2.2 Strengths-based interview questions
We all have skills that we know are strong, but we don’t particularly enjoy using them. For example, some people can write well but don’t enjoy the process, others are good with technology but only use it because they have no other choice. A strength is different because not only is it a skill that you are good at, you also feel motivated and energised whenever you use it.
If an employer can recruit someone who will be using their strengths every day in the workplace, they are likely to be more productive and satisfied in their role. Win win!
Whilst a competency-based question focuses on what you have done in a past situation in order to predict how you might perform in the future, the aim of the strengths-based interview question is to gain an insight into your personality and motivations by focusing on what you enjoy and what you’re good at.
Typical strengths-based team related questions include:
Do you work best in a team or by yourself?
In your opinion, what makes a team work well together?
Or you could emphasise teamwork in your answer to a broader strengths question such as:
What is the best work experience you’ve ever had? Why?
Describe a successful day. What made it successful?
While you can prepare for a competency-based question by considering your best examples of working effectively in a team, the strengths-based question is more difficult to practise. The key is to be yourself and remember that the interviewer is looking at your level of enthusiasm and engagement when you answer the questions. Use what you’ve learned about the employer in your pre-interview preparation to guide your responses. For example, if the job description emphasises team skills, you know that it will be important to incorporate those into your answers.
Next you will look at how you could demonstrate your teamwork skills in an interview using the STAR technique.