How to Answer “What are Your Strengths and Weaknesses” in an Interview? (Tips Included)

Interviews are often considered personality tests. Through their questions, an interviewer is assessing your personality by observing how you answer. This blog provides strategies, a list of strengths and weaknesses, and sample answers so that you can answer with confidence when asked, ‘What are your strengths and weaknesses?’

Why Do Recruiters Ask What are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?

In an interview, you might be asked, ‘What are your strengths & weaknesses?’ Here are some of the reasons why recruiters ask this question:

1. To Check Your Self-Awareness – The recruiters want to know if you are aware of your strengths and weaknesses to understand if your way of working is optimized to increase your productivity.
2. To See the Scope of Improvement – The recruiters want to assess whether you are someone who tries to improve themselves by working on their weaknesses or not. 
3. To Learn About Your Personality & Work Style – Recruiters get to know about your personality and work style by knowing the strengths and weaknesses you have.
4. To Check if You Fit the Job Role – By evaluating your strengths and weaknesses, a recruiter will know whether you have the qualities needed for the job. 
5. To Assess Your Ability to Handle Tough Questions – Recruiters ask about weaknesses to assess how you think and behave under pressure.

You can learn more tips and tricks to prepare for your next job interview through this interview preparation course.

Tips to Talk About Your Strengths

Here are some strategies to effectively discuss your strengths when asked, “What are your strengths and weaknesses,” interview questions:

1. Assess Your Strengths

The first step towards preparing an answer to this question is to assess your strengths and identify the ones that align with the job role. You can list the strengths you acquired through your academic course, previous work experience, or any training or workshop you attended. 

For example, if you are a graduate applying for a particular job, note areas of proficiencies or capabilities. You can think back to your academic years and search for suitable strengths to mention in your answer.

2. Be Honest

Talk about your genuine strengths and do not try to exaggerate or give a generic answer. Your individuality should be highlighted through your strengths. For example, if you possess strong problem-solving skills, mention those confidently.

You can answer as follows:

“I enjoy tackling complex problems and finding innovative solutions.”

3. Use Relevant Information

Mention only those strengths that you think are important for the job role you are applying for. Also, try to speak about how your strengths can benefit the organization. 

You can formulate an answer as follows:

“I am committed to continuous learning and staying updated with the latest technologies and best practices in web development. This helps me to quickly learn and adapt to changes and implement them in the projects.”

4. Give Real-Life Examples

Providing examples when discussing your strengths in an interview adds credibility and depth to your claims. It shows how you have applied your skills in real-life situations. Further, it allows the interviewer to consider you as a potential employee.  

For example, when asked what is your biggest strength, instead of simply stating that you take initiative, answer as follows: 

“In my previous role as a sales associate, I often encountered challenging situations where quick response was required. There was this one instance when during a busy period we faced a sudden shortage of a particular product. This was right before we had an important meeting with the clients. Without panicking I took the initiative to research alternative suppliers and negotiated speedy delivery options. Then I collaborated with the logistics team and was able to get the products delivered in time before the meeting.”

5. Be Brief

Be concise while answering about your strengths. This will communicate your thoughts clearly and ensure the interviewer remains engaged. For example, if you are stating that your collaboration skills are your strength, answer as follows, 

“I thrive in collaborative environments. I actively engage in cross-functional teams to achieve shared goals. In my previous workplace, I collaborated with designers to integrate animations, enhancing user experience.”

Avoid details like sharing the conversation between the team members or internal processes of the company. This may breach confidentiality and make you sound unprofessional.

6. Show Humility

Ensure that while speaking about your strengths, you maintain that there is always room for improvement and that you have the will to learn more.

For example, “While I’m confident in my ability to adapt to new technologies, I understand that there is always more to discover and learn in this field. Every project presents unique challenges that offer opportunities for growth. This attitude keeps me grounded and motivated to continuously improve and try to make a positive contribution to the team.”

Example of Strengths

Let us now discuss how to respond to, ‘What are your strengths and weaknesses,’ with examples. Here are some strengths examples that candidates you can mention in your interview answers:

Versatile	Integrity
Creative	Focused
Analytical	Dedicated
Empathetic	Writing skills
Self-motivated	Takes initiative
Detail-oriented	Leadership skills
Team-building quality	Communication skills
Problem-solving ability

Sample Answers for What Are Your Strengths?

