Defining Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Defining Your Strengths and Weaknesses




No matter whether you're interviewing for a position in investment banking or pizza delivery, potential employers are bound to ask the dependable, go-to interview question: What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
It's a simple question, but requires a complex answer. What employers are really asking is, "Prove to me that you'd bring value to this organization, and show me you're aware of and can learn from your mistakes." Follow the advice below, and you'll be answering with ease.

StrengthsMany job applicants confuse strengths with skills. Skills are abilities that can be cultivated with a certain amount of training, such as facility with a software application. Strengths are personal attributes that you may have been born with and cultivated over the course of many years and life experiences-perseverance in the face of adversity, for example, or a natural friendliness that makes meeting new people easy for you. If you lack skill with a certain software program, you may be able to learn it in a few months-but a personal strength is not so easily acquired in a six-month training course. As a result, interviewers are usually much more interested in candidates who have all the strengths needed to do the job well than in interviewees who can only bring skills to the table, even if some of those skills look mighty impressive on paper.

Instead of racking your brain to come up with a long list of strengths you have to offer, spend an hour or two on the following exercise:

1. Looking over the job description, make a list of the personal strengths that will probably be required for this job. Is this a position that requires handling large sums of money? Then the right candidate will be someone who's responsible, reliable, and ethical. If it's a customer care position, they'll be looking for someone who is personable, patient, and empathetic.

2. Ponder what personal strengths could be considered a plus for the job, and list those too. If the job description includes budget management, a thrifty nature could be a competitive advantage for a candidate.

3. For each of the personal strengths necessary for this position, think of an anecdote that illustrates your strength in this regard. Let's say you can recall a time when you caught an oversight on the annual report, and from then on were entrusted with double-checking the financial numbers on all investor communications. That anecdote would help show you're thorough and responsible enough to handle fiscal responsibilities.

4. Look over your list of personal strengths that might prove helpful in this job, and identify those you possess. Can you think of a story that demonstrates each of these personal strengths? Maybe your thriftiness led you to track down a reliable small accounting firm in Virginia to handle an audit, instead of going with that expensive Big Four firm that was later charged with fraudulent accounting methods.

List 5 words that best Describe your strengths?


1) Optimistic
2) Postive thinking(ex: Its very normal question how did u
tackle ur boss when he wants everthing to be completed in
one hour we are unable to produce the result etc...)
3) Self COnfident
4) Public Relation
5) task Oriented

Weaknesses

Nothing is more suspicious or less impressive than a flawless candidate. Either you're hiding some truly terrible flaw that will become apparent after you've been hired or your abilities have come so easily to you that you have no idea what it's like to really work at developing a skill.
Show that you've already learned a few important life lessons, and you'll sound more experienced, wise, hard-working, and human. Hiring managers want candidates who have demonstrated an ability to learn and recover from mistakes. What's crucial is the ability to bounce back and not repeat the same ones. It's an interviewer's job to probe for possible shortcomings, and many won't quit until you 'fess up to some weakness-so you'd be wise to have a "lesson learned" story ready as an answer rather than admitting a character flaw under duress.

So how do you tell a story about making a mistake without losing your credibility, or leading your interviewer to wonder whether you'll make the same mistake again? Here are four key tips:

Beware of TMI (too much information) syndrome
Such stories may be standard fare on reality TV shows, but does your prospective employer really want to know about how you learned the hard way not to date your coworkers or the dangers of cocktails before board meetings? Save these stories for your friends- they'll only make your interviewer worry about your judgment.

Keep it work-related
You may have learned a lot when your grandmother passed away recently, but do you really want your interviewer to remember you as the person whose grandmother died? It would be much better to tell the story to a financial planning firm of how you discovered how much more you enjoyed the client problem-solving aspects of website design than the actual coding. Then you'll be remembered as the multi-talented applicant who'd be a natural at helping clients find workable solutions.

Make your interviewer your ally
If you're in the same line of work as your interviewer, chances are your interviewer has experienced some of the same trials you have and will appreciate your graceful handling of a familiar situation.

Explain how the lesson learned relates to this position
If you say you learned that you really don't like elephants and the job you're applying for is in carpentry, that story seems like a bizarre non sequitur. But if you learned that you didn't like working with elephants as much as you enjoyed building sets at the circus, this may actually be a helpful story to get you the job. In other words, be sure that lesson learned is relevant to the position you're interviewing for.

By preparing your answers in advance, you'll have a much easier time articulately responding and not coming across as pompous or inadequate when employers ask the inevitable question. Just remember, employers know you're human, and by being honest about your strengths and weaknesses, you'll come off more wise and experienced.

