How to answer the interview question, "What is your greatest strength?"

[Abdul Hye Zebon]

"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"


Client Focused Approach to Business:
"I have a client focused approach to business, which allows me to keep their needs and wants at the forefront of my mind"
"I am able to think like a client, I provide them an answer to the all important question, 'what's in it for me?'"


Remembering Success and Learning from Failure:
"I remember times and have succeeded in difficult situations, and what got me the desired results"
"I don't dwell on failures, I have a short memory for them, I simply learn from what went wrong and apply those lessons the next time I'm in a similar situation"


Low Absenteeism:
"I have a history of low absenteeism, I don't get discouraged easily"
"I have a high degree of respect for my team, I'm not in the habit of having others pick up my slack and I expect the same in return"


Motivation to Learn:
"I firmly believe in life-ling learning, I believe that if you stop learning you are ineffective in an environment that is constantly changing"
"I want to continuously learn in order to improve on my skills and competencies"


Respect for Others:
"I don't suffer from a need to be right in every situation, I take the opinions of others into account and analyze them from a critical viewpoint"
"I don't get entrenched in my views, I keep an open mind to problem solving"



Answering the question, "What is your greatest strength?" properly during an interview can be the difference between getting the job and continuing your job search. Feel free to rehearse these answers and deliver them with confidence when a prospective employer asks you what your greatest strengths are.

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