How to Answer “ What is Your Greatest Strength ?” in Interview?

Interview questions are imposed to analyze the personality. “What is your Greatest Strength?” is an effective question to learn about your personality. The real question arrives when dealing answer. You may have quite a lot of strengths, but answering about “your best strength” really needs a lot of care and concern. In this article, we are going to discuss in detail How to Answer “ What is Your Greatest Strength?” with sample answers. A few useful tips are given at the end of the article which will help in facing this question.

Reasons to Face the Question “What is Your Greatest Strength?” 

Interviews are held to determine the alignment between the candidate and the company. An expert or group of experts sitting on another side of the table analyzes your every move while you are answering the questions. Apart from technical questions, here are some reasons to answer such questions :

1. To Show Communication Skills 

Communication skills became a necessity in recent times. There is no wonder when we say that few recruiters are hiring only based on communication. A confident answer with good clean and crisp language can place you in your dream job.

2. Regular Question

The probability of such questions in interviews is very high. It seems to be a simple question, but when answered incorrectly can create a lot of negative impacts. Hence, It is important to prepare for such simple yet tricky questions. 

3. Speak about Yourself

Questions like these in interviews can help you give a detailed description of your skills and make the interviewer understand that you are suitable for the role.

Steps to Answer the Question

Every action has a specific set of steps to get the desired outcome. Here are some steps you can follow while answering “ What is Your Greatest Strength?”:

1. Select a Relevant Strength

It is important to be prepared before attending any interview. For this question, it can help if you choose your strength beforehand. Create the answer around the strength you have picked and gather the necessary information to aid it. 

Choose the strength that is related to the job description. Identify the job role and select a strength that can align with it. For example, if you are applying for Sales Assistant, you can take Communication Skills as your strength, and frame your answer around it. This will clear your way toward a successful interview. 

Also, this question is mainly targeted to know about your “personal skills” or “Soft Skills”. Don’t try to keep yourself in trouble by answering with technical skills.  
Some of the strengths you can focus on while answering are:

–       Multi Tasking Skills 
–       Analytical Thinking
–       Creative Thinking
–       Team Management
–       Task Prioritization 

2. Authenticity 

Your answer should be backed to make the interviewer believe you. This can be done by adding a story or a situation where you tackled or took advantage of your strengths. Explain the situation in a short and precise manner. Start with directly quoting your strength and dive into the story that is related to it. Give necessary technical details if needed. In the end, describe how your strength can be useful in your potential job and company.

3. Tone the Answer 

A perfect answer needs to be said in brief language and in a confident voice. It is important to note that quality matters over quantity. Give an honest answer that describes you as a person and your potential as a professional. One best way to structure the answer is using the STAR method. Answer to a Situation-Task-Action-Response structure, so that you can shape the answer in a meaningful way.

Examples of Sample Answers 

To understand more precisely, here are some sample answers taking various situations and job roles as examples –

Example – 1

I would say my greatest strength is my adaptive nature in any kind of circumstance. In my previous company, there was a time when I have to work on a project in a different city as a part of an onsite service. The deadline was only two months. I managed to adapt to the environment and started to work with my new colleagues. I assisted my team in every possible way to give the best outcome to our clients. In the end, our project became successful and our clients were satisfied with the results. As the job role requires frequent shifting of the workplace, I can assure you that I can align with the job requirements and give the best results possible.

Example – 2

I would say my greatest strength is my ability to solve problems. People feel comfortable coming to me for help or ideas relating to problems they are dealing with. In my previous company, there was a conference with our Regional Manager. We became understaffed as two of our colleagues couldn’t attend. I suggested dividing the work into smaller tasks and assigning them to the remaining members. Also, I suggested making time for interaction with office members to improve the meeting. In the end, the session was productive and our manager was happy with the way we deal with the situation.

Example – 3 

My greatest strengths are prioritizing work and time management. I always believe it is important to take quick decisions and sort the work to improve productivity. As a graduate, I was part of our college technical fest organization. During this time, I was scheduled to have an examination to complete my course in ABC technology. I made efforts to manage my time so that I can allocate it for both the technical fest and my course exam. In the end, I was able to score a good grade on the exam and received appreciation from our Dean regarding the fest management.

Example – 4 

I am good at communicating both as a person and a professional. I believe maintaining good communication among colleagues and with customers can improve productivity. During my initial days in my previous company, I was offered to present the product to our clients. With my effective communication skills, I was able to give a piece of complete knowledge about the product. As a result, our company got an outstanding contract which in turn improved the overall income of the company.

Example – 5

My greatest strength is to maintain a good tempo during hectic circumstances and lead the team toward a winning path. When I was working as a Team Lead at XYZ company, there came a situation where one of my team members wrote the wrong code. This made the entire product fail at the final moment. When I was told about it, I quickly talked to my Manager about the situation and asked him to give me some extra time. Meanwhile, I divided various tasks among my team and motivated them to work as a team to tackle the situation. We were able to rectify the problem within 48 hours. Clients were happy with the final product. Our Manager appreciated our work and gave a bonus to each member.

Notable Takeaways 

Some important points you can note before answering “What is Your Greatest Strength?“:

• Don’t just give one-word answers or adjectives. Rather, take a single strength and explain it. 
• Don’t brag about your answer or keep it too short where you don’t give enough details. Make your answers of enough length that you feel it can be convenient to impact the interviewer. 
• Make an answer before the interview. A prepared answer can be more helpful than a spontaneous one. 
• If you are applying for various jobs, make sure you give relevant answers to each of them. 
• Avoid speaking ‘ weakness to success ‘ stories. Speak about your weakness and story about how you overcame it only when asked about them.

Conclusion

Explaining yourself is important in any kind of interview. This gives a chance to show the interviewer about your ability and distinctive features that place you apart from the rest. Make sure to present yourself when asked about your greatest strengths and walk towards the path of your dream job. 

FAQs

Q1. What is ‘Strength’ in an interview? 

When they ask ‘Strengths’ in an interview, they ask you about the skills you possess that are suitable for the given job role. These must be well presented and backed with a story for a better outcome in the interview.

Q2. How many Strengths should I include in my answer? 

There is no rule regarding the number of strengths you can mention, however, it is ideal to mention 1-3 strengths and state an elaborative story.

Q3. What are some good Strengths that can be stated? 

Some brilliant strengths you can include in your answer are:

• Passionate and Dedicated
• Analytical Thinking and Problem-Solving
• Communication and Collaboration

Q4. Should I speak about my technical skills in “What is your biggest Strength?” ? 

As this is a behavioral question, you must not speak about your technical skills to the question. You should speak about the personal skills you possess that make you fit for this job.