Best Answer

Try to tailor your responses to your specific job or task.
Create an honest list of what you think are your strengths or weaknesses and then pinpoint a couple you can remember. Practice your responses so that they sound natural and you are prepared for the question.
First, for a weakness many believe the trick is to talk about your weaknesses so that they can also appear to be a strength.
Weaknesses that can also be strengths:

• You are a hard worker and sometimes work too hard

• You are a perfectionist and want everything to be done right the first time

• You are too helpful

Strengths:

• Your communication skills- you communicate well with others

• You are a people person

• You are a quick learner

• You are always punctual

• You are a team player

Here is more input and examples Wiki users have given for strengths:

• One of my biggest strengths is my communication skills. I work very well with all kinds of people, and understand that everyone has different perspectives about projects and work tasks - so when I work with others I realize that everyone comes to the table with different priorities and objectives. I keep this in mind when I communicate tasks that need to be accomplished with positive reinforcement and awareness of what others are working on.

• A positive attitude will not differentiate you from the crowd. A good attitude is expected of every employee. Also you should back up what you say with an example. For example, don't just say you have good customer service skills prove it by also telling them how you won a company award or received positive customer comment letters for your good service.

• My strength is my flexibility to handle change. As customer service manager at my last job, I was able to turn around a negative working environment and develop a very supportive team.

• Hard worker

• Punctual

• Determined

• Able to prioritize

• Believe in myself; self-confidence

• I have the ability to cope with failures and try to learn from my mistakes.

• I like to work in team and have been an active participant and organizer at several places.

• One of my greatest strengths I've acquired during my education is good analytical and planning skills. This has always benefited me to set goals and try to achieve them. But at the same time, I'm driven by the thoughts of success.

• Full commitment to my work

• Highly energetic

• Love to learn new things.

• Having good interpersonal skills

• Well organized and like to be neat with all of my work

• A good helper towards those who need it

• I am a team player and work well with others.

• I have great communication skills.

• I am a quick learner. I have great problem-solving skills and am willing to learn new things to get the job done.

• Focus on your strengths, but have an answer regarding a challenge you have met and overcome... Weaknesses do not exist, just challenges and solutions...

• Think of any trait or skill you have that pertains to the job you are applying for. Think of instances when you have shown a lot of skill in that area.

More examples of weaknesses:

• You should answer with things you "are improving upon," e.g., "I believe I should always be improving upon myself, good or bad." You are answering the dreaded question without looking like an egotistical maniac, and showing the interviewer that you see yourself as a work in progress, trying to better all of your qualities.

• For your weakness, just pick one that is not going to disqualify you from the job, and then follow up with - this is what really matters - the examples of what you are doing (or have done) to fix your weakness. The most important point here is to show that you learn from your mistakes and your weakness, and you are taking the corrective action to fix the situation - and stress that! For example, if the job does not require public speaking, you can say that your weakness is you are afraid of speaking in front of the public. Then tell the interviewers that you have joined a Toastmaster club or public speech course to overcome the problem. Remind them that when you identify a problem, you actively take actions to correct it, and that is how you do things.

• Don't try to use a cliche or try to present a strength as a weakness by saying your weakness is that you are a workaholic. No one will believe that answer. Being too emotional will make the recruiter wonder if your interpersonal skills are lacking. Give a true weakness but one of modest size. Shows that you have taken steps to correct the weakness. For example you want to improve your MS Excel skills so you are taking a course on that now.

• I used to have trouble with procrastinating, now I have learned to write down a list of things that I need to do, and keep a calender to keep track of deadlines. I have found that this not only helps me to finish things on time, but it has also helped me to be more organized.

• For my weakness, I always say that some people say I'm over-friendly. You can't go wrong with that one. Usually, the person interviewing is like "Oh, that's not a bad thing at all."

• I'm a little egoistic when it comes to winning things and get a little ruthless too.

• I lose patience sometimes when I am not in a position to complete the assigned job in time.

• I have to work on having more patience and giving myself a break, because I always want everything done at once.

• Tend to go to any limits while helping my friends.

• I am too focused on my work and I need to find more time to relax.

• I'm too focused on work and need to develop some after-hours hobbies.

• Never actually choose something that will be seen as a liability. Try to think of a weakness that can actually be seen in some sort of positive light.

Examples of combination strengths and weaknesses:

• I'm a workaholic person and love to dedicate myself to the work I'm doing. But at the same time I forget to keep a balance between other things which I'm trying to improve on.

