“What are your strengths and weaknesses?” How to answer this interview question

Many candidates often find themselves stumped by the interview question: “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” There are several reasons for this, but predominantly it’s because it requires a certain amount of dissonance – it asks people to be forthcoming about their strong points, but simultaneously mindful of areas they could improve on.

This question might wrongfoot you at first glance, but as with many things, preparation is key, and crafting a persuasive answer to this question is easier than it sounds. It’s also a great opportunity to showcase your ability to reflect and take on key learns, and employers often like this question because it helps them better understand your character, skillset and approach to problem solving.

Answering the question “what are your strengths and weaknesses?” in an interview: three key things to remember

• It’s a question that frequently comes up during the recruitment process, which gives you ample opportunity to get on the front foot and have a good answer ready.
• The purpose of the question is to gauge whether your skills tally with those required for the job you’re applying for, and your ability to choose a competency that’s relevant to the role.
• This question does not have a right or a wrong answer per se, but there is a correct way to approach it, and your ability to showcase the thinking behind your answer will give the employer a clear idea of how suitable you are for the job.

So, where should you begin when it comes to structuring your response? It’s easiest to tackle it as two separate questions, starting with your strengths.

How to answer: “what are your strengths?”

This might seem like the easier half of the question – and it is, to an extent. This is your opportunity to go into detail about the qualities that make you a great fit for the role and the organisation, but that doesn’t merely equate to a shopping list of generic positive attributes. The key to providing a good answer is to be both authentic and self-aware, so think about the following when discussing your strengths:

1. They should relate to the job in question

This is where the job specification comes in useful. It’s important to refer to it when preparing your answer, as it will give you an indication of the kind of skills and experience the employer will be listening out for. Having a browse of the organisation’s website and social media channels can also give you a better idea of what the company expects of and prioritises in their prospective employees.

2. Both soft skills and technical skills should feature

If you’re worried that you fall a little short on some of the technical experience that you think the employer is looking for, this is a good opportunity to emphasise your soft skills – in other words, the transferable, core skills that make you an asset to any organisation. This might be your flexibility, or your ability to quickly pick up new tools and technologies. Wherever you can, draw on past examples as evidence.

3. Emphasise what makes you different

An interview is the perfect time to show your prospective employer what sets you apart from the other candidates, so consider how the strengths on your list make you different. Just reeling off a list of adjectives with nothing to back them up – ‘innovative’, ‘agile’, ‘thinks outside the box’ – will not distinguish you to the interviewer. Try and make your responses as specific as possible; for example, rather than telling them you’re a great manager, emphasise the support you’ve provided to your direct reports with various projects.

4. Make sure you have examples to hand

It’s important that you have evidence to back up the skills and strengths you mention. For example, show your aptitude for problem solving by explaining how your use of logic and lateral thinking helped you or your team overcome a particular challenge.

How to answer: “what are your weaknesses?”

You might find this part of the question trickier to answer, but remember that it’s not there to catch you out. The most important thing is to demonstrate self-awareness – which is essential to growing and evolving as a professional – but not give the interviewer the impression that you might lack the skills required to do the job well. Bear in mind the following when discussing your weaknesses:

1. Take ownership

Try to be as authentic as you can in your answer, demonstrating ownership and self-reflection. Blaming other people for something that went wrong might give your prospective employer the impression that you’re not willing to work on yourself in a bid to be better, or that you lack accountability. And don’t be tempted to use cliches like ‘I work too hard’ – the interviewer will see straight through these.

2. Find the middle ground

There is such a thing as being too truthful when it comes to this question – after all, the last thing you want is for the interviewer to think you’re not capable of taking on the job. But we’re all human, and it’s inevitable that you might struggle with some of your new responsibilities, especially at first. Giving examples of previous times you’ve shown resilience in the face of challenges will demonstrate to the employer how keen you are to develop and improve. 

3. Show that you’re keen to learn

If you can, draw on a past example to show how you’ve proactively taken action to overcome a challenge or improve on a perceived weakness. This doesn’t mean you have to tell them you failed, in fact, positioning something as a failure might make a negative impression – even subconsciously. Instead, give a brief rundown of a project or task that you feel could have gone better, before explaining how you would approach it differently next time. This shows the interviewer that you not only want to do the best job you can, but are willing to take responsibility for making it happen.

4. Pick something that doesn’t relate to the job

While choosing strengths that are relevant to the job is key to answering this question, the opposite is true for weaknesses. Avoid any that relate too closely to your prospective responsibilities – once again, some research and scrutiny of the job specification will help you here. If you understand what’s essential to success in the role, you’ll know which competencies to avoid citing as a weakness.

“What are your strengths and weaknesses?” example answer

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