“What are your strengths?”
One of the feared interview classics, this simple four-word question is enough to strike the fear into even the best among us. While talking about your previous positions and experiences in an interview can be a cinch, this question requires a high level of introspection.
How do you provide an answer that allows you to stand out from the charging pack without sounding like an excessive self-promoter?
Understanding your personal brand
We are all vitally aware of the conditions within the VUCA world in which we are immersed (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.) In this highly turbulent and competitive workplace, it is obvious that we need to be able to stand out from the crowd to be noticed.
Everyone knows that we need to sell ourselves through a relentless focus on differentiation. We get this – the questions are then not about why but rather more around the how. How do we do we position ourselves? What are the strengths and personal attributes that we should be developing and branding? What is our “X” factor or mojo and how do we get the balance of hard and soft skills right?
In our work in recruitment and training, we spend a lot of time with high performers discussing the importance of differentiating oneself in the workplace and leveraging personal branding.
We believe, from this exposure, that there are a number of critical areas that you need to shape as a high achiever – your track record, character, potential, capability, reliability and risk. All of these key factors combine to tell a story about your value proposition.
To be able to communicate your value, you need to first understand it.
Defining your value proposition
Your potential employer may be wording the question about you, but what they are really asking is what value you will bring to the organisation. This is the perfect opportunity for you to share why you do what you do, and how you do it in a way that showcases why you will be an asset to the organisation.
For example:
- How have you saved a company time?
- What examples of saving a company money do you have?
- How have you contributed to a team or company’s success?
Once you have explored your “winning ways” of how you have positively contributed to an organisation, you can further unpack these incidents to examine what your key skills, competencies and attributes were that led to these successes.
Frame your answer by touching on at least two of the areas below:
- Track record – what have you done in the past, what is the pattern in achieving positive results?
- Character – which aspects of your character have supported your successes?
- Capability – what are your definitive skills, abilities and competencies that you bring to the table?
- Reliability and risk – companies are always looking at mitigating risk. How are you able to assure the organisation that you are worthy of further investment? Give examples that highlight these areas.
- Potential – How do you define your potential, your drive, energy and can-do attitude? What evidence do you have of successfully adapting to new scenarios that helps you succeed? Invest in regular “soul searching” exercises to surface examples and insights in this important area. It is always easy to talk about your own life’s achievements.
Once you completed this exercise, you should have great examples based on real scenarios that support your ability to add value.
So many people battle to speak about their strengths, are too modest, but surprisingly we have also found that many people are unable to articulate what their strengths actually are.
This approach enables you to speak about scenarios and defining moments in your career which are natural to you and show where you have positively contributed. By digging deep and elaborating further, you can build rapport and credibility with your potential employer.
The value in this exercise and building your personal brand goes beyond the interview table.
In life’s ongoing journey, it is imperative that you are able to talk to your strengths and ability to make a difference. Opportunities arise constantly and by having self-awareness, coupled with personal insights and actions, we are able to position ourselves to optimize any opportunity.
Our best advice is to embark on this “stock-taking” exercise from time to time, even if you are not preparing for an interview. By investing in quality reflection time – you can make a difference and make it happen!
It is your time to shine up.
Don’t forget to visit our YouTube channel ‘Job Tricks and Tips’ where we have an array of videos guiding candidate through the job process: interview tips, CV writing and more!