How to Talk About Your Strengths and Weaknesses in a Job Interview

No one likes to admit their faults and shortcomings, but no one is perfect. And in a job interview, pretending to be perfect can actually hurt your candidacy.

Recruiters and hiring managers like to ask job candidates about their strengths and weaknesses to gauge a candidate’s truthfulness, image of self and, of course, areas that could be improved.

If you’re looking for a new job using a job search board like ZipRecruiterhere’s how highlighting your strengths and owning up to your weaknesses can help you find a job that’s the right fit and avoid disappointment at the end of the interview process — or landing a job you struggle to carry out.

Common Strengths and Weaknesses

So, what are your strengths and weaknesses?

It’s one of the toughest and most common interview questions, right up there with questions about your reasons for leaving your job.

The hiring manager or recruiter won’t expect you to itemize every single one of your strengths and weaknesses. Rather, they want to know about your strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the job description.

The strengths and weaknesses your interviewers will want to know about could be soft skills or technical skills.

Here are some common strengths that employers commonly look for in job candidates:

• Teamwork: You work well with others, especially in situations in which it’s faster or more efficient to collaborate with coworkers.
• Leadership skills: You don’t shy away from taking a leading role, along with the responsibility that comes with it.
• Focus: You aren’t easily sidetracked from the task at hand.
• Multitasking: You can juggle multiple priorities and reorder them when necessary.
• Integrity: You always ensure the job is done the right way with no corners cut or rules bent.
• Creativity : You tend to look at things differently and come up with less conventional solutions.
• Flexibility: You don’t break when you have to bend to accommodate changing priorities.
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