The ‘strengths and weaknesses’ interview question is often asked to gauge the candidate’s honesty, self-awareness, and ability to self-reflect. Still, it can be a tricky one to answer, as most employees struggle to determine how open they should be when discussing their weaknesses.
In this article, we will resolve this dilemma and introduce you to some sample answers for the strengths and weaknesses question to help you ace your interview.
Key Takeaways
Interviewers use the strengths and weaknesses question to check your self-awareness, honesty, and ability to correlate your skills with job requirements.
When talking about strengths, make sure they are relevant, link them to achievements, show how they benefit the employer, and be specific.
When discussing weaknesses, be honest but strategic, stay positive and concise, and show how you are working on yourself.
Make sure to prepare yourself in advance for the strengths and weaknesses question by identifying your key skills and experiences, writing down job-related strengths, practising aloud, and tailoring answers for different positions.
Why Do Interviewers Ask About Strengths and Weaknesses in an Interview?
Interviewers ask about strengths and weaknesses in an interview to gauge your self-awareness, honesty, and ability to correlate your traits with specific job requirements.
In other words, they aren’t looking for a candidate who has no shortcomings; such a person doesn’t exist, anyway. Rather, they are interested in whether you can reflect on your abilities, figure out how to apply them in specific contexts, and speak about them honestly.
If you can, that’s a sign that you can be an excellent, always-evolving employee who can take criticism and use it to better themselves. Needless to say, that’s far more valuable than someone perfect on paper who can’t change or grow.
How to Answer the “What Are Your Strengths?” Interview Question
To answer the “What are your strengths?” interview question, you should choose those relevant to the job, link them to actual achievements, show how they can benefit the employer, and stay professional and specific.
Let’s see how to answer this interview question commonly used in the UK:
#1. Keep It Relevant to the Job
Recruiters don’t expect you to list every single strength you possess when they ask this question. On the contrary, they want a few relevant ones that prove you are the right candidate for the job.
For example, when interviewing with a marketing agency, you should discuss your creativity, communication skills, and brand awareness. You might be a math expert on top of that, but that’s irrelevant; your new workplace will have little use for this skill.
#2. Link Strengths to Actual Achievements
Saying you’re creative or hard-working has little merit on its own; anyone can claim they possess these strengths, as there’s no way to check whether it’s true. However, if you link these traits to actual achievements, your words will carry more weight, contributing to your better standing.
In other words, demonstrate your creativity through specific examples: a project you worked on, a solution you came up with, or a hobby you enjoy. If you say you are hard-working, talk about the times you took initiative to learn something new to be better at your job or agreed to do extra work for a specific task.
#3. Show Strengths That Would Benefit the Employer
Try to view yourself from an employer’s point of view. What strengths would they want you to possess? Which ones, in particular, would benefit them? Answering these questions can help you figure out the best strengths to highlight in an interview.
So, for example, most employers value candidates with organisational and time management skills, as well as those who can take charge when necessary. You can emphasise those in almost every situation, as there’s always a benefit in employees who possess them.
#4. Be Professional and Specific
Finally, each example you give should be professional and specific, meaning your strengths should make you more employable and shouldn’t be clichés that everyone uses.
For example, if you state you’re a nice person, that doesn’t mean much of anything. It’s not a strength that can help you do your job better, and it’s also so generic that it can be interpreted in many different ways. Instead, it’s better to say that you’re emotionally intelligent, a good listener, helpful, or use any other more specific descriptor.
10 Good Examples of Strengths You Can Talk About in an Interview
Good examples of strengths to mention in an interview include communication skills, problem-solving, time management, organisational skills, technical expertise, writing skills, creativity, leadership, teamwork, and adaptability.
Let’s examine these strengths more closely and see how you can talk about them in an interview:
#1. Communication Skills
Communication skills are crucial for most professions, as they help you build firmer connections with your team members and express your needs more clearly. However, they play an especially important role in client-facing and people-oriented careers, such as sales, marketing, HR, and healthcare.
You could explain your communication skills as your core strength like this:
Good Answer
“I’m an empathetic communicator, so I find it easy to connect to clients, even during brief encounters. When I worked as a customer service representative, I often helped distressed clients. My approach was to calmly assure them that I would resolve their issues and then present potential solutions. This usually worked wonders and earned me high trust ratings.”
#2. Problem-Solving
Like communication, problem-solving is a versatile skill that can be applied in various professions. Still, it’s particularly valued in engineering, healthcare, finance, and IT-related fields.
You could talk about your problem-solving abilities in the following way:
Good Answer
“My biggest strength is problem-solving; I am quick to analyse the issue at hand and develop a suitable solution. As a result, I was named a top performer when I worked as a software developer, and my superiors often relied on me to debug broken code, especially when my coworkers were unable to.”
