How to Answer “What is Your Greatest Strength?”
By asking the question, “What is your greatest strength?” interviewers are able to better understand how you as a candidate feel about your work and abilities. They will be able to measure your confidence and gauge how self-aware you are in addition to learning more about how you would fit into the role in question.
Having trouble thinking of your greatest strength? Follow the five steps below for handling this question in your next interview.
Prepare your answer ahead of time
Although it’s impossible to know every question that will be thrown your way during an interview, it’s always best to prepare answers to common questions that are likely to come up. This way, you can think through possible examples to share, talking points to elaborate on, or follow-up questions of your own. When thinking of sharing your greatest strength, start by preparing a list of your strongest abilities that you have noticed throughout your previous work experiences. Then, when it comes time to share with your interviewer, narrow down your list and give your answer with these remaining four tips in mind:
Be confident, but not arrogant
While discussing your greatest strength, it’s important to be confident in your answer while still remaining humble. This means you don’t want to necessarily brag about your abilities, but it’s expected that you will speak highly about yourself. Refrain from exaggerating your answer and be sure to never lie or give an answer based on what you think the interviewer wants to hear. Instead, be honest in your answer and confidence will come naturally.
Choose a skill related to the job
When thinking of your greatest strength to share with your interviewer, you’ll want to choose something that is not only true, but also related to the job in question – something that will set you apart from the competition and make it obvious that you are the best candidate for the job. For inspiration, read through the job description and the necessary skills needed for the role. Think of how your past experiences align with these qualifications and how you plan to use your expertise in the future.
Use real-world examples
Using specific examples during interviews allows you to paint a picture for the interviewer to better understand how your strength is directly related to the job and how you would apply it in an everyday situation if offered the role. It also shows you have the relevant experience needed to complete the job and have already dealt with similar situations that may occur again in this position.
Quantify your answer, if possible
If possible, quantify your experiences. This means rather than providing generic accomplishments while explaining your greatest strength, offer exact measurements in regard to your success. Did you increase retention rates by a valuable percentage? Save a certain dollar amount across departments? Land an impressive deal for your organization? Be sure to include these percentages or numbers in your answer. In turn, including specific details about your accomplishments shows you took initiative when it came to your role and your greatest strength shines through the work that you do in any position you hold.
Feeling prepared to tackle this common interview question on your own? Contact Nexus today for a personalized hiring experience. Our team of experienced recruiters is here to help guide you at every step of the way!