“What are your strengths?”

This question is aimed to understand the candidate’s suitability for a given role as against the recruiter’s requirements and expectations from the same. Here’s how you can prepare an apt response and strengthen your candidature.

A common interview question that leaves many stumped is – “What are your weaknesses?” One would then begin to think that the reverse question –“What are your strengths?” should be an easier one to tackle. Surely, you have listed your qualifications and achievements in the resume, but the interviewer wants to look beyond the facts mentioned in paper and this question is your chance to highlight your strong points and strengthen your candidature.

There are two steps to formulate an answer for the above question:

• Self evaluate your own professional standing and your core key skills.
• Understand the requirements of the job you are to be interviewed on.

Evaluate your strong points

The first step is to carry out a self analysis and figure out your own strong points. Look back on the tenure of your current and past jobs and make a note of the striking moments and achievements that occurred. This would include not just awards and commendations, but also the softer skills that led you to success.

Qualities like being a team player who can instil motivation in self and those around, a driven but thoughtful leader, a committed employee who takes a task to completion without fail, an honest approach, etc speak volumes about the candidate’s work style and employability quotient.

What is the recruiter looking for?

The basic purpose behind the interviewer asking the question is to gauge your suitability for the role in question. Thus, armed with clear understanding of your key skills and expert understanding of your work domain, your next step will be to align the same with the requirements for the job.

Prior to the interview stage, research a little about the job role – the key responsibilities involved, the skills and level of expertise the recruiter is looking for, and the future growth possibilities you can expect there. At the time of interview, align your response with the interviewer’s expectations from the role in question. Identify your strong points that you think fit well with the new organisation’s needs and highlight the same with specific examples.

Assess whether a particular professional characteristic of you stands to benefit you in the future role. If yes, then do make a mention of it to the interviewer. Therefore, filter out key set of strengths that you have displayed in the past and believe will add value to the new role too.