#3. Time Management
Time management is the ability to plan ahead and use your time productively to complete specific tasks, thereby boosting your efficiency.
This skill is crucial for managers, administrative assistants, executives, teachers, and nearly all remote workers. After all, working from home means that you’re fully responsible for your schedule, so you must learn to organise and prioritise your tasks.
Here is how you can discuss time management as an answer to the strengths and weaknesses question:
Good Answer
“I am excellent at managing my time, which I learned to do when I worked remotely for a year. During this time, I started using scheduling apps to organise my tasks and created weekly plans for assignments. This helped me become more productive and also improved my work-life balance, as I accounted for breaks and free time, too.”
#4. Organisational Skills
Organisational skills encompass time management, but extend beyond that; for instance, they may also include resource management, setting goals, and delegation. These are also crucial for managers, assistants, wedding planners, lawyers, and numerous other roles.
This is how you can talk about your organisational skills in an interview:
Good Answer
“I consider myself a highly organised person who never misses deadlines. In my previous position, I managed a team of designers and helped them coordinate their tasks to ensure all projects were completed on time. As a result, we always received praise from clients, who were satisfied with our efficiency and commitment to quality.”
#5. Digital Literacy
Digital literacy is the ability to effectively use technology, find and evaluate information on the internet, and communicate using digital tools. In the past, these skills were mostly relevant for tech-related jobs, but nowadays, everyone is expected to possess some degree of digital literacy.
A good way to discuss this strength in an interview is:
Good Answer
“One of my greatest strengths is digital literacy; I regularly use digital tools to complete various tasks. In my previous position, I advocated for the use of a new collaboration software to streamline my team’s communication. Once it was implemented, I helped with the training and regularly researched its features to improve everyone’s experience with it.”
#6. Writing Skills
Writing skills are a requirement for content writers, journalists, editors, and social media managers, but they can be useful in various other professions. For example, if your job involves plenty of written client communication, being a good writer allows you to express yourself better and avoid misunderstandings.
This is a good way to answer the strengths and weaknesses interview question using writing as an example:
Good Answer
“I take pride in my writing skills, which help me communicate clearly and professionally. I used to work as a social media creator, where my job involved writing engaging captions for daily posts, which taught me how to interact with a diverse audience. I also run a blog and prepare weekly articles that I write on my own.”
#7. Creativity
Though creativity is often linked with artistic professions, such as writing, graphic design, photography, or animation, its applications are far more versatile. In fact, any role that involves problem-solving requires a great deal of creativity, as these two traits usually go hand in hand.
So, for instance, software developers, teachers, marketing experts, and scientists also need to be creative to succeed. Even lawyers benefit from this trait because it allows them to examine their cases from a new angle and come up with unexpected solutions.
A strong response would be:
Good Answer
“I am a highly creative person, so I always try to think outside the box and figure out unique solutions to problems. For example, when I worked at a marketing agency, I devised a strategy to sell a product that was performing worse than we had expected. My success resulted in a promotion, and I received a staff recognition that quarter.”
#8. Leadership
Leadership is one of the most valuable strengths to highlight, as most employers want to hire someone who can take charge. This doesn’t apply only to managerial or executive positions, either. Even a regular employee possessing leadership skills is a huge advantage, since that makes them more independent, driven, and decisive.
Here’s how you can emphasise leadership as your strength:
Good Answer
“I believe I possess excellent leadership skills, as I’ve readily taken charge of smaller teams in the past. In my previous role, I managed a group of five developers working on a large-scale project. I streamlined their efforts, facilitated communication, and kept them focused on their shared goal until completion, which was very successful.”
#9. Teamwork
Teamwork skills are another highly desirable strength, as most jobs nowadays are performed in a team setting. Besides, highlighting this ability is essentially the same as stating that you have excellent communication skills and can easily adapt to other people’s work styles.
You can talk about teamwork as your strength in the following way:
Good Answer
“I’m a team player and find it easy to work with others. In fact, I’ve always pursued jobs where I can collaborate on projects, which helped me hone my communication skills and taught me how to balance the team’s needs with my own.”
#10. Adaptability
If you’re applying for a dynamic position, you’ll need to be flexible enough to handle the frequent changes and pressures of an exciting workplace. Otherwise, you’ll quickly burn out from excessive stress and either start making easily avoidable mistakes or be forced to quit.
Here is how to discuss adaptability as an answer to the strengths and weaknesses interview question:
Good Answer
“My biggest strength is that I am very adaptable, so I can easily thrive in different work environments and handle unexpected circumstances. For example, my previous company overhauled all of the software we used for collaboration, so we had to learn to navigate it from scratch. This was easier for me than most other employees, some of whom I had to help during the adjustment period.”
