There’s a whole lot of talking about yourself that goes on in an interview. It’s a barrage of “I”s and “me”s that would be inappropriate in so many other contexts. One of the most stressful spotlights on you might come when a recruiter or prospective boss asks you to tell them about your strengths and weaknesses.
You’re bound to hear, “What would you say is one of your weaknesses?” or “What’s your greatest strength?” or both in virtually every hiring process you’ll ever go through. While that might be frustrating—really, every time?!—it also means that you can anticipate the questions and craft thoughtful answers that will impress the interviewer.
With just a little bit of preparation, you can master the art of selling your strengths without sounding conceited and talking about your weaknesses without undermining your candidacy.
The more interviews you get, the better your chances of getting hired—apply now to these amazing open jobs on The Muse »
Why do interviewers ask about your strengths and weaknesses?
Interviews are fundamentally about getting to know you, says Muse career coach Angela Smith, founder of Angela Smith Consulting. “I know some people feel like the interviewer is trying to trip them up or put them in an awkward position, but it’s about getting to know the person to make the best decision that you can,” Smith says. “When I ask those questions, that’s where I’m coming from.”
The actual strengths and weaknesses you bring up probably matter less than how you talk about them. “I’ve done a ton of interviews over the years and when pressed for it, I can’t really remember the answers,” she says. That doesn’t mean the questions aren’t important at all, but what an interviewer is evaluating likely goes deeper. They’re trying to understand what kind of employee you’d be and how you’d carry yourself in the role.
“For me it’s: Are they honest? Do they have self-awareness? Can they own their stuff in a professional and mature way? Is this someone that we can have growth and development conversations with? Are they going to hit a wall when it comes to giving them feedback?” Smith says. “How they answer that question really tells me the answer to all of those other things—and those are the things that matter.”
5 tips for talking about strengths and weaknesses in an interview
OK, that’s all great in theory, but what do you actually need to do to discuss your strengths and weaknesses successfully? Here's everything you need to know:
1. Be honest
It might sound trite, but it’s also true. An answer that sounds genuine and authentic will impress, while one that sounds generic, calculated, exaggerated, or humblebrag will do the opposite. A boss doesn’t want to hire someone who can’t recognize and own what they bring to the table and what they need to work on.
You’ll be a better employee if you can understand and leverage your strengths and acknowledge and learn from your weaknesses. So you want to show in the interview that you’re capable of that kind of self-reflection.
2. Tell a story
Here’s another cliché you shouldn’t ignore: “Show, don’t tell.” Anyone who’s ever taken a writing class—whether in seventh grade or graduate school—has heard it. You should keep it in mind when answering just about any interview question, and it’s certainly helpful here.
“Anytime you can have a real-life example or a concrete example, it’s a good idea. It helps to contextualize the response a little bit,” Smith says. “We just understand concepts and situations better with a story. So if you can tell a story that supports your thesis, then it’s always helpful.”
Talk about a time your strength helped you achieve something in a professional setting or when your weakness impeded you. For example, if you’re talking about how you’re calm under pressure in a fast-paced environment, you might tell the interviewer about that time you delivered a revamped client proposal after a last-minute change of plans.
If you’re admitting that your weakness is presenting in front of high-level executives, you might start by briefly describing the time you got so nervous presenting your plan for a new marketing strategy that you weren’t able to effectively convey your (thorough and pretty brilliant) approach and your boss had to step in and help get the plan approved.
Not only will sharing a real example make your answer stand out, but it’ll also make it sound thoughtful and honest and highlight all those other characteristics interviewers are actually looking for.
This might also help: STAR Method: How to Use This Technique to Ace Your Next Job Interview
3. Remember to get to the insight
An answer that’s genuine and includes an illustrative anecdote is a great start, but it’s not complete until you address the “so what?” When you’re talking about a strength, the last beat of your answer should tie whatever skill or trait you’ve been discussing to the role and company you’re applying for.
Tell the interviewer how that strength would be useful in this job at this company. Going back to the revamped client proposal example, you might add, “Since things move quickly at [Company], this would allow me to come in and earn a new team’s confidence and foster a trusting team culture while also ensuring we’re all hitting our goals and delivering high-quality work.”
In the case of a weakness, “Really showcase your growth trajectory, your learning curve, what you’ve done as a result of the awareness of that weakness,” Smith says. It’ll help the interviewer understand how you’d approach problem-solving and professional growth in this new job.
