Personal Finance | Interview Answers | Winning CVs | Beat the Recession

Strengths and Weaknesses

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

This is a very general question that you should expect. It deserves a well-prepared answer. You need to demonstrate not only a high level of self-insight but also corroborating evidence from other people.

This is an example of a double question, often used by HR people: 'What's positive about.and what's negative about.?' For each planned assertion of a strength or weakness, think of a supplementary question they might ask. Often the real test is these supplementary questions, so you have to prepare for them.

I'M GOOD; I'M VERY, VERY GOOD

Start with a general statement of what you are and what you do. Then show what strengths you had to have to achieve the results you have: 'I'm an energetic IT professional with experience in running complex projects. I have a proven record of delivering the benefits of technology to a business. I have run teams as big as thirty and have had to involve many other people in the organisation in order to implement computer projects. During that time I developed my strengths in a number of areas. First, I'm very commercially minded. I never forget that IT is there to serve the financial performance of the organisation. (I've had to convert some people who start from the opposite position - that the organisation is there to benefit the smooth running of the IT department.) After I delivered my last project the managing director went on record as saying that the project had saved the company millions of dollars in currency transactions.

'I have strong project management and control skills; but I recognise that all the project management tools in the world don't get the work done. People do that. I enjoy leading teams and I have skills in involving and motivating the people in them. My last boss will testify to that and two of my referees are people who've been in teams I've managed. Most of the projects I've done have meant that a lot of people have had to change how they work. There's often heavy resistance to change and my tenacity when things are difficult has been fully tested. A departmental manager for whom I implemented a new system believes that I had at one point more people trying to hinder my delivering the system than I had helping me. Having said that, another strength I have is flexibility. If I have to change course I can do so rapidly in order to meet a new demand.' Notice the pattern: the result, the strengths necessary to achieve that result and finally the evidence from a third party. Another way of putting the question is, 'What would you say are your outstanding qualities?' You can probably structure your answer in a similar way. If you choose to talk more personally try not to give them a simple list. It's much stronger to pick out one or two qualities and tell a story illustrating the benefits of those particular qualities.

BUT IF I HAVE A WEAKNESS.

Choose weaknesses that are based on truth. Remember they're looking for self insight, but choose weaknesses that in fact will probably benefit the organisation rather than hinder it: 'I've discussed with my manager a couple of areas that I need to think about and work on improving. If I have a team member who's struggling with something, I tend if I'm not careful to jump in and do the job for them rather than leave them to develop their skills. I do this sometimes when time is short. I need to put in place good training and development plans to make sure I don't do this. Although I appreciate the importance of my work/life balance to both the quality of my life and my accomplishments at work, I do sometimes overbalance towards work. Both I and my family are working on this.'

Finish off by using the term 'weakness' in its alternative meaning to end with a bit of humour. 'I also have a weakness for the Scottish rugby team. It's sad, I know, but I'm afraid incurable.'


Custom Search