How to Answer Strength-Based Interview Questions

"What are your greatest strengths?" This may sound like a simple question, yet many job candidates find it bewildering and often can't answer it well. While there's no secret involved, you can easily learn practical and formulaic approaches to answering strength-based interview questions with appropriate context and awareness. The skills listed on your CV have made a great first impression and you’ve landed the interview, but now it's time to show a potential employer why you'll make a perfect fit for the role.

The first question you may be pondering is, "Why do hiring managers ask this question?" The straightforward answer is; they are looking for your unique selling points and what distinguishes you from other applicants. The hiring process can often be time-consuming and costly; therefore, a potential employer wants to make sure they hire the most suitable candidate. Strength-based interview questions aim to:

• ensure that your strengths align with the skill set required for the job
• learn about your level of self-awareness and ability to speak confidently about yourself
• assess your communication skills
• discover what motivates you and what you enjoy doing most

These questions are also commonly used when interviewing applicants with little to no experience. In this situation, an interviewer wants to learn about any transferable skills the candidate possesses, that may help them excel at the job. If you are looking for a career change, start to think about how you can use and develop your skills and unique strengths as you move forward with your career goals.

How To Assess and Select Your Key Strengths

By now, you should have a better idea of why a hiring manager may ask you strength-based interview questions. It's time to evaluate your skills and identify your unique strengths. Then you can narrow them down into a specific list. So, what are you good at? Everything? Maybe you are, but it's not a great idea to blurt out a long list in your interview as it may come across as thoughtless and arrogant. Make sure to stay humble when talking about your strengths and talk with authenticity and enthusiasm.

Keep in mind that skills and strengths are not the same. Let's shed some light on this:

• A skill is the ability to perform an action. Skills can be learned and developed to help gain expertise in a specific area or field. They can be learned through life, education, and work experiences.
• A strength is defined as a character trait or attribute. It is an innate ability, talent, curiosity, or passion that has most likely been a part of you since childhood. Your strengths guide your thoughts, decisions, and actions.

Skills and strengths can be used interchangeably, and it's essential to know when to apply them when answering strength-based interview questions. Remember to read the job description and choose the required soft skills and hard skills that align with your strengths. Then you can identify three to five of your key strengths that are relevant to the job role. You can categorise your skills into the following:

• hard skills- acquired from education or work experience such as: technical skills, languages, degrees, training, and social media skills.
• soft skills- these are difficult to quantify. They are non-technical skills that relate to how you work, such as: communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership.

Now you have evaluated your skills, you can identify the unique strengths that will distinguish you from other candidates. Some examples can include:

• creativity
• patience
• enthusiasm
• discipline
• honesty
• adaptability

It's important to use a formulaic approach when answering strength-based interview questions. This includes the following steps:

• state your strength
• give a real-life example of when and how you used your strength
• explain how you made an impact or helped others
• describe how your strength will benefit the company

This will allow you to create a compelling and thoughtful story that should feel natural and unscripted.

Whether you have years of experience or you're entering a brand-new career, we're here to help you master your next job interview. We've provided below some sample interview questions and answers to get you started. You can begin practicing and preparing your own responses.

Sample Strength-based Interview Questions:

1. What are your greatest strengths?
2. What motivates you in your life?
3. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
4. How would you apply your key strengths to this role?
5. How would your former co-workers or friends describe you?

Question #1: What are your greatest strengths?

This greatest strength interview question is very broad and may catch you off guard. Prepare your answer with two or three key strengths and back it up with specific examples. It's essential to research the company and read the job description, as this will give you clues as to what qualities and attributes the hiring manager is looking for.

Sample Answer:

"One of my greatest strengths is my ability to communicate. When I worked in retail, this proved to be invaluable. Having excellent interpersonal skills means that I can feel comfortable relating to customers and be confident in my interactions with co-workers. I am also very flexible and adaptable to change.

While working in my previous job, a new payroll system was implemented, and other staff members were not willing to learn how to use it. I was excited to teach myself on my own, and I took the initiative to help train my co-workers in my free time. I was able to communicate to them the importance of having an updated system and how it would make their jobs easier. This gave them the motivation to learn the system quickly and efficiently. Communication and adaptability are key strengths that can be transferred into any job role."

Question #2: What motivates you in your life?

With this type of greatest strength interview question, a potential employer wants to know what makes you tick. When answering, stay true to yourself and include details that align with the company mission and culture. When you are enthusiastic and excited by what you do, you are naturally more productive.

Sample Answer:

"I am motivated every day knowing that my work makes a difference in people's lives. Writing and creativity has always come naturally to me and is one of my major strengths. I have continued to work for non-profit organisations because I believe in their mission and love to help their communities thrive. Aside from my work, I volunteer every Saturday at my local library to help young children with their reading and writing skills."

Question #3: What accomplishment are you most proud of?

This question allows the hiring manager to gain an insight into your values, strengths, and how you define success. When answering strength-based interview questions of this nature, make sure to mention specific skills and strengths you used to accomplish the task or goal. Remember to show passion and enthusiasm when answering.

Sample Answer:

"In my previous job, our team had to spend a lot of time searching through our company's database to find specific files. It was an outdated system, and the process took hours out of our week. I decided to take the initiative, and I found the software to automate these tasks. I’m a very patient person and it took me some time to learn how to use the software, but after I was able to teach my team members how to use it. This enabled them to perform searches in minutes and gave us extra time to accomplish more productive tasks. I am always searching for ways to problem solve, lead by example and help my co-workers."

Question #4: How would you apply your key strengths to this role?

A potential employer may ask these strength-based interview questions to ensure that your strengths and qualities align with the job specification. This is an excellent opportunity for you to speak openly about your strengths and how they can benefit the job role.

Sample Answer:

"I believe this role as an office administrator aligns with my skills and strengths. I have years of experience working as a sales manager, where I interacted with customers and vendors. Communication was of the utmost importance as well as adaptability. A huge part of the job was handling conflicts and complex issues, so knowing how to think quickly while practicing patience enabled me to navigate unexpected challenges. I can use these strengths to ensure that your office runs smoothly and that I can give the best customer service possible."

Question #5: How would your former co-workers or friends describe you?

This question can help potential employers to assess how you can fit into their team and overall culture. This is a chance for the interviewer to learn more about your personality and how you perceive your strengths. When answering these types of strength-based interview questions, try to give specific examples of comments you have received and remember to be honest and enthusiastic.

Sample Answer:

"In the past, I've received many compliments about my outgoing personality and helpful nature from colleagues, friends, and family. I will go out of my way to help anyone who needs it. When I worked in project management our team had a very important deadline to meet with a big client. I saw that one of my co-workers was struggling to finish one of his design layouts. I knew that his workload was much heavier than the rest of us, so I stayed behind with him a few nights after work and helped him finish it. The project was a huge success and my colleague was so grateful that he let our project supervisor know how I took the time to help him.

”I love bringing people together and am always the first to organise a work event or social gathering. My friends would describe me as energetic, motivated, and caring. My goal in life is to lift others up and inspire people to do better."

Are you ready to Ace Your Next Interview? Begin Your Job Search Today

Job interviews can be nerve-wracking even for the most experienced applicants. Now that you've seen our sample strength-based interview questions and answers, you can be confident in beginning your job search with Monster. Create your profile today and take the next step in finding your dream job. You'll receive customised job alerts, career advice, and job search tips straight to your inbox. After you've signed up, you can upload your CV, and we'll match you with positions that fit your experience and goals.