Most interviewers won’t come out and directly ask “What’s your top strength?” so as you prepare and practice your answers for standard interview questions, it’s important to remember that a number of questions are designed to assess what differentiates you from other candidates — in other words, what are your strengths. These can include:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why should we hire you?
- What would an old boss say about you?
- How would you add value to this department?
With this in mind, as you prepare for an interview, identify your top two or three strengths as they relate to the job position and aim to convey these points to the interviewer before the interview concludes. That way, 20 minutes into the interview, when you’re asked “What makes you different from our other three candidates?” you can pull from a short list of key strengths that haven’t been discussed yet.
Also remember to personalize the strengths you plan to highlight as your leading qualities. Telling the interviewer that you’re hard working, a quick learner, or a people person is boorrrrinnng. These phrases do very little (if anything) to differentiate yourself from other candidates. These concepts have become so overused that you are wasting an opportunity to show a potential employer what you bring to the table, be it analytical abilities, negotiating skills or the ability to lead fractured groups.
It’s also important to beef up your answer up with an example that conveys your strength — a time or a situation where your strength was of particular value. Offering an example does three things: (1) distinguishes your answer, (2) makes the answer more memorable, and (3) provides concrete “proof” of your strength. You’re not just telling someone you have exceptional time management skills, you are providing an example.
So there you have it — three ways to avoid getting tripped up on routine questions: (1) strategize to work your top strengths into other questions that differentiate you from others, (2) customize your strengths for the position, and (3) incorporate stories to solidify answers – and make them memorable.