What is your biggest strength and weakness?

by Deogratias
(Tanzania)

Tell us your greatest strength and weakness?

Answer from Carl: This is a popular question that people do often get asked during job interviews.

When answering the part about your greatest strength, it's usually best to try to focus on a strength that would actually be useful to the job and company you're applying for. Focus on something that is outlined in your resume that you can refer to that is tangible and again, that would help your candidacy for the job you're applying for ie. having this strength would make you a stronger candidate for the job. Examples could include your strong analytical skills, communication skills, marketing background, sales experience, staff mentoring and management experience, etc.

Conversely, when answering the part about your greatest weakness, it's usually best not to mention something that is important to the job and could therefore disqualify you from consideration. You also don't want to list a cliched weakness like "I work too hard" or something like that as the interviewer has probably heard that answer numerous times and may feel you just mentioned it to make yourself look good. Using an answer like "I work too hard" is where you mention a weakness and make it look like a strength which may be seen by the interviewer as an attempt to avoid the question. Instead, mention a real weakness that you have experienced in the past and then mention what you're doing to overcome it. If organizing your day has been a problem, you might mention how you took a course to learn more about planning and how you now utilize a daily planner with success. If public speaking has been a fear of yours, perhaps you have joined Toastmasters or begun to volunteer to conduct presentations in front of other people to get over this fear.

We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses. During the interview, you of course want to be truthful but you also want to put your best foot forward and show the interviewer why you are the best person for the job.

Carl