Put your best interview foot forward

getting ready for a job interviewClient question: How do you recommend answering the interview question ”what are your strengths and weaknesses?” 

First, feel good, no – great, to have an interview scheduled! And kudos for thinking about showcasing yourself well during the interview by doing some advance planning. Interviewers use questions like this one as an insightful way to get to know you. They want to assess the depth of your experience and determine whether or not you’re a good “cultural fit” with the organization.

“What are your weak points?” This question is a tricky one! Be savvy in how you answer: You don’t want to be too slick or overly candid. Saying that you have a problem in getting to work on time, dislike deadlines or that you are a workaholic won’t help your case. An effective response is highlighting a skill that you’ve improved over the years. Something like this:

Many years ago, a really good boss told me I needed to work on my delegation skills, and she was right. I took a class at the local community college, read a few books and worked closely with a respected leader at my company. The result was that my delegation skills improved to the point where I am asked to mentor others and teach them how to effectively delegate.

“What are your strengths and/or what do you do best?” Use answering this question as an opportunity to demonstrate how your knowledge, skills and abilities mesh with a particular requirement for the open position. For example, suppose project management is listed as a duty for the open position, answer with something like this:

Managing projects is a real strength area for me and is something I enjoy doing. I’m skilled at working with groups of people to complete projects on time and on budget. In fact … (Here’s where you describe a specific project, what it was and how you handled it.)

With some thoughtful preparation, you can ace that interview.

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