10 Examples of Strengths and Weaknesses for Job Interviews

Across different types of job interviews, you may be asked about your strengths and weaknesses. Think of these kinds of questions as opportunities. When discussing your strengths, you get to highlight positive qualities aligned with the role or company culture, and when discussing your weaknesses, you get to demonstrate a growth mindset and present yourself as an asset.

Let's discuss why interviewers ask these questions and review different strategies for answering them. Below, you'll also find examples of strengths and weaknesses to guide your responses.

Why do employers ask about strengths and weaknesses?

Employers use interviews to discover more about your experience, skill set, personality, and goals so they can determine whether you will be a good fit. They'll be gauging whether you can do the job itself and how well you'll complement the team and company culture.

Strengths and weaknesses are common interview questions that help them gain critical context about who you are, how you use your abilities to create impact, and any areas you're actively working to improve. Interviewers typically use questions about strengths and weaknesses to evaluate:

• Your self-awareness

• How you use your positive traits in the workplace

• Whether you can admit and address your weaknesses

• What you've done to improve your weaknesses

• How your skills and traits balance out those of current team members

Learn more: 21 Behavioral Interview Questions and How to Respond

Strategies for talking about your strengths

Answering "What's your greatest strength?" or some variation of that question is a chance to highlight what makes you a great fit for the role. Prior to your interview, spend time evaluating the job posting, the company, and any important business goals in order to determine which strength to share.

• Review the job posting: Read over the job description, taking note of the required and recommended competencies. Consider how your strengths align with one of them. Make sure to include an example or two of how you've used that strength in the workplace and incorporate any measurable results if possible.

• Conduct company research: Spend time learning about the company, including its culture and priorities. Consider how you may fit and pick a trait that reflects this alignment.

• Think about your areas of impact: Reflect on the company's focus and any key business goals you can find. (You may have to do some external research, like looking for interviews with the CEO or other leaders.) Think about a strength you have that folds into that priority and would make a significant impact.

Variations of the strengths question:

• What is a key attribute that helps you excel in the workplace?

• What are three words your current manager would use to describe you?

• What qualities would help make you successful in this role?

Examples of strengths in the workplace

If you feel particularly confident about a key technical skill in your wheelhouse, you can always use that to answer the question. But it may be more useful to share an interpersonal skill that calls attention to how you do your work because that provides a broader framing device to expand on your full skill set and any results you've achieved.

Here is a list of strengths that can be valuable to highlight in an interview:

• Collaborative

• Creative

• Deadline-oriented

• Dedicated

• Detail-oriented

• Empathetic

• Entrepreneurial

• Flexible

• Honest

• Innovative

• Leader

• Nimble

• Passionate

• Organized

• Passionate

• Patient

• Positive

• Proactive

• Problem solver

• Self-starter

• Team player

Learn more: 11 Interviewing Skills to Benefit Your Career

5 sample responses to “What are your strengths?”

A good way to structure your response is to lead with the strength you're proud of, tell a quick story about a time you used it with positive results, and then summarize the impact you had.

Let's review the examples below.

1. Collaborative

I am very collaborative. I’ve always enjoyed working on teams and it is one of my strongest attributes. In my previous job as a marketing research analyst, I led a project that involved diverse stakeholders, focus groups, and extensive field research, which taught me about my ability to inspire others in stressful situations. The client used our insights to create a sustainable (both environmentally and financially) product.

2. Technical know-how

I love staying up-to-date with trends in the tech industry. From my current role, I know the ins and outs of SAP very well, so I can anticipate problems before they arise. I get excited about tinkering around with gadgets in my personal life, and this trait has come in handy in the workplace when I get to know a piece of software or program intimately.

3. Detail-oriented

As a content creator, I love brainstorming new approaches to reach our consumers. But I am most known for my attention to detail. I care a lot about word choice because I believe that precise language can transform a piece from good to great (and I never miss a deadline). My blogs and articles consistently perform well and reach the top of Google searches. 

4. Positive attitude

My positive attitude is definitely one of my strengths. I have been a restaurant server, a tutor, and a health aide in the past decade, all jobs that require plenty of energy and endurance. I can view a situation from multiple perspectives and empathize with my customers, students, and patients to understand their needs at any given time.

5. Solving problems

I am a solutions-oriented person and a quick learner. In my role as an electrical engineer, I learned to perform well under pressure when designing equipment because our team would not be able to win a contract unless we produced the blueprints quickly, with as few resources as possible. In these circumstances, I am not afraid to ask questions to figure out the challenge. I do extensive research for every client, so I can be extra prepared.