So if you were the candidate with the presentation snafu, you might talk about how you sat down with your boss to make a plan to improve your public speaking skills, and how the next time you had to present to the execs you knocked it out of the park.
4. Keep it short
You don’t have to devote half the interview to these answers. You can keep your response relatively brief and focused on one or two strengths and/or weaknesses, depending on how the question was phrased.
To add to our list of overused-but-handy phrases: Think quality, not quantity. Don’t dive in and rattle off a litany of things you think you’re good or bad at without explaining anything. Instead, narrow it down and go into detail.
5. Don’t sweat it so much
While you definitely want to prepare and do your best to nail your answers, try not to stress too much. “I have never known an employment decision to come down to how someone answers those questions,” Smith says. “It’s just one data point connected with a whole bunch of other ones. So don’t give it too much weight.”
Example of strengths and weaknesses to use in an interview
Here's a list of strengths and weaknesses you can use as the basis of your answers for these questions in your next job interview:
Example strengths for job interviews
- Attention to detail
- Being adaptable
- Being proactive
- Building relationships
- Being willing to go above and beyond to help others
- Coming up with innovative solutions
- Communicating in writing
- Creativity
- Delegating
- Displaying emotional intelligence
- Having experience with a problem that the company is currently facing
- Figuring out how to effectively use a piece of software
- Giving or receiving constructive feedback
- Good time management skills
- Great leadership skills
- Handling conflicts
- Interpreting data and/or results
- Managing projects
- Motivating employees
- Noticing small details
- Prioritizing
- Public speaking
- Recognizing patterns
- Setting deadlines
- Strong problem-solving skills
- Switching between different tasks quickly
- Self-motivating
- Thinking critically
- Working well under pressure
Example weaknesses for job interviews
- Being a perfectionist
- Being too hard on yourself
- Getting too caught up in small details
- Getting nervous about speaking to groups or on the phone
- Ignoring or rationalizing away constructive feedback
- Locking in on a certain idea or way of doing things
- Losing track of deadlines, tasks, or work products
- Making basic math errors or not being able to do math in your head
- Making frequent grammar errors when writing
- Maintaining work-life balance
- Not being able to say no to extra work
- Not being comfortable with vague instructions
- Not being confident
- Not being willing to change your mind
- Not knowing when to ask for clarification
- Not picking up on nonverbal cues
- Missing deadlines
- Overlooking small details
- Procrastinating
- Struggling with time management
- Taking on too much work rather than delegating or saying no
- Writing unclearly
How to answer “What are your strengths?” in an interview
Use this opportunity to emphasize the most important qualities you’d bring to the role, team, and company. Smith recommends reading carefully through the job description and learning as much as you can about what the company is up to and what the culture is like. Read various pages on the organization’s website, take a look at its social media accounts, and catch up on some recent announcements and news coverage if applicable.
Use what you’ve learned to identify which of your strengths is most relevant and how it will allow you to contribute. Then make the connection inescapable. “Every answer should position you to help them see how you can solve a problem” and help the company achieve its goals, Smith says.
At the same time, you don’t want to go overboard. “It’s such a fine line. I always tell people not to worry about bragging, but you also don’t want to come across as cocky or too full of yourself,” she says. Give a confident and honest assessment that does your skills justice, but don’t let yourself veer into hyperbole.
Read this next: How to Answer “What’s Your Greatest Strength?” (Plus Examples!)
Organization
Let's say you’re applying for an operations role at a startup and you pick organization as one of your strengths. Connect this characteristic with that type of work environment and illustrate how it has already or could potentially enhance your performance in a future role.
Example answer:
“I’d say one of my greatest strengths is bringing organization to hectic environments and implementing processes to make everyone’s lives easier. In my current role as an executive assistant to a CEO, I created new processes for pretty much everything, from scheduling meetings to planning monthly all hands agendas to selecting and preparing for event appearances.
Everyone in the company knew how things worked and how long they would take, and the structures helped alleviate stress and set expectations on all sides. I’d be excited to bring that same approach to an operations manager role at a startup, where everything is new and constantly growing and could use just the right amount of structure to keep things running smoothly.”
Adaptability
Picture a teacher whose standout strength is being adaptable to new environments and situations. It's a key asset in education, where teachers often face new students each year and need to find creative ways to connect them with the curriculum.
