Hi guys,
Could you share with me: what can you consider as a good "strength" or "weakness" of an individual? I need opinions. Looking forward to seeing good suggestions on this question from all of you!
From India, Delhi
Could you share with me: what can you consider as a good "strength" or "weakness" of an individual? I need opinions. Looking forward to seeing good suggestions on this question from all of you!
From India, Delhi
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Strength stands for an attribute that defines one's individuality and without which one's credibility is ruined. Individuals always incline to escalate the level of strength.
Weakness is another trait of one's individuality that becomes an obstacle on the path to success, and one is always scared of. An individual always inclines to dwindle the level of weakness.
From India, Delhi
1Weakness is another trait of one's individuality that becomes an obstacle on the path to success, and one is always scared of. An individual always inclines to dwindle the level of weakness.
From India, Delhi
You need to be careful when answering questions like this in an interview. Often, they are set as a trap!
When answering questions about strength, try to find a strength you have that matches something in the job criteria, and then back up your answer with examples. For example, if the job criteria mention initiative and you are a person who uses initiative, then if you are asked to name a strength, give that as your answer and then tell them about a time you have used your initiative to good advantage at a previous employer.
When it comes to weaknesses, BE VERY CAREFUL how you answer this question. The accepted method of answering this question is to take a weakness you may have had in the past and turn it into a strength. My advice to people is to study the job description very carefully and find something that is not in any way relevant to the job and use that if necessary. I once was asked this question and after taking some time to pretend to think about it, replied that I was unable to speak a foreign language - something that was not required in the position. The reason for asking the weakness question is to eliminate candidates - many people shoot themselves in the foot by not thinking about it.
John in Oz
From Australia, Melbourne
When answering questions about strength, try to find a strength you have that matches something in the job criteria, and then back up your answer with examples. For example, if the job criteria mention initiative and you are a person who uses initiative, then if you are asked to name a strength, give that as your answer and then tell them about a time you have used your initiative to good advantage at a previous employer.
When it comes to weaknesses, BE VERY CAREFUL how you answer this question. The accepted method of answering this question is to take a weakness you may have had in the past and turn it into a strength. My advice to people is to study the job description very carefully and find something that is not in any way relevant to the job and use that if necessary. I once was asked this question and after taking some time to pretend to think about it, replied that I was unable to speak a foreign language - something that was not required in the position. The reason for asking the weakness question is to eliminate candidates - many people shoot themselves in the foot by not thinking about it.
John in Oz
From Australia, Melbourne
Hi,
I completely agree with John. When you are asked to describe your strengths, it is an opportunity to align them with the goals of the prospective employer. When describing your weaknesses, one should be very careful. Use this opportunity to present your strengths as weaknesses. For example, saying "I am very impatient" or "I do not tolerate mediocre performance and can lose my cool sometimes."
Regards,
Mukul
From India, Mumbai
I completely agree with John. When you are asked to describe your strengths, it is an opportunity to align them with the goals of the prospective employer. When describing your weaknesses, one should be very careful. Use this opportunity to present your strengths as weaknesses. For example, saying "I am very impatient" or "I do not tolerate mediocre performance and can lose my cool sometimes."
Regards,
Mukul
From India, Mumbai
Hi Jigisha,
A strength is a personality trait that helps you succeed in your role. A weakness is a personality trait that might be a challenge for you (or your employer) in effectively doing your job. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. If you don't know what your strengths and weaknesses are, you cannot live to your full potential at work. You need to capitalize (and enhance) your strengths and mitigate/marginalize (and improve on) your weaknesses.
So, when someone asks a question about what your strengths and weaknesses are, this is what they are looking for. Do you know what your strengths are and how you can capitalize on them? Do you know what your weaknesses are and how you can effectively mitigate them? If you don't know the answers to these questions, then you are not very useful to your future employer (because you don't know what you are good at and not so good at).
See my response to another similar question for more details. The link is given below.
https://www.citehr.com/229006-negative-things.html
Regards,
-Som G
From United States, Woodinville
A strength is a personality trait that helps you succeed in your role. A weakness is a personality trait that might be a challenge for you (or your employer) in effectively doing your job. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. If you don't know what your strengths and weaknesses are, you cannot live to your full potential at work. You need to capitalize (and enhance) your strengths and mitigate/marginalize (and improve on) your weaknesses.
So, when someone asks a question about what your strengths and weaknesses are, this is what they are looking for. Do you know what your strengths are and how you can capitalize on them? Do you know what your weaknesses are and how you can effectively mitigate them? If you don't know the answers to these questions, then you are not very useful to your future employer (because you don't know what you are good at and not so good at).
See my response to another similar question for more details. The link is given below.
https://www.citehr.com/229006-negative-things.html
Regards,
-Som G
From United States, Woodinville
Dear Som G,
I completely agree with your answers. Here I am trying to find out what are the best examples people use to explain their "Strengths" or "Weaknesses". The main purpose of asking this question here is to share our knowledge with others. Those who haven't faced any interviews could just get an idea for their interview.