How to Answer “What Are Your Weaknesses?” Interview Question
To answer the “What are your weaknesses?” interview question, you should be honest but strategic, explain that you are working on yourself, remain positive, and be concise. In other words, the key to responding to this question is framing your answer positively, even if the trait you’re describing is not.
Let’s explore these strategies in more detail:
#1. Be Honest, But Strategic
Answering this question honestly may seem like a risky move, but employers will appreciate your earnestness and self-awareness. However, that doesn’t mean you should be careless about picking the weaknesses you want to highlight. Some may be too concerning to overlook, even when you try to frame them positively.
The smartest approach is to select a weakness that won’t significantly impact your job performance. For example, if you know you will largely work by yourself, you can say you struggle with teamwork. Don’t say you lack time management skills, though, as it’ll negatively affect your chances of landing any role.
#2. Explain That You Are Working on Improving Yourself
Naming your weakness should always be followed by an explanation that you are working on improving yourself, with concrete steps you are taking. This will show your potential employer that you are self-aware and willing to become a better version of yourself, which are, ultimately, strengths.
So, if you mention that you struggle with overcommitting, follow that up with saying that you’ve been learning to say no and to prioritise your responsibilities. This solution-oriented approach is in high demand among employers and is sure to leave an excellent impression.
#3. Be Positive
Your language when speaking about your weaknesses is crucial; if you use positive words and end on a bright note, recruiters won’t see your shortcomings as an obstacle. On the contrary, you’ll paint a portrait of a balanced candidate who isn’t afraid to own up to their weaknesses and doesn’t lie to get ahead.
#4. Be Concise
Even if you frame your weaknesses positively, it’s not advisable to spend too much time on them. Tell the recruiter about your shortcomings, explain how you’re working on them, and move on. Don’t be tempted to give too much information or ramble on needlessly, as you may easily slip into negativity.
10 Good Examples of Weaknesses to Talk About in an Interview
Good examples of weaknesses to say in an interview include delegation, impatience, perfectionism, overcommitting, excessive focus on details, difficulty asking for help, and more.
Now, we’ll examine examples of these professional weaknesses and show you how to talk about them in an interview.
#1. Delegation
Struggling with delegation means that you have trouble letting go of control and allowing others to take on some of your responsibilities. This is a common problem for people who are used to working alone or have more rigid personalities, causing them to believe everything must be done in a certain way.
Here’s how you can frame this weakness:
Good Answer
“I struggle with delegation and prefer to take care of everything on my own instead of letting others help me. In the past, these caused challenges, as I often pushed myself too far and ended up burning out. However, I learned from these experiences, so now I remind myself to loosen my grip and give others a chance, too.”
#2. Impatience
The line between impatience and recklessness is thin, so tread it carefully when discussing this weakness. You don’t want to come across as irresponsible, as that is undoubtedly one of the least desirable traits of an employee.
An effective way to discuss this weakness is:
Good Answer
“My greatest weakness is impatience. I learn and complete my tasks quickly, so I often forget that others may need more time. As a result, I can lose my patience with them or become too pushy, which can lead to conflicts and affect our teamwork. However, I’ve been working on myself, and I’ve learned to take a step back before reacting.”
#3. Perfectionism
You can never go wrong with perfectionism as your weakness; it can lead to burnout and excessive focus on details, but it also indicates that you’re dedicated and responsible.
A good way to discuss perfectionism when asked about your strengths and weaknesses is:
Good Answer
“I’ve always been too perfectionistic, so I sometimes struggle to complete tasks on time, as I’m never fully satisfied with the result. Lately, I’ve been trying to combat this and accept that nothing can ever be perfect, which has helped me improve my efficiency.”
#4. Overcommitting
Overcommitting indicates that you struggle with saying no to tasks even when you have your hands full. Like perfectionism, this weakness has clear positive connotations; it indicates that you are helpful, dedicated, and hard-working, even if a little too eager to please.
A good way to put it is:
Good Answer
“It’s difficult for me to reject work-related tasks, so I often bite off more than I can chew and end up swamped with responsibilities. As a result, I can’t fully dedicate myself to each assignment, and my performance suffers. But I’ve been working on this, so now I’m starting to understand my capacity and assert myself better.”
#5. Excessive Focus on Details
An excessive focus on details can significantly slow you down, potentially impacting your entire team’s performance. At the same time, though, it’s not too big a red flag; most employers value detail-oriented employees, as long as they don’t go overboard.
Consider phrasing it like this:
Good Answer
“I get too caught up in particulars and find it difficult to let go of a project until I feel that it’s perfect. This has caused problems with deadlines in the past, but I am working on balancing my need for accuracy with speed and efficiency.”
