In this article, we are going to answer one of the most common job interview questions that you are likely to be asked – “What are your professional strengths?”
This question can be challenging especially if you’re someone who feels uncomfortable discussing your achievements. But this question giving you the perfect opportunity to highlight the accomplishments which make you the best fit for the position. Prepare to answer this question with a balance of humility and confidence and leave the recruiter with a positive impression.
Why do recruiters ask this question? They don’t expect you to list every achievement you had, but they do want to know about the specific attributes you’ll use to excel in the position. They want to know if your strengths will align with the position you’re interviewing for.
Make a list of your strengths
Having a list of accomplishment that you’re proud of will make this question easier to answer. Think about what compliment your former employer gave to your professional performance. Have you ever received an award or recognition? After listing your achievements, associate them with your skills and characteristic. Remember to always be specific. Assess your skills to identify your strengths. Dived your skills into three categories:
- Knowledge-based skills are acquired from education and experience such as degrees, technical ability, and computer skills.
- Transferable skills are skills that you can take from job to job such as communication, problem-solving and planning skills.
- Personal traits are your unique characteristics such as friendly, flexible, and expressive.
Choose and tailor the strengths that are relevant to the job
Try to match the needs and abilities of the role with your skill set and personality. Make sure you read the job description thoroughly and identify the requirements. If there is a need to communicate and coordinate with internal departments, you can say that you have excellent communication and people skills. If the requirements say that you need to be working on your own, you’ll want to convince them that you are discipline, calm, and independent.
You don’t want to list too many strengths in your answer since it could make you sound arrogant. Focus on a few key strengths that you have and explain them clearly.
Make an example for each of your strength
Recruiters don’t want to hear a list of strength without a concrete example. If you mention excellent writing skills, you can follow this up with how this helped you run multiple blogs during your work experience.
“I am proud of my communication skills and believe that they are making me a better marketing manager. Being able to communicate complicated topics to different audiences and coordinate a team. On my previous job, I developed the ability to persuade clients.”
You can also back up your relevant skills with success stories.
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