Refer to these examples. You can use them to write what is your strength best answer according to your requirements:

1. Proactivity

Sample Answer: “My strength is my proactive nature. I stay ahead by anticipating challenges and opportunities before they arise. In my previous role, while working on a particular project, I identified a potential issue with our timeline and proposed a revised schedule. This led our team to save significant time and resources.”

2. Writing Skills

Sample Answer: “My writing skills are my biggest strength. I write with clarity and precision and make sure to research well before writing a piece. During my previous job, I utilized these skills extensively to improve our company’s customer engagement. I was responsible for creating client emails, newsletters, and reports. These were often praised for having clear and concise language and helped in smooth communication with the customers.”

3. Teamwork

Sample Answer: “One of my strengths is the ability to collaborate effectively in a team. During a project at my last job, our team faced a complex coding issue that required collaboration and coordination among team members. I realized the importance of teamwork and took the initiative to conduct a session where everyone could share their insights and expertise. This allowed us to brainstorm creative solutions and complete our project way ahead of the deadline.”

4. Adaptability

Sample Answer: “My strength lies in my adaptability. I’ve consistently shown the ability to adjust to new situations and challenges effectively. For example, when faced with unexpected scenarios during a project, I quickly reassess and realign my approach to meet the new requirements. This has allowed me to adapt without losing focus or productivity and contribute reliably during dynamic circumstances.”

5. Organizational Skills

Sample Answer: “My organizational skills are one of my strongest assets. I have a proven track record of efficiently managing multiple tasks simultaneously. In my previous role, I implemented a systematic documentation process that helped our team to streamline project workflows. My skills ensure I stay focused and meet objectives while delivering quality work.”

6. Leadership and Communication Skills

Sample Answer: “My greatest strengths are my leadership and communication skills. With over five years of work experience, I have led many teams at work, which excelled in the majority of the key performance indicators. My communication skills were useful in having productive discussions with the team members to overcome dissent and produce better results. I wish to continue working on my leadership skills further with the new role that I take.”

You can revise these responses to give a suitable answer to the interview question, ‘What are your greatest strengths?’

Tips to Talk About Your Weaknesses

Here are some tips on how to answer what are your weaknesses in the right ways

1. Talk about Your Weaknesses First

Mention your weakness before strength in your answer to conclude on a positive note. You can practice by listing out your strengths and weaknesses before the interview.

For example, you can answer: “One area I’m working on is my time management skills. Occasionally, I find myself immersed in debugging codes that make it challenging to focus on other aspects of development. However, I’ve been implementing strategies to set clear priorities and use time-management tools to work on my weaknesses.”

2. Be Tactful

Be diplomatic when discussing your weaknesses. While the recruiters appreciate honesty, avoid giving a weakness that can directly impede your performance in the specific requirements of the job role.

Here is an example of what are your weaknesses: “Public speaking has been a challenge for me. While my role as a web developer primarily focuses on coding and project management, I understand the importance of effective communication, especially when explaining technical concepts to key stakeholders. To address this issue, I’ve been participating in workshops to improve my public speaking skills. This has boosted my confidence and enabled me to communicate more effectively.” 

Talk about weaknesses not directly related to your domain and customize your answer to frame a suitable answer accordingly.

3. Show Your Commitment to Self-improvement

It is a good practice to supplement your answer with examples that demonstrate your efforts towards improving your shortcomings.  

Here’s how to answer, “What are your weaknesses,” while showcasing self-improvement: “One area I’ve been actively trying to improve is my tendency to be overly critical of my work. Due to this I would often revisit completed tasks and revise certain areas. While in some cases it is helpful to identify errors, in the long run, it may hinder progress and affect project timelines. Therefore, I’ve started implementing time management techniques to set priorities, proper timelines, and even a specific slot for revisions. This has allowed me to work towards producing quality work within a specified timeline.”

4. Emphasise Your Willingness to Learn

Maintain that you are open to feedback and ready to work on your weaknesses. 

Here is how you can demonstrate your willingness to learn while answering the what is your weakness interview question: “I’m eager to learn and grow, therefore, I actively seek feedback from colleagues and supervisors to identify areas for improvement. For instance, the supervisor at my former workplace gave me feedback on my communication skills in team meetings. Since then, I have been proactively working on enhancing my communication abilities by attending workshops. I believe with continuous efforts, I can develop my skills and overcome my weaknesses.”

5. Do Not Sound Insincere

While answering about your weaknesses, avoid saying things like, ‘I am too much of a perfectionist.’ It will make you sound insincere and immature.

