Job Interview: What are your strengths?
22 March 2013
Read by 2979 persons
When applying for a job, ask yourself why you are the best candidate. While you can highlight your strengths in your resume and cover letter, remember that you also need to be able to demonstrate them during the job interview. So it's important to think about this carefully. Here's how to proceed:
Carefully read the job description and note the points that make you the ideal candidate. For example, if the company is looking for someone skilled in problem-solving and you have experience in this area, remember to mention this strength in your resume and during the job interview.
During the interview, be sure not to mention strengths that aren't really important for the job. If the job requires autonomy, there's no need to say that you're good at teamwork. In this case, it's better to highlight another one of your strengths.
Always give examples of situations where your strengths have clearly served you well. Has your perseverance helped you in certain projects? Mention one where you were 100% invested, and you will gain credibility during the interview.
Make sure your strengths cannot be misinterpreted. During the interview, some recruiters may try to find out if a strength also implies a drawback. If you say, for example, that you work quickly, the recruiter will probably want to make sure that you are still sufficiently perfectionistic. Be prepared for these kinds of questions.
Don't exaggerate! There's no need to put yourself on a pedestal. While it's true that you should try to sell yourself during a job interview, excessive confidence is never appreciated. You might come across as arrogant, which is never a good start! Most of the time, the interviewer will ask you to name three strengths; stick to that.
Don't give canned answers. Avoid words like 'flexible', which recruiters hear all day long. Try to find characteristics that are particularly relevant to the target job. For example, an accountant is expected to be meticulous, and a project engineer is expected to work in a structured way. If you can support these strengths with examples, you will be sure to be considered a credible candidate.
Try to mention strengths that relate to your personality, but also to your knowledge, for example, a technical skill, or a personality trait.
Stepstone.be
Posted on March 22, 2013.
Carefully read the job description and note the points that make you the ideal candidate. For example, if the company is looking for someone skilled in problem-solving and you have experience in this area, remember to mention this strength in your resume and during the job interview.
During the interview, be sure not to mention strengths that aren't really important for the job. If the job requires autonomy, there's no need to say that you're good at teamwork. In this case, it's better to highlight another one of your strengths.
Always give examples of situations where your strengths have clearly served you well. Has your perseverance helped you in certain projects? Mention one where you were 100% invested, and you will gain credibility during the interview.
Make sure your strengths cannot be misinterpreted. During the interview, some recruiters may try to find out if a strength also implies a drawback. If you say, for example, that you work quickly, the recruiter will probably want to make sure that you are still sufficiently perfectionistic. Be prepared for these kinds of questions.
Don't exaggerate! There's no need to put yourself on a pedestal. While it's true that you should try to sell yourself during a job interview, excessive confidence is never appreciated. You might come across as arrogant, which is never a good start! Most of the time, the interviewer will ask you to name three strengths; stick to that.
Don't give canned answers. Avoid words like 'flexible', which recruiters hear all day long. Try to find characteristics that are particularly relevant to the target job. For example, an accountant is expected to be meticulous, and a project engineer is expected to work in a structured way. If you can support these strengths with examples, you will be sure to be considered a credible candidate.
Try to mention strengths that relate to your personality, but also to your knowledge, for example, a technical skill, or a personality trait.
Stepstone.be
Posted on March 22, 2013.