Strategies for talking about your weaknesses

"What is your greatest weakness" can feel like a loaded question, and it's natural to feel unsure about how to answer it. We all have weaknesses—that's just a part of being human. Your capacity to recognize a weakness and work toward improvement can actually be a strength. The key to talking about your weaknesses is to pair self-awareness with an action and a result.

Prior to your interview, reflect on the areas below to identify the weakness you'd like to share:

• Growth opportunities in your professional life: Identify areas in your work that you'd like to strengthen. These can be how you perform your role, technical skills or workplace skills you need to develop, or productivity methods you need to implement.

• Feedback: Look back on the jobs you’ve had, classes you’ve taken, or teams you’ve collaborated with to achieve a goal. Have you received any notable feedback? For example, team members may have asked you to communicate with them more often when a problem arose.

Once you've figured out which weakness to use, be proactive and think about what you've been doing to improve. This can include taking a course, watching tutorials, reading books, or setting aside time to reflect in the moment. Explaining that you are aware of a particular weakness and have taken steps to improve is a sign of maturity and drive that is attractive to employers.

Variations of the weaknesses question:

• What are some of your top areas for improvement?

• What are your professional challenges and how are you tackling them?

• What would colleagues or mentors say you need to work on?

Examples of weaknesses in the workplace

Employers are looking for reasonable honesty when you talk about your weaknesses, so it's important not to pick a lightweight response, such as "I work too hard" or "I care too much." You also may want to avoid a weakness that isn't a required skill of the role. For instance, if you're applying to be a data analyst, you shouldn't flag your data visualization skills as a weakness.

When preparing to discuss your weaknesses, choose one that gives you the chance to demonstrate growth and enthusiasm for learning. Here is a list of weaknesses that can be valuable to highlight in an interview:

• Averse to feedback

• Competitive

• Disorganized

• Extreme introversion or extroversion

• Impatience

• Inability to prioritize

• Insecure

• Missing deadlines

• Overcommitted

• Prone to procrastination 

• Rigid

• Risk-averse

• Self-critical

• Sensitive/emotional

• Stubborn

• Uncomfortable with public speaking

• Uncomfortable with delegating

5 sample responses to “What are your weaknesses?”

The weaknesses question is an opportunity to showcase your ability to honestly assess your performance, respond to feedback in a positive way, and continually improve—essential traits in almost any role. Explore the following examples to help you formulate your response.

1. Self-criticism

I can be quite critical of myself, which can lead to negative self-talk and eventual burnout. I've found that I can avoid this by recording my goals, objectives, and key results and setting aside time to celebrate milestones and achievements, big and small. This not only helps me focus on how I'm benefiting the team, but it also has also helped me get better at prioritizing my most impactful tasks.

2. Fear of public speaking

I am a naturally shy person. Since I was a kid, I have always felt nervous presenting in front of the class, and that translated into the workplace. A few years ago, I led a big project and was asked to present it to board members. I was so nervous, but I realized I had to overcome this fear. I signed up for Toastmasters as a way to practice public speaking. Not only did this help get me through that first presentation, but it also helped me feel more confident as a leader. Now I'm helping my own team build presentation skills.

3. Procrastination

Procrastination has long been a bad habit of mine. I think it stems from a fear of failure, to be honest. In my last job as a real estate agent, keeping up with appointments and critical paperwork was essential to success. I started using Google Calendar and apps like Trello to manage my time better. Crossing things off my to-do list makes me feel accomplished, and I've learned to tackle harder tasks early in the day when I'm feeling refreshed and less likely to put them off. 

4. Issues with delegating tasks

I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I sometimes struggle to delegate tasks to my teammates. This has led to taking on too much. As a manager, I've tried to be intentional about recognizing the strengths of those on my team and delegating tasks that match those strengths. It was hard at first, but I've seen that by communicating clear expectations and trusting my team, they rise to the occasion and I'm able to manage projects more efficiently.

5. Lack of experience with skill or software

I haven't had as much experience with Python as I'd like. When I decided to make a shift into data analytics, I knew I'd need to use a statistical programming language to perform efficient analysis. I signed up for a Python for Everybody course, and I've found I really love it. I'm excited to start applying the techniques I'm learning to help make my workflow more efficient.

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