Example answer:
“I think that as a teacher, one of the top goals is keeping students engaged. That’s why I think it’s important that some of my greatest strengths are being adaptable, gauging a classroom’s excitement and energy, and coming up with creative and varied lesson plans. I’ve come up with a system where I have a complete lesson plan for each day but build in some flexibility to go in any order.
I also make sure that for each day I have activities that help students relax, get them moving around, encourage them to participate, and allow them to work independently. The variety and flexibility together let me be responsive and match the students’ energy levels and moods—for example, if they’re hyped up after lunch, exhausted after gym class, or getting antsy after a long period at their desks.”
Time management
Imagine a recent grad applying for an entry-level position. Without work experience, you'd likely draw from your school experience for your answer. In this scenario, you'd have to tell an anecdote that illustrates how this particular strength can transfer to your working style.
Example answer:
“One of my greatest strengths is my time management. As a Division I athlete who also maintained a 3.7 GPA and worked part-time, I really honed my ability to prioritize and schedule my time to account for classes, practices, games, homework, and shifts. I gave every activity, assignment, or study session a priority rating and estimated plenty of extra time for all of them before plotting them out on my calendar and setting phone alarms.
I didn’t usually need so many reminders, but it helped give me peace of mind. I talked with my boss—who was luckily super understanding—to figure out which shifts were best for each semester. Sure, I was mocked for the giant wall calendar in my bedroom, but it was worth it for the results. As an HR assistant, I know I’ll be getting a lot of different assignments from the team, so I plan to hone and evolve my existing systems to make sure everything gets done on time and to a high standard.”
Creativity
A graphic designer applying for a job at an agency might say his greatest strength is creativity. Besides being a key trait for the role, graphic designers often face unexpected challenges and must think quickly to find creative solutions. So, it makes perfect sense.
Example answer:
“I think that my greatest strength is changing up design styles and aesthetics to match different campaigns or brands—or in the case of this job, clients. I love the challenge of being creative within different rules, such as brand guidelines or just a mood that a client is going for.
I love to expose myself to a lot of different artists and art styles so that I always have new ideas and don’t get stuck in one groove. At my current job, I’ve designed campaign graphics and templates for medications being explained to doctors and pharmacists, exercise equipment being advertised to teenagers and young adults, and more—all with great results.”
How to answer “What is your greatest weakness?” in an interview
While you’ll definitely want to tie your strengths to the role and company you’re applying for, you should avoid that approach when talking about your weaknesses. “You don’t necessarily want them associating a weakness with their company or with what they’re looking for,” Smith says.
For example, if the job description for a sales role lists excellent verbal communication skills, you shouldn’t say one of your weaknesses is thinking on your feet during phone calls, even if you’ve worked hard to improve and feel more than competent now.
Instead, talk about a weakness that doesn’t obviously impair your ability to perform the core functions of the role. Make sure you admit the weakness, pivot to the insight, and end on a strong note. “If someone can be honest and have the self-awareness to answer that question, I think that says a lot about their emotional intelligence and their professional maturity,” Smith says.
Her last piece of advice is not to pick a “weakness” like, “I’m such a hard worker,” or, “I’m too much of a perfectionist.” Answering this question with these clichés will backfire, because it comes off as disingenuous, oblivious, or immature. Also, none of those are qualities that’ll get you the job.
For an even deeper dive, read this next: How to Answer “What Is Your Greatest Weakness?” (Plus Examples!)
Not knowing when to ask for clarification
If you’re applying for an engineering job, not knowing when to ask for clarification is a “safe” weakness to mention in job interviews, as trying to figure out problems on your own isn't a negative trait. The key is to emphasize that you're actively working to improve by becoming better at seeking guidance when needed.
Example answer:
“My greatest weakness would probably be waiting too long to ask questions to clarify the goals of a project and to make sure I’m on the right path. I noticed in one of my first coding jobs out of college that I would get an assignment and, because I assumed I should be able to work independently, I’d waste time going down a particular road that didn’t 100% align with the ultimate goal and then would have to spend additional time making changes.
After it happened once or twice, I started asking my manager more questions about why we were adding a particular feature, who it was intended for, what about the previous functionality had made for a poor experience, etc. And especially for bigger projects, I would reach out when I needed a gut check to ask follow-up questions as well as to share the work I’d done so far and what I was planning to do next. In the long run, it meant I could finish projects faster and do better work.”