• Take whatever is your best quality and also describe it as your worst. It often is, as we are all made up like two sides of a coin. Try it out with different qualities and accomplishments and see how it works. For example: The best thing about me is that I am able to see the big picture in a situation. The worst thing about me is that I can see the big picture in a situation. This is the best thing because I can remove myself from the emotion of a decision that needs to be made and act accordingly. It is a bad thing because I often can see the conclusion quicker than the other participants in a project and that can cause frustration sometimes amongst them.

• My strength is my flexibility to handle change. As a software developer at my last job, I was able to turn around a negative working environment and develop a very supportive team. Always turn weakness into a positive. If you lack experience or skills for example state this but also state that you are willing to learn, or that it is an area which you would like to improve on. 

• 
  

• Example 1:

• "I do not have much experience with customer service, but I would like to gain experience in this area. I get along well with people, I am able to listen and am a good communicator so I feel that I would get on well in a customer based environment." 

• 
  

• Example 2:

• "I am not too experienced with computers, but I am always willing to learn new skills. I have used computers a little in the past and this is one area which I would like to improve on. I am usually very quick at picking up new skills especially when it is something that I need to learn.

Notes on interviewing

• This question unfortunately has become a staple in the interview process and is an easy way out for an interviewer who can't think of any other questions. The reason this is a bad question is simply this: If someone has a weakness that could jeopardize his chance of getting the job, he will never reveal it. So the only answers that this question receives are false answers intended to placate the interviewer. A good interviewer won't ask this question. I'm always tempted to answer this way: "Mr. Interviewer, I always have a hard time with that question. What would your answer be to the question?"

• A good interviewer wouldn't dream of asking someone this question. As the interviewer, you will not get truthful answers from the weakness part of the question, and as the interviewee, you can end up coming across as egotistical and boastful when answering about your strengths. A good interviewer shouldn't want to make you uncomfortable.

Sample
"My strengths are my ability to be flexible; I've seen companies go through changes in structure and management philosophy. I've had to adjust my style to the new environment several times. My weakness is my tendency to over-work so I pace myself now."
The key is to turn the weakness - a negative character trait - into something positive.
No Trick: Honesty is the best policy. Whatever you do, tell the truth. While there are certainly answers that interviewers prefer to hear, it has to match reality. Why? First, it's generally not good to get hired for a job that you're not matched well for. If you like new, exciting, dynamic situations but you're looking for a job on an assembly line, you're not going to be happy; saying that you like repetitive work doesn't make sense. Second, any good interviewer will check your references. If your answers don't match what they hear, you're almost certain to lose the chance for job.
Don't ever list as a weakness the following: "I take on too many things and work to hard, and just don't know where to stop." It's a cliche, completely transparent, and I can tell you that it rarely makes the desired impression.
This question is usually asked by prospective employers from candidates applying to them for employment. To answer this question the following procedure should be helpful:

1. Find out what nature of work "the team" in question does.

1. Assuming you are interested in that type of work, list what formal training courses you have taken and qualifications acquired in that field or a related field. Next, mention whatever practical experience you in the field. List any relevant worthwhile achievements you have made. Such specifics will carry lot of weight.

1. As a general plus point, say that you are a team worker and get on well with others, if you feel this is true.

One interviewer's perspective
I ask this question and whenever I get an answer like "I work too hard" I know I'm dealing with somebody that I can't really trust, and that I'm going to have a hard time developing an open and honest working relationship with. And I know that I still don't know the person's other weaknesses.
At least with me, an interviewee has a much better chance if I think he or she is honestly telling me about a weakness. And then I can decide whether or not I can work around that weakness. One person told me that he needs fixed deadlines because otherwise he keeps finding additional things to add and it's hard for him to finish the project. I decided this was something I could live with and I hired him. We all have weaknesses. And if you think you're going to outsmart me with nonsense or evasion, you're hurting your chances with me.
Strengths are a combination of talent and behavior that a person is born with and cultivates over a period of time, they should not be confused with skills.Skills are something that you can develop over time. For example, if you don't know a computer language, you can possibly learn it but you cannot learn strengths.
Don't come up with statements such as I am a perfectionist or I have no weaknesses. Keep your answers career related and precise.
The interviewer is probably not really interested in your weaknesses, but is just testing your ability to deal with a difficult and unexpected situation.
Such questions are fairly typical of those you will be presented with when applying for a job
As with most things, it is all about preparation. If you fail to prepare then be prepared to fail. There are many 'standard' questions. There are no standard answers as most are asking about you personally. Because of that no one but yourself can answer many of the questions you will be asked. Think about such questions in advance and have your answers ready. There are many sources of the type of questions you may be presented with. The internet and your local library being the main ones. Be positive; do not repeat what you have read in books or on the Internet. By all means read sample answers but do not repeat them verbatim. The person interviewing you will have read all those answers too.
The best approach is to:

• First decide on how you want to position yourself. Ideally, you should also understand what the interviewer is looking for.

