This list of strengths and weaknesses helps you to recognize those that apply to you. Know how to present these employee strengths and weaknesses in the best way when answering interview questions.
Learn how to answer the common 'what are your strengths and weaknesses?' Interview question by highlighting your skills and habits and read example. Discussing your strengths and weaknesses can be one of the most difficult parts of the job interview. But don't panic when a recruiter asks you this question—we've got your back with an answer that will help you look like a star.
Identify your top transferable competencies from your previous work and life experience and provide the right answer to the frequently asked interview question 'What are your strengths?'
What are the skills and behaviors that you need to work on and improve?
Everyone has a fair number of these! Employers want to know how you manage the weakness and recognizing the weakness is the first essential step to managing it properly.
This complete list of strengths and weaknesses and how they present in the workplace will help you do this.
List of Strengths and Weaknesses - 17 Good Examples of Strengths
Common strength | How it presents at work |
Communication | Written communication skill evident in reports, correspondence. Verbal communication skills evident in presentations, managing conflict, selling, dealing with customers, active listening, meeting participation and negotiation. |
Strong work ethic/diligent | Hard working, works extra hours, completes projects before time, takes on more than others, does more than required, maintains a high quality of work, imposes own standards of excellence, works without supervision, follows up on own. |
Organizational and planning skills | Evident in time management, prioritizing, using resources effectively, meeting deadlines, multi-tasking, dealing with competing demands, achieving objectives and goals, setting targets, maintaining schedules and calendars, optimal use of available resources, coordination of resources to complete projects. |
Flexible and adaptable | Able to change activities and priorities to meet new demands, willing to learn new skills and knowledge, make a positive effort to accept changes, able to work and communicate effectively with diverse people, willing to work in different environments, willing to attempt new tasks. |
Decision-making/judgment | Gather the necessary information to make a sound decision, come up with viable alternatives, consider pros and cons for each, fully commit to the best action, follow through on decision. |
Problem solving | Able to identify and define problems, analyze problems to find causes, find possible solutions, consider the possible outcomes of each solution, decide on the best solution and implement it. |
Gathering, analyzing and managing information | Collect required information efficiently from different sources, integrate information and put it together in a logical format, process information, identify trends and patterns, distribute and communicate information correctly, store and maintain information efficiently. |
Coaching/mentoring | Willing and able to coach others, enable and facilitate learning, impart knowledge, help people to identify and achieve what they are capable of, assess training and learning needs, develop appropriate learning interventions, adapt teaching/coaching style to meet employee's needs. |
Team work | Work effectively in a team, contribute to team objectives, communicate effectively with team members, respect, listen to and encourage team members, pitch in, put success of team ahead of individual success. |
Reliable/dependable | Consistent work performance, complete projects accurately and within deadlines, arriving on time, fulfilling obligations, following through on commitments, checks own work, corrects own work, complies with workplace policies and procedures, takes responsibility for own actions. |
Common strength | How it presents at work |
Self reliant/ self management | Uses own resources, skills and abilities fully, accountable for own activity, progress and success, manages self towards goals, completes projects and activities independently, obtains own help and assistance, internally motivated and does not seek external rewards for good performance. |
Self discipline | Controls own behavior, self-motivated, prepared to work hard to achieve goals, sets own targets, avoids distractions, perseveres with difficult tasks and activities, does not procrastinate, continues with projects in the face of obstacles and challenges. |
Persistent/resilient | Handle disappointment, deal effectively with rejection, stay enthusiastic after a set back, maintain work performance despite difficulties, accept criticism, bounce back quickly, overcome obstacles to achieve, keep trying until task is completed. |
Persuasive | Evident in selling, customer management, negotiating, dealing with objections, getting agreement/commitment from co-workers/management, presenting ideas, motivating people, gaining the confidence of others. |
Integrity | Maintain confidentiality, provide complete and accurate information, observe company policies and procedures, comply with regulations, maintain values and ethics in the face of opposition and pressure. |
Energetic | Works long hours, maintains fast work pace, tackles challenging tasks, stays positive, takes on extra tasks, maintains high productivity levels, tenacious in achieving goals. |
Initiative | Proactive attempts to sort out problems and issues, provide ideas for improvement, make full use of opportunities, identify needs and come up with solutions, take steps to make your job and the company better. |
How do you answer 'What is your greatest strength?'
- Identify the strengths that will contribute to successful job performance
- Using the list of strengths and weaknesses describe your strength
- Support your answer with examples of how this strength is evident in your work performance
Sample Answers
Understand your own strengths using the strengths finder at What are your Strengths?
What are your weaknesses examples
How to successfully answer the weakness interview question - excellent examples at Interview Questions Weaknesses
Top sample interview answers to 'What are your strengths and weaknesses?'
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By Julia Penny,© Copyright 2019 Best-Job-Interview.com
Prepare to get the job you want with free interview answers to the most common interview questions. Use these answer guidelines and sample interview answers to prepare for the most frequently asked job interview question 'What are your strengths and weaknesses?'