So, how do I answer what are my weaknesses? Refer to the following example to answer the question without sounding insincere: “One of my weaknesses is to focus way too much on minor details. While attention to detail is crucial in several aspects of work, I understand that spending too much time on every small aspect can hinder progress. To address this, I have been working on striking a balance between productivity and perfectionism by learning to prioritize tasks effectively.”

6. Practice Before the Interview

Talking about your weaknesses can be difficult and overwhelming sometimes. So, it is better to practice answering questions before you sit for the actual interview.

Pro Tip: You can appear for mock interviews to practice your answers. This will help you identify areas of improvement and work on them accordingly. Additionally, conduct research about what are good weaknesses to say in an interview to answer this tricky question confidently in front of the interviewer.

Examples Weaknesses

Here are some examples of weaknesses that you can mention in an interview:

Shyness	Impatient
Competitive	Self-criticism
Too sensitive	Lack of focus
Procrastination	Public speaking
Too-detail oriented	Extremely extroverted
Lack of time management	Not good at delegating tasks
Not good at receiving criticism	Limited knowledge of particular software/skill
Limited vocabulary and grammatical errors while writing

Sample Answers for What Are Your Weaknesses?

If you are still unsure about answering the question, What is a weakness, for a job interview, Here are some sample answers you can use:

1. Impatience

Sample Answer: “In the past, I struggled with impatience. During my first internship, I had the tendency to start working on assignments before receiving instructions on how to proceed with them. Because of this, I made mistakes and had to spend a lot of time making changes. However, I learned from my mistakes and made sure to change my habit of acting on everything immediately. From then on I have made sure to ask for the instructions first and then proceed accordingly.”

2. Limited Technical Skills

Sample Answer: “I have mostly worked with C++ and am not well-versed with the working of Python. Though I did study both programming languages, due to my inclination towards the former I could focus less on the latter. But I realize Python is an equally important language for developers and, hence, I am working towards improving my skills in the same.”

3. Overcommitment

Sample Answer: “In the past, I’ve struggled with overcommitment. I used to take on too many tasks or projects to show my determination and dedication towards work. This led to stressful situations at times. But, I was able to timely identify my weakness and address it. By setting realistic expectations and delegating tasks more effectively, I learned to strike a balance and better manage my responsibilities. Further, using project management tools also helped me devote adequate time to each task.”

4. Lack of Decision-Making

Sample Answer: “One of the drawbacks that I am working to improve is my decision-making process. In the past, I’ve found myself hesitating when faced with challenging situations. I was more concerned about making the right choice. This has sometimes led to delays in projects. Recognizing this, I’ve been actively working on a systematic approach to decision-making. This includes gathering information more efficiently, weighing on pros and cons, and consulting with experienced colleagues when needed. With these strategies, I have become more decisive and confident in my choices.”

5. Sensitive to Criticism

Sample Answer: “I used to take feedback personally and found myself thinking way too much about the criticism received at work. However, I have been working on changing my attitude towards criticism. I understand that constructive criticism is essential for growth and development. Therefore, now I approach it with an open mind and focus on self-improvement. With this strategy, I have been able to turn criticism into an effective tool for my professional development.”

How to Answer What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses for Freshers?

For freshers, answering a question about strengths and weaknesses can be a little difficult due to their lack of experience in the corporate setting. Since this question is a crucial part of both job and internship interview questions, it is essential to be prepared. Here are some tips for freshers to follow while answering the questions.

• Tailor Your Strengths According to Your Job Profile- These can include strengths gained from education or internship experience.
• Talk About Your Weaknesses as “Challenges”- Provide a story of how you faced a challenge in school or college and you were able to overcome it or are trying to overcome it.
• Practice Before the Interview- Freshers might get nervous when answering this question. It may be due to the lack of knowledge or experience of appearing in interviews. Hence, practicing before appearing in front of the interviewer will be helpful.
• Research Well- Ensure you have researched well about the job profile so that you do not end up listing too many strengths and weaknesses and appear disingenuous. You can refer to the strengths and weaknesses list mentioned in the above sections to select the ones suitable for you.

Also Read: Common Interview Questions for Freshers.

Conclusion

What is your approach toward answering these interview questions? Share your advice in the sections below. If you’re a recent graduate looking for resources to upgrade your interview prep, check out how to prepare for an Interview.

FAQ’s

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