THE answer to “What is your greatest strength?”
THE answer to “What is your greatest strength?”

This is one of the top 5 interview questions you can expect to get as a job seeker.

But how do you make answering “What is your greatest strength?” your greatest interview strength?

In today’s article, we’ll show you how!

Go in prepared

Just like weightlifting champions workout long before they break a world record, you need to work on your answer before the interview.

Come up with a shortlist of your most valuable skills that set you apart. It’s important that you choose strengths you actually have, and not just ones you think the interviewer will want to hear.

Think of five strengths you can flex in these categories:

  • Education and training
  • Technical prowess
  • Soft skills and personality strengths
  • Industry insight and hands-on experience
  • Accomplishments and accolades

When the question comes around, you’ll be ready for anything. And as a bonus, you have four other strengths you can work into other parts of the interview!

Choose relevant strengths

Just like both a bodybuilder and a sprinter are strong in different ways, each employer is looking for a different type of strength.

It’s important to choose a strength to talk about that is relevant to the job requirements.

For example, if you’re interviewing for a graphic designer position, you might want to focus on your technical skills with the software required. But if you are interviewing for a supervisor position, you might want to lead with your strengths as a leader.

You can also ask yourself “what are the weaknesses of the business?” and choose a strength that would complement their team by adding something they don’t have.

Nothing is stronger than proof

I could tell you my greatest strength is being able to lift 4,000 lbs. But you probably wouldn’t believe me unless I showed you…

That’s why you need to back up your assertion with strong evidence.

Once you’ve decided what strength you are going to showcase, connect it to a story from your work history that proves you have what it takes.

For instance, if you’re a really approachable person whose strength is customer service, then you could mention a time you went above and beyond to provide customer satisfaction. Or maybe you’re really good at analyzing expenses, so you could mention how you saved a previous employer 10% annually on overhead.

This type of storytelling not only proves you are strong, but can show them EXACTLY how strong you are!

Conclusion

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. But being self-aware enough to talk about them openly, and still show how you’re a perfect fit for the job, is one of the most important strengths to have!

And now that you’ve read over our tips for tackling this interview question, your next interview is going to be even stronger!