Not being able to say no to extra work
If your greatest weakness is overloading yourself with work, instead of saying something like “I work too hard,” it's better to explain that you struggle to decline extra work. Simply being a hard worker doesn't necessarily align with the job if it means not knowing how to set healthy boundaries and prioritize tasks effectively. So, be sure to mention the measures you're taking to develop a more balanced relationship with work.
Example answer:
“My greatest weakness is probably knowing when to say no to extra tasks. As an entry-level IT employee, I was sure that the best way to impress was to make the people I worked with think I could literally do it all. If someone wanted something fixed by tomorrow, I’d promise to do it by tomorrow, even if I already had four high-priority tickets on my plate for the day. I found myself working long hours, and my supervisor talked to me about how I was doing extra tasks but my main work was getting sloppier and slower.
I realized that I needed to get better at saying ‘no’ and ‘yes, but not right now.’ With my supervisor’s guidance, I started asking a few standard questions whenever I was given a new task, such as what an issue was blocking or impeding, when it needed to be addressed by, what kind of flexibility there was in that timeline, and whether the employee had tried some simple fixes they could do themselves.
I also started scheduling an hour each morning or afternoon for things that popped up, but outside of those times, unless something was on fire, I was working on my core job of strengthening our internal network security. Over time, I’ve become way better at prioritizing, communicating and setting expectations, and making sure extra tasks didn’t prevent me from getting my work done—and done well.”
Struggling with written communication
Expressing thoughts through written words can be a real struggle for many. Even if your job doesn't require a lot of writing, most companies use emails and platforms like Slack. Acknowledging the need to improve your writing skills can show self-awareness and leave a positive impression on hiring managers.
Example answer
“Before I started working, I always bought into the idea that people who were good with computers and numbers didn’t necessarily need to be good with words, and that in some cases, they just couldn’t be. So I just sort of did the bare minimum to get by in required writing and English classes. But as soon as I started my first job, I realized that my written communication skills were probably my greatest weakness, and they were holding me back.
I kept finding myself misunderstood when I sent emails or Slack messages, or it would take me half an hour to write a paragraph because I didn’t know how to translate my thoughts and ideas into words. I decided to take a basic writing course in my free time, but I also started to read the written communication I was getting from others at work with an eye toward understanding what worked well and what didn’t.
Over time, my messages have needed less and less clarification and I’ve found myself getting the words on the page much faster. My boss even mentioned she’s noticed a significant improvement and tasked me with sending out monthly team updates.”
Lack of confidence
Lack of confidence in your work or ideas is a sentiment that many employees can empathize with. If you are not applying for a leadership or management role—where self-assurance and productivity are crucial—it's OK to mention this as your greatest weakness. Just be careful to not turn your answer into a pity party. Instead, paint a picture of the situation that helped you identify the issue and explain the steps you're currently taking to address it.
Example answer
“My greatest weakness is having less confidence than I should in my ideas. I used to be terrified to bring up my ideas during meetings—I was so afraid they were bad or even that I’d get laughed at. But as a result, I watched others at my level get noticed and move up faster. So I went to someone on my team who had a few more years experience than me and who I was friendly with.
I asked her if I could start running my ideas by her before meetings. That way, I could tell myself that if she didn’t think they were hilariously stupid, that at least I wouldn’t be laughed out of the office. And I’d have practice saying them out loud in front of one person I really trusted first. It turned out she really liked most of my ideas and I started mentioning things I’d rehearsed with her.
Eventually, I felt like I could gauge my ideas better for myself, and I no longer needed that confidence boost. I’ve also presented a few bad ideas—and realized it wasn’t the end of the world or even the end of the conversation. Now I’m way more confident sharing ideas in group settings or to higher ups and it’s been really rewarding to see those ideas generate excitement and come to fruition.”
Key takeaways
“What are your strengths and weaknesses?” is one of the most common interview questions, so you should be prepared to answer it confidently. Contrary to popular belief, recruiters ask this question not to make you uncomfortable, but to gauge your self-awareness and ability to articulate your thoughts clearly.
Be sincere; avoid cliches such as “workaholic” or ”perfectionist.” Ideally, your strengths should align with qualities valuable for the role you're applying for, while your greatest weakness should be unrelated to the specific job responsibilities.
To craft a perfect response, employ the “show, don't tell” strategy. Share anecdotes about situations where your strength proved valuable to former employers or team members, and describe a specific instance that helped you recognize your weakness and the steps you've taken to improve upon it.
Amanda Cardoso contributed to the latest version of this article.