The typical questions you find very hard in a job interview are about your strengths and weaknesses. Your strengths may be easier to explain, but your weaknesses? Why would you tell a prospective employer about your bad points? The answer is that your “weaknesses” must actually be strengths.
Let’s look at one example.
Imagine that you tell your interviewer that determination is one of your strengths. You set yourself goals and deadlines that you meet, no matter what. If they hire you, everything will get done on time. You are superman. What could be better?
Well, this could be a weakness, too. If your drive to be so efficient upsets team members, then your strength has negative effects. For this reason, you can use your determination as a weakness. You could say that, at times, you are too determined to be efficient and you have noticed that some team members can find your attitude too hard.
So, how do we solve this problem?
You can say that your drive to be efficient (a strength) can be too much for some team members (a weakness), but you have learnt how to deal with your team members so they don’t get upset (your team working skills are another strength). So, when you mentioned a weakness, you actually gave two strengths: determination and team-working skills. You have turned the question around, making you look better by mentioning a weakness! Clever, uh?
Some interviewers will ask you for 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses. In reality, they are asking for 6 strengths, so you need to think about the specific skills that are necessary for the job and give them 6 reasons why you are the right candidate.
Try to find 6 reasons why you are the perfect fit for your next job. It isn’t easy and you may need time and energy to find good answers, but this exercise will make you shine at your next interview.
Good luck!
