“What are your greatest strengths?” is one of the most common questions asked by an employer or human resources professional during a job interview. Ensure you are fully prepared to answer this question and its subsequent follow up questions because if you can’t think of an answer, you might not be on the receiving end of a job offer.

 

There is no right or wrong answer to this question per se, the interviewer more or less just wants to see how well you can express yourself, and will be looking for confidence in your delivery. They will definitely not be overly impressed if you sit there for 30 seconds saying "ummm" over and over.

 

If you have strengths that you are aware of, be sure to point them out during the interview. Just remember that the person conducting the interview will also want to know how you have applied those strengths to benefit your employer, so you will want to think of examples before hand. 

 

Success Tip: Be confident, but not boastful, when answering the question!

 

 

Some areas of strength may be:

• Customer service skills

• Time management

• Effective prioritization of tasks

• Strong customer acquisition/retention abilities

• Proficiency with specific computer software

• Ability to effectively lead and guide team members

• Gain understanding of customer/client/stakeholder needs

 

Also, make sure you list a strength that is part of the job description that you are interviewing for! For example, if you are interviewing for a sales position, make sure that you mention how you have always exceeded sales goals set by you or your supervisor.

 

You can strategize how to best answer this seemingly difficult question by sorting your potential answers into categories. Here are a few different responses, sorted by category, you can offer the interviewer when you are posed with this all but inevitable question:

 

 

 

Ability to Meet Deadlines:

 

"I schedule my work activities in order to meet deadlines"

"I structure my workload such that I am able to meet deadlines for high priority items, while still accomplishing those of lesser priority"

 

 

 

Confidence: 

 

"The ability to face challenges with confidence allows me to overcome them"

"having confidence quickly relieves feelings of failure when things don't work out the way you plan"

 

 

 

Power of Positive Thinking:

 

"Having a positive attitude allows me lead by example, it also inspires those around me when things may seem difficult"

"Positivity is contagious, when dealing with a customer, my positive attitude conveys a sense of confidence in our product"

 

 

 

Customer Service Skills:

 

"I am able to relate to customer frustrations because of past experiences of mine, this allows me to see things from their point of view"

"I am a patient person by nature, this allows me to treat customers in a respectful and attentive manner"