This is a tough question to answer in your job interview and preparing a good answer beforehand will ensure that you respond in a professional and confident manner.
Always consider the job you are interviewing for. Tailor your strengths to the position and show why you are the right job candidate.
Free Interview Answers - What are your strengths?
Relevance is key. How do your strengths qualify you as the right candidate to make a success of this job?
Avoid the mistake of frustrating the interviewer as you describe what a great athlete you are and list your latest sports achievements during your sales job interview.
However, with some thought you can translate almost all of your strong points into job-relevant attributes that will contribute to your success in the job.
When answering this job interview question you can point out how the determination and discipline you need to be a good athlete are certainly important strengths in a sales position. For example:
'To achieve as an athlete I had to stick to a tough training program and make sure I kept myself motivated . I had to be disciplined and determined. I believe these strengths strongly contribute to my success in sales'
Candidates often find it hard to verbalize their strengths, so spend some time thinking about this before the interview.
![Weaknesses Weaknesses](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/bestwaytoanswerstrengthsandweaknessesinterviewquestionforjob-161014124551/95/best-way-to-answer-strengths-and-weaknesses-interview-question-for-job-7-638.jpg?cb=1476468214)
What are your interests? Building beautiful doll house furniture may not immediately seem to have any relevance to that accounting position, but the attention to detail needed for this is definitely a job-relevant strength.
What have been your successes, what attributes did you have to demonstrate to achieve them? Ask your friends, colleagues and family to tell you what they appreciate about you. How will these attributes benefit a future employer?
Don't just list your strengths, back them up with facts. An attribute is far more powerful if it is rooted in a relevant example. Effective free interview answers to the question include:
'I'm an adaptable person. I work for three different managers, they have very different management styles and expectations of me. I am able to adjust my approach to meet each of their needs'
Avoid over-used, vague terms such as 'people's person'. Be specific.
'I am good with customers. I enjoy the challenge of turning a dissatisfied customer into a satisfied one. Just last week I had an experience when .......' and quote a recent example of how you successfully managed an unhappy client.
How to identify your strengths
This strengths-finder will help you to identify your greatest strengths.
Focus on two to three key strengths in your interview answer.
Key strengths examples
Good examples include:
- organizational and planning skills
- perseverance
- persuasive ability
- communication skills
- leadership ability
- stress tolerance
- ability to learn and apply new information and skills
- flexibility
- independence
- problem-solving
- creativity
- technical and professional knowledge
- reliability
- self-motivation
- initiative
Get help finding out what your strengths are. Follow the practical steps at what are your strengths? to identify your own strengths.
View this comprehensive list of strengths and weaknesses
Know the strengths or competencies that are relevant to different jobs. Go to this job skills list
These are the 12 core competencies identified for success across the majority of career fields. Use them as a guide when answering the strengths interview question.
Free interview answers - what are your weaknesses?
With this typical interview question the interviewer is assessing your self awareness and insight rather than your weaknesses.
The ability to acknowledge a weakness is often seen as a sign of maturity and wisdom. Refer to a true weakness but show that you are dealing with it proactively by describing it as an area for development.
In your answer relate what steps you have taken to try and improve on this area. Use these example free interview answers to help you:
'I'm impatient with people who don't work at the same pace as me but I'm learning to manage this. I make sure that they have the right resources for the job, I follow up to see that they are on track and I step in and help when needed'
'I can procrastinate, I am aware of this and make sure I answer my emails and messages straight away. I update my calendar as soon as I have a new task or appointment, this really helps'
A good guide is to acknowledge one or two weaknesses, describe the efforts made to overcome these and end your story on a positive note.
'I've been reluctant to delegate. I have had to re-evaluate this as it was creating a big workload for me. I assign each person a specific, manageable task and then follow up regularly to see that it is being done properly, this seems to work well'
Some weaknesses can be interpreted as a strength. Examples include:
'I can be a bit aggressive in reaching my goals'
'At times I can get too involved in other people's problems, trying to help them'
This approach, making a weakness sound like a strength, can be successful but interviewers are usually alert to candidates trying to do this. It is much better to talk about a true weakness that you are aware of and that you are taking practical steps to improve on.
How can you improve on your weaknesses?
Always include the steps you are taking to improve on your weakness in your interview answer.
Find a full list of common workplace weaknesses and how to improve on them at interview questions weaknesses
These are two of the most difficult questions to answer in the job interview. Prepare using these sample free interview answers and stand out as the right candidate.
If you found these guidelines to answering 'What are your strengths and weaknesses?' helpful then visit our sample job interview questions for more interview questions and answers.
Quick Links to Free Interview Answers to Common Interview Questions
Spend some time at typical interview questions to find out how to answer job interview questions about handling conflict, your ideal job and how you define success.
Free interview answers to questions about your job motivation.
Do you think you will have to answer behavioral interview questions in your job interview? The behavioral interview guide provides free interview answers to common behavioral or situational interview questions.
Job Interviews > Job Interview Questions > What are your Strengths?
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By Julia Penny,© Copyright 2019 Best-Job-Interview.com