, fill a need. The answers to every question asked should speak to how well the candidate can solve the problem or meet the need. How might that approach work in response to the “What are your strengths?” question? Consider:

“Let me describe my strengths and how they can help you [specific description of action needed to solve problem or meet need].” (requires you to research the position and employer).

Employers’ motivation for asking

• They want to observe the job seeker’s perceptions of his or her strengths. Is he or she confident? Cocky? Self-deprecating?
• They hope the candidate will present a set of strengths that aligns tightly with strengths required for the job.
• They want the interviewee to substantiate his or her self-image of strengths through solid examples of how he or she has used them to achieve results and success for past employers.

Structuring the “What Are Your Strengths?” response

The structure below works for virtually any kind of persuasive oral communication but lends itself especially well to describing your strengths.

1. Opening

1. Captures employer attention: Try: “Based on my research about this opening, I want to share the three strengths that are most relevant, and give you examples of how I’ve used each strength to bring results to past employers ...”
2. Leads into discussion of your strengths

2. Body

1. First strength

1) Statement that introduces the strength [”One of my strengths is ...”]

2) Supporting material [Situation–>Action–>Result story that supports, illustrates the strength]

2. Second strength

1) Statement that introduces the strength [”Past employers have commented on my strength in ...”]

2) Supporting material [Situation–>Action–>Result story that supports, illustrates the strength]

3. Third strength

1) Statement that introduces the strength [”The strength I’m most proud of is ...”]

2) Supporting material [Situation–>Action–>Result story that supports, illustrates the strength]

3. Conclusion

1) Review or summary

2) Call to action or memorable statement that tells how your strengths apply to the job you’re interviewing for.

Sample Situation–>Action–>Result Story

Stories provide the most memorable and effective way to describe accomplishments that illustrate your strengths. The Situation–>Action–>Result sequence is a classic story structure:

Strength exemplified: Project management

• Situation: Recently my firm was facing a huge turnover problem, especially in our clinical-research staff, because of lack of growth within the organization. No defined path was shared with the employees. To address the situation, I not only had a huge task of defining grades and identifying and compartmentalizing our employees’ growth needs but also a race against time.
• Action: I knew the tasks would be time consuming, but I set a deadline for each piece. I aggressively collected information on the employee growth needs by sending questionnaires via email and reaching out to the workforce. I compiled the data and determined short-term and long-term achievable goals. I developed a small projects subset of the bigger project. I designed a system so that we could track each other’s project and meet every day. The most prominent finding was lack of challenge at work. I implemented a leadership program, effectively identifying the top 10 to 25 percent of workers suitable for the program based on the performance reviews, peer-reviews, and qualifications. I set an aggressive target of 15 days each for each zone to complete this part of the survey.
• Result: I met the deadlines, and by the end of a second month, we were ready with the budget for the training program, targeted a pilot training group, location, and a trainer selected. We rolled out our first training on effective leadership, and by the end of the quarter, data showed that employees were now engaged and challenged. As a result, turnover was cut in half.

What is the WRONG way to respond to “What are your strengths?”?

You will fail to score points on this question if you ...

• Draw a blank, saying you can’t think of any strengths you have at the moment.
• List generic strengths that are not tailored to the position.
• Name strengths without giving examples of how you used them to deliver (ideally) quantifiable results to a current or past employer.

Tips for a successful “What are your strengths” response

• Identify the top three strengths you believe are key to performing well in this position. Then do so briefly, stating the strength, and example of using it, and the quantifiable accomplishments/deliverables that you achieved.”
• Craft a response that is well structured and follows a logical thinking process.
• Give sufficient examples of strengths. Strive to able to discuss six strengths in a way that is laser-focused on the targeted job.
• Review the job description before the interview so you can align your strengths to the specific job.