From India, Delhi
I completely agree with your answers. Here I am trying to find out what are the best examples people use to explain their "Strengths" or "Weaknesses". The main purpose of asking this question here is to share our knowledge with others. Those who haven't faced any interviews could just get an idea for their interview.
From India, Delhi
I agree with John. However, it is not always set as a trap while selecting or rejecting the candidates. Interviewers ask about strengths and weaknesses to assess the candidates' abilities and strengths so that one can leverage those strengths for personal development within the company. Similarly, if there are weaknesses, assistance should be provided on how to overcome them. However, many times, selection is influenced by strengths and weaknesses; hence, it is advisable to respond thoughtfully.
From India, Mumbai
From India, Mumbai
Jigisha,
No one can give you a definitive answer; my strengths may not be your strengths. You must identify clearly what YOUR strengths are and talk about them, not just parrot what other people say. Employers worth their salt can see through that. This is part of your interview preparation; everything must relate to YOU, YOUR experience, skills, knowledge, etc. If you do not know yourself, then I would respectfully suggest you are wasting your time going to interviews as you will not succeed.
John in Oz
From Australia, Melbourne
No one can give you a definitive answer; my strengths may not be your strengths. You must identify clearly what YOUR strengths are and talk about them, not just parrot what other people say. Employers worth their salt can see through that. This is part of your interview preparation; everything must relate to YOU, YOUR experience, skills, knowledge, etc. If you do not know yourself, then I would respectfully suggest you are wasting your time going to interviews as you will not succeed.
John in Oz
From Australia, Melbourne
Jigisha,
I agree with John's comments that each one has to find out for oneself what one's strengths and weaknesses are. One size does not fit all. Further, the strengths and weaknesses are also job/position-specific. For example, if I am interviewing for a people-manager position, I may articulate certain strengths and weaknesses of mine. However, if I am interviewing for a car driver position (for example), my people management strengths and weaknesses are irrelevant. I need to articulate my strengths and weaknesses as a car driver.
It is a good discussion to have, nonetheless, to understand how such questions must be answered. As an interviewer, I would not like candidates who have a list of weaknesses that is longer than the list of their strengths. Weaknesses are a liability list, the more they are, the more problematic it would be for the employer and the candidate. Therefore, I would keep my list of weaknesses to a minimum (one or two at the most), and strengths to anywhere from 3 to 5.
Here's my answer for a manager position.
I am strong in building relationships within my team and across groups. I have a strong ability to think on my feet, quickly consider all possibilities, and come up with a solution to resolve problems or mitigate risks. I am excellent in managing global and virtual teams spread across over 9 time zones. I am customer-focused and have a strong ability to manage vendors, achieving success in situations where others may have met with limited success.
On the other hand, I am not very politically savvy. I don't usually watch my back because I assume that people around me are highly professional and very trustworthy. As a result, I look toward my manager to protect me from being thrown under the bus, because I realize that the world is not so black and white.
Does that make sense?
Regards,
-Som G
Dear Som G,
I completely agree with your answers but here I am trying to find out what are the best examples people use to explain their "Strength" or as a "Weakness". The main purpose of asking this question here is like sharing our knowledge with others who haven't faced any interview so they could get an idea for their interview.
From United States, Woodinville
I agree with John's comments that each one has to find out for oneself what one's strengths and weaknesses are. One size does not fit all. Further, the strengths and weaknesses are also job/position-specific. For example, if I am interviewing for a people-manager position, I may articulate certain strengths and weaknesses of mine. However, if I am interviewing for a car driver position (for example), my people management strengths and weaknesses are irrelevant. I need to articulate my strengths and weaknesses as a car driver.
It is a good discussion to have, nonetheless, to understand how such questions must be answered. As an interviewer, I would not like candidates who have a list of weaknesses that is longer than the list of their strengths. Weaknesses are a liability list, the more they are, the more problematic it would be for the employer and the candidate. Therefore, I would keep my list of weaknesses to a minimum (one or two at the most), and strengths to anywhere from 3 to 5.
Here's my answer for a manager position.
I am strong in building relationships within my team and across groups. I have a strong ability to think on my feet, quickly consider all possibilities, and come up with a solution to resolve problems or mitigate risks. I am excellent in managing global and virtual teams spread across over 9 time zones. I am customer-focused and have a strong ability to manage vendors, achieving success in situations where others may have met with limited success.
On the other hand, I am not very politically savvy. I don't usually watch my back because I assume that people around me are highly professional and very trustworthy. As a result, I look toward my manager to protect me from being thrown under the bus, because I realize that the world is not so black and white.
Does that make sense?
Regards,
-Som G
Dear Som G,
I completely agree with your answers but here I am trying to find out what are the best examples people use to explain their "Strength" or as a "Weakness". The main purpose of asking this question here is like sharing our knowledge with others who haven't faced any interview so they could get an idea for their interview.
From United States, Woodinville
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