Survival Techniques Answering Those Tough Questions - Your Strengths and Weaknesses

By Marlene McIntyre, CPC

One of the most common interview questions that everyone complains about is “Tell me what your strengths are?”

But the most common tough-to-answer question for most people is “Tell me what your weaknesses are?” It makes you look yourself straight in the eye. You feel a lump in your throat and it is hard to verbalize those things you are least proud of.

Many people not only dread these questions they go into an absolute panic when faced with these questions. Are you one of those people whose heart palpitates when the interviewer even conversationally asks these questions? We will try to give you some survival techniques to help.

Hopefully we can give you some tips that will help you survive and in fact shine in the face of these toughies. You do not start the process of assessing either your strengths and / or weakness when you are sitting across from the interviewer. That is way too late. Be prepared, you will be asked these questions so why not be prepared.

"Where do you start?"

First you need to understand why the interviewer is asking this series of questions, even if you think the questions are intrusive and probing. They do not do it to be nosey or just to ask you trick questions. Honest, these are not trick questions, we all know that sooner or later in the hiring process someone will ask you these dreaded questions. It is just that too often, we chose to play ostrich and bury our head in the sand until we hear “So, tell me what you see as your strengthens?” or even worse “Tell me what you see as your weaknesses?”

“Gulp, oh no. Here we go; I am beat.” You whisper to yourself. No, you are not.

You need to understand the outcome that the interviewer is seeking if you are to be comfortable in answering these questions. The interviewer is looking to see how you think about yourself, assess your self-esteem, see what your thought processes are like and see if you are prepared. They want to see if you can relate your strengths to the position you are applying for. The same can be said for your weaknesses. They want to see how you think things through and relate them to the position you are seeking. Can you turn even your weaknesses into strengths?

The place to start your survival technique for these questions is when you decide that you are going to start looking for another job. But a sound place to start is when you are writing your resume. You will have to know both your strengths and weaknesses when you wordsmith your resume and design the framework of your cover letter. Isn’t it your strengths you build it around?

If there ever is to be a time to be brutally honest with yourself, this is it. Otherwise in the moment of interview tension you may shoot yourself in the foot. But hopefully if you do this preparatory work and have time to memorize the answers you will show yourself in the best light during your interview for the perfect job.

Take a couple of extra sheets of paper or start a couple of tables and make up the following templates. Head one with Strengths and draw a vertical line down the middle of the page. At the top of one column put Work Skills and Personality on the other side.

Strengths

Words to Use To Describe Yourself - Action Words To Describe Yourself And Your Work Experience

Work	Personality

In the left side column list everything that makes you a strong employee. These are the inventory of your technical skills the things you have learned or been taught that you use on the job.

In the Personality column list the words that describe your soft skills. Your soft skills are the things that make you -- you.

Some examples of work strengths would be:
Degrees, education
Achievements
Promotions

Some examples of personality traits are for the strength side would be:
Assertiveness
Self-Confidence
Determination

On your weakness sheet of paper, in the Work Skills list weaknesses that are directly related to your work. Be honest. Now do the same in the personality / soft skills column. The third column is for you to describe how you can work to overcome your weaknesses are. You need to be really truthful in your assessments of what your real weaknesses.

Write down as many as you can think of over the next few days. Once you are satisfied that you have done your best to make the list complete, then look at them and assess which ones you would discuss on an interview. Of course some will be more appropriate than others based on the job you are applying for.

Weaknesses

Work	Personality	Action Plan

Some examples of work weaknesses would be:
Lack of degree
Terminations
Failed projects

Some examples of personality weaknesses would be:
Shyness
Tardiness

You need to reassess your lists for each interview you are going on. Look at the job requirements, at the key elements and decide which of your strengths and weaknesses are most appropriate for the interview you are about to attend.

Develop a plan to correct weaknesses that you can correct and work on them crossing each one off as you move it from a weakness to its corresponding strength. Some you may never be able to cross off but you can likely work to diminish their impact on your career, such as shyness. You may never totally overcome it but you may learn to develop better coping skills that will allow you to hide it, thereby not be held back by it.

How many times can I say that to be prepared is the very best way to survive these tough questions, and it takes rehearsing your answers to be able to meet the eye of the interviewer as you give the answers to both of these traditional tough questions. I suggest you do this out loud and in front of a mirror to learn to have the best effect.

Only you can control your destiny, practice so you may live the life you desire including having the perfect job.

Content provided courtesy of Marlene McIntyre, CPC
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