How to answer strength-based interview questions

Welcome to another edition of The Job Seeker Hub LinkedIn newsletter 🤩

Today’s edition continues our ‘Interview Prep’ series. We will discuss strength-based interview questions, what they are, and how to nail them! If you have an upcoming interview, bring a notepad and your favourite snack, and make sure to take notes.

1. Strength-based interview questions

Strength-based interview questions are designed to uncover your natural talents and what you enjoy doing. These questions aim to identify what energizes you and how your strengths align with the role you're applying for. Strength-based questions often focus on what you like to do, what you are good at, and your overall attitude towards work and challenges.

Here are some common strength-based interview questions:

• What activities do you enjoy the most in your current role?

• Can you describe a project or task you completed where you felt particularly engaged and motivated?

• What do you consider your greatest strengths, and how do they help you in your work?

• What types of tasks or projects do you look forward to doing the most?

• Tell me about a time when you felt you were working at your best.

2. The Reflective Approach

When answering strength-based questions, it's important to reflect on your experiences and be honest about what you genuinely enjoy and excel at. The Reflective Approach can help you structure your answers effectively. Here's how it works:

• Identify: Recognize the activities or tasks that energize and motivate you.

• Illustrate: Provide specific examples that highlight these strengths.

• Impact: Explain the positive impact of using these strengths in your work.

Let's break it down further:

Identify: Reflect on what you love doing. Think about tasks or activities where you lose track of time because you are so engaged. Consider moments when you felt a great sense of achievement.

Illustrate: Use specific examples to demonstrate your strengths. Be detailed about the situation, what you did, and how you felt.

Impact: Discuss the positive outcomes of using your strengths. Highlight any achievements, recognition, or improvements resulting from your actions.

3. Sample answers to strength-based questions

a) What activities do you enjoy the most in your current role?

Identify: In my current role, I really enjoy problem-solving and coming up with innovative solutions.

Illustrate: For example, last quarter, we faced a significant challenge with our inventory management system, which was causing delays in order fulfilment. I took the initiative to analyze the problem, identify inefficiencies, and propose a new inventory tracking method.

Impact: As a result, we reduced order fulfillment time by 20%, and I received recognition from my manager for my proactive approach.

b) Can you describe a project or task you completed where you felt particularly engaged and motivated?

Identify: I feel most engaged and motivated when I am working on creative projects that allow me to think outside the box.

Illustrate: Last year, I led a marketing campaign for a new product launch. I was responsible for developing the campaign's creative concept, designing promotional materials, and coordinating with different teams.

Impact: The campaign was a huge success, leading to a 30% increase in product sales within the first month. My creativity and enthusiasm were key drivers in achieving this result.

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Got questions, ideas, or want to say hello? Connect with me on LinkedIn—I’d love to hear from you!

Looking for more sample answers to strength-based interview questions? TJSH is working hard behind the scenes to create a booklet with the most common interview questions. Make sure to follow The Job Seeker Hub LinkedIn page to be the first to know when it drops!

PS: Have you heard the news? 👀👀 We are also on Instagram. Head over to our Instagram to meet our new team.

Until next time,

TJSH Team :)