• Then calmly and sincerely admit the weakness and what you're doing about it

You want to be careful here. You never want to sound:

• Phony and self-serving

• Egotistic, as if you don't think you have any real weaknesses

• Defensive

Of course, you also don't want to admit a weakness that's too big to get you hired, like "I always miss my deadlines." So play carefully, but try to admit a real weakness that's related to a strength, and that won't sound too bad.
When asked what your weaknesses are during an interview always try to make the end of your description a positive. For example, you can say that one of your weaknesses is that you sometimes get easily frustrated with yourself or others if a job isn't done perfectly. However, this is simply caused by your passion for your career and your desire to do everything as well as it can be done. This way, while you admit to becoming frustrated, you show that it's only because you care so much about your job.
More input:

• This can be a difficult one. The best way to answer would be to chose something that can be turned around to look like a strength. Example: "My computer skills were lacking a little, but I took a computer class and got my skills up-to-date."

• If this is for a job interview, then you should always turn your weakness into a positive. Say, one of my weakness' is that I do not quit until I get the job done. Or, I am a perfectionist. I want to make sure that everything I do is perfect and in the right order. Good luck to you:) Find weaknesses that are also strengths- for example: I do not care for paperwork, so I try to get it all done by 10AM so I can go on to other things.

• The question is how to answer the question without making it look like you have a weakness that might prevent you from getting hired. At the same time, you don't want to mention a weakness that isn't really a weakness and simply tell the interviewer what you think they want to hear. Trust me, an experienced interviewer has heard every cliched answer to this question and will know when you are feeding them a line. The purpose of asking this question is firstly to see how you handle a stress question and secondly how you actually respond to it.

• Here are some guidelines for responding when an interviewer asks what about your biggest weakness:

• The question demands personal/subjective answer depending on the reality of my own trait and personality type: for instance mixing business with pleasure:

I spend both time and money on books , internet, technology and hardware on my free time for fun even though it is job related because I am so interested in these topics...

• Simple. Lightheartedly say hand made milk chocolates, fast cars and more hand made milk chocolates. When asked my dislikes I usually say smoking (unless it is the tax man on fire) and then it would be someone running up with a bucket of water to put him out.

• I have never been asked to give a serious answer.

• First of all, don't specify them as your weaknesses... just tell them you don't consider them as strong and they could use some work... that's what i would say... good luck on your interviews!

• You have to prepare an answer for this question for every job interview before you go. the most important thing about what you say is for it to be something resolvable, or an area in which you can improve and to show how you are trying to solve this or that issue. For instance, you can say that your written communication skills are not amazing, but you are currently (or planning to register) for a course in creative writing, or business communication, or professional writing, etc...

• The question "What would you say is your greatest weakness" in a job interview is a way to find out many things about you, Try to make it a positive reply. As a property manager I say "I care too much about my communities" this equates to my spending additional time on site at no cost to the company

This can be the most difficult question put by the interviewer to check out your honesty and your confidence level. Don't try to portray yourself as Mr/Miss perfect, as we all have some flaws. Just be careful, and state your weak point by adding that you are working towards improving it. For more details, check out the related link.

Re: List 5 words that best Describe your strengths?
Answer # 10	1. dont loose hope 2 feel confident 3. face your problem bravely 4. keep on smilin all the time 5. accept challenges

Re: List 5 words that best Describe your strengths?
Answer # 5	1. Pro-active 2. Energetic 3. Goal Driven 4. Ambitious 5. Confident

Re: List 5 words that best Describe your strengths?

Answer # 2

My strenght is my father bcoz he is the person who taught me how to face a difficult situation in difficult times.For example there is a child who is sitting alone in the house.and now he is feeling very hungry,then he started crying.Instead of crying he can go into the kitchen and find out something to eat.Then the problem could be solved.In this way my father had taught me how to face a problem   Re: List 5 words that best Describe your strengths? Answer # 3 The strengths are 1. Positive Attitude 2. Team Player 3. Good Communication skills 4. Hard Work 5. Able to handle stress at hard times Source http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_answer_'What_are_your_strengths_and_weaknesses'_in_a_job_interview