#6. Difficulty Asking for Help
Independence is generally a positive trait, but it can be a weakness when it’s excessive. If you never ask for help because your pride doesn’t allow you to, you may end up struggling more than necessary or not completing your tasks properly.
So, here’s how to discuss difficulty asking for help:
Good Answer
“I’ve always struggled asking for help, which usually meant I took too much time figuring out how to resolve a task that could’ve been completed much faster. When this started impacting my performance, I considered what I was doing wrong and began working on it. Now, I’m better at it, and I plan to continue improving myself in the future.”
#7. Balancing Work and Personal Life
A lack of work-life balance means that you spend too much time on your work and too little on hobbies, people you love, and activities you enjoy. While this is obviously a negative trait, it demonstrates diligence and dedication to your company, which many employers value highly.
This is how you can talk about this weakness:
Good Answer
“I often struggle to balance work with personal life, so I get burned out pretty quickly. Lately, though, I’ve been learning to prioritise myself, while simultaneously making sure I complete my responsibilities on time. This has improved both my mental health and professional performance.”
#8. Risk Aversion
Risk aversion may make you inflexible and unable to make informed decisions in challenging circumstances. For those reasons, it’s best not to mention it when applying for an executive position of any kind, but you can talk about it in most other jobs.
Try saying something along these lines:
Good Answer
“I don’t deal with risk well, so I’m usually under a lot of stress when forced to take a path I don’t know much about. However, I understand that playing it safe doesn’t always bring the desired results, so I’m working on opening myself up more to uncertainty and letting go of control.”
#9. Fear of Public Speaking
Fear of public speaking can impact your ability to hold conferences or presentations, and is particularly debilitating for teachers and university professors. Still, since it’s a fairly common weakness, recruiters are likely to empathise, especially if you show a willingness to work on it.
So, here is how you can frame your answer:
Good Answer
“I’ve always struggled with public speaking; it makes me really anxious, so I’ve avoided it for years. However, lately, I’ve decided to work on it and started taking public speaking classes to help me build up my confidence and overcome this fear.”
#10. Lack of Confidence
If you lack confidence, you may not be able to make any decisions independently or fully realise your capabilities due to self-doubt. Yet, self-confidence can be improved, and your readiness to admit to this weakness can be seen as the first step.
Here’s how you can use a lack of confidence as an answer to the strengths and weaknesses question:
Good Answer
“I tend to doubt myself a lot, so I sometimes rely on others too much. I’ve been trying to change that, though, so I’ve been taking more initiative in my personal and professional life.”
3 Mistakes to Avoid When Answering This Interview Question
Mistakes to avoid when answering this interview question include using cliches, not providing enough context, and picking a weakness that’s a red flag.
Let’s briefly review these mistakes:
#1. Using Cliches
Remember that recruiters ask the strengths and weaknesses question all the time, and they have likely heard all the clichés. If you use generic answers or non-weaknesses, such as “being too helpful,” they’ll recognise that you’re not being honest, which might negatively impact your ranking among candidates.
#2. Not Providing Context
Context is key; without it, your strengths have nothing to back them up, while your weaknesses may sound like insurmountable obstacles. Introduce the situations where you demonstrated a specific trait or explain how you’re working on improving yourself. This will go a long way with your recruiters.
#3. Picking a Weakness That’s a Red Flag
When choosing weaknesses, don’t opt for the one that’s a clear red flag for the position you want. For example, if you’re a sales representative, bad communication skills aren’t just a weakness; they are a clear indicator that you’re in the wrong field. Pick something that can cause you trouble, but won’t be too much of an obstacle in your work.
4 Final Tips on How to Prepare for the Strengths and Weaknesses Question
Now that we’ve seen how to answer the strengths and weaknesses question, let’s examine a few final tips to help you prepare:
Reflect on your skills and experience to identify the key moments that showcase both your strengths and weaknesses. You can use these as context during an interview, thus illustrating your point more vividly.
Write down job-related strengths to use as a guide for what you should say. This will help you identify relevant traits that you possess.
Practise answering aloud to gain confidence in your answers before the interview. If possible, ask a friend to pretend to interview you.
Tailor answers for each position to make sure they stay relevant. Even similar roles can have subtle differences, so you should never use a one-size-fits-all approach.
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Final Thoughts
Hopefully, our strengths and weaknesses examples and answering tips will help you pass your next interview with flying colours. Remember, the key is in how you frame your response; as long as you can do so positively, your weaknesses won’t be an obstacle.
And if you need help getting to the interview stage, use our CV examples or builder to create a perfect application. You’ll receive the invitation you’re hoping for in no time!
