How to respond to: Tell me about your strengths

- "Tell me about your strengths" is often a common question from inexperienced or untrained interviewers. The question framed this way can confuse a candidate, and they may wonder why the interviewer even called them. It encourages rambling responses if you don't know how to focus your answer. What they're trying to discover is your core competency for the job and if you have a realistic view of yourself. We all have many strengths that we can bring to a position. The key to answering this effectively is to identify the traits that align with the job and prioritize what you would focus on. You want to be sure to cite specific examples to support your viewpoint. You don't want to fake your answer because follow-up questions could include, "Give me an example of how you've used the strength "in the last week,' or "Can you give me another example "of how you've used this strength?" You should identify the core competencies by looking at the job description. Focus on the first three competencies listed to prioritize your answer. Then, come up with examples that support these strengths. This is good practice for any interview because there are more savvy ways to ask this question. A trained interviewer is going to ask this question in a variety of ways to get a more accurate view of what you bring to the job. A few examples might include, "What would your direct reports say about you?" "How would your supervisor describe your value?" "Discuss your resume," or "Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of." Your preparation for your core competencies will work for any of these questions. It's always a good practice to be prepared for a strength-based question. By identifying the employer's needs and developing examples of how you meet their needs will prepare you for any question.