What are Your Strengths?

Original article by the authors of best-job-interview.com
"What are your strengths?" is one of the most common job interview questions and can be difficult to answer. Prepare before the interview by using the simple guidelines to identify your strengths.

Before you can successfully answer the job interview question "What are your strengths?" you need to understand your specific strengths.
What is a strength?
A strength can be defined as a combination of talent, behavior, skills and knowledge that you apply consistently to produce a successful result.
To identify your strengths you need to look at four criteria.
What activities make me feel involved and engaged?
Ask yourself these questions:

• When I am busy with this activity do I think about other things and when it will be over or am I totally concentrated on the task at hand?


• Do I look forward to doing this activity again?

What are my spontaneous reactions to the situation and activity?
Ask yourself:

• When do I feel a sense of "rightness" and enjoyment?


• What activities give me a sense of satisfaction?

What activities consistently produce the desired results?
Ask yourself:

• Where do I perform at a high level?


• What provides a consistent pattern of successful results?


• What seems to be done well and effortlessly?

Where and when do I experience rapid learning?
Ask yourself:

• What activities and tasks have I been able to learn quickly?


• In what areas and activities have I experienced quick insight and understanding?

Use the strengths-finder list below to identify possible activities/skills/knowledge-areas/behaviors that can be translated into strengths by answering the questions above.

What are Your Strengths?

1. activating, adapting, administering, analyzing, arranging
2. budgeting, building, briefing, balancing
3. communicating, controlling, co-ordinating, creating, checking
4. deciding, detailing, developing, directing, devising
5. empathizing, evaluating , examining, explaining
6. finding, fixing, formulating, finalizing
7. guiding, gathering, generating
8. helping, handling, hosting
9. imagining, implementing, influencing, initiating, innovating, improving
10. judging
11. keeping
12. learning, listening, locating, launching
13. managing, mentoring, monitoring, motivating
14. negotiating, navigating
15. observing, organizing, overhauling
16. persuading, planning, preparing, presenting, problem-solving
17. questioning, qualifying
18. researching, resolving, reporting, recording, repairing
19. scheduling, selling, setting -up, supervising, simplifying, speaking
20. teaching, team-work, trouble-shooting, training, tracking
21. understanding, uniting, upgrading, updating
22. verbalizing, volunteering, verifying
23. writing, working

If it feels good when you are performing an activity the chances are that you are using a strength. Your strengths are things that come naturally and relatively easily to you.
Once you have identified your strengths it is important to understand what they mean on a practical, work-related level in order to answer the question What are Your Strengths and Weaknesses? Relate your strengths to the tasks and activities involved in the job you are interviewing for. Get help with answering this typical interview question at Free Interview Answers
View this comprehensive List of Strengths and Weaknesses
More about how to answer Interview Questions about Weaknesses
These are the 12 Core Competencies identified as essential for successful job performance.
View common Job Interview Questions and Answers such as Tell me about yourself and Why should we employ you?
Top Interview Questions & Answers
Standard Interview Questions
Typical Interview Questions & Answers
View these Free Job Descriptions to find out the competency and skill requirements for different jobs. Match your strengths to these in your job interview answer.
Focus on your strengths when you are changing careers. Use this Career Change Cover Letter Advice to help you secure a new career.
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