Strengths and weaknesses: how to handle this well in your job interview
The question “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” almost always comes up in interviews. For many candidates, it feels like a trap, but in reality it is an opportunity to show your self awareness and growth mindset. It is normal that you are not a perfect match in every way, but employers want to know whether you have a healthy dose of self reflection.
Why employers ask this
An employer wants to understand how you look at yourself and what your qualities are. Not only your qualities, but also how you deal with challenges, say a lot about you as a professional. It is not about having the perfect answer, but about authenticity. If you can show that you know yourself and are willing to grow, you often make a stronger impression than someone who only gives “the right” answers. Nobody is perfect, so saying you do not have any weaknesses is simply not credible.
Examples of strengths
Naming strengths goes further than clichés like “social” or “flexible.” Choose qualities that truly fit you and show how you put them into practice. Maybe you get energy from teamwork and know how to get a group moving. Or perhaps you quickly spot inefficiencies and take action to improve them. By sharing such examples in your own words, your story stays personal and convincing. It is important to explain them with some modesty and to back them up with situations where your strengths became visible.
Good examples of strengths:
Results oriented
Strong collaboration skills
Strong communication skills
How to explain your strengths well
Strengths become persuasive when you connect them to concrete behavior or situations. Simply saying you are “a good communicator” is vague. You make it powerful by showing how you do it in practice and what the result is.
Examples:
Communication skills: “During my internship at [company] I regularly gave presentations to the team. I noticed that I could explain complex topics clearly and received positive feedback for it.”
Results oriented: “I like working with clear goals. At my previous job I set myself the goal of mastering all work processes within three months. I achieved it in two, which allowed me to start training new colleagues.”
Teamwork: “In my school project group, not everyone was speaking up. I took the initiative to actively involve everyone, which improved the atmosphere and helped us achieve a higher grade.”
Problem solving: “During my hospitality job, the ordering system broke down. I created a temporary paper system so the kitchen could keep running. It kept the busy period manageable until the system was fixed.”
Use the STARR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result, Reflection). This helps turn a characteristic into a short story that is much more convincing than just naming an adjective. The theory is simple, but it takes practice and it’s important to include this into you preparation. Talking it through with us can help you figure out how to apply it in your own way.
Examples of weaknesses
Everyone has areas to improve. So it is not smart to claim you do not have any. Employers appreciate honesty about what you find challenging. Many candidates recognize that they sometimes take on too much work, which can cause stress. Others tend to be perfectionists, which can slow down progress.
Examples of weaknesses:
Taking on too much
Feeling insecure in new situations
Needing to improve planning skills
The most important thing? Always show what you are doing to address it. That way, you turn a weakness into a chance to demonstrate growth. Recruiters and managers want to hear how you handle it and what steps you take to improve. Having a concrete plan and support from your environment can strengthen your answer.
As an extra note: we personally think that “perfectionism” is also indirectly a compliment to yourself, since it shows you care about doing your work very well. We often reframe it as “sometimes too focused on details.” The message is the same, but it comes across more as a point to improve than as a flaw.
How to explain your weaknesses well
A weakness only becomes interesting when you show how you are working on it. Employers value candidates who can turn problems into opportunities to grow.
Examples:
Too focused on details: “I tend to spend too much time on details. That is why I now work with clear deadlines and checklists to stay efficient without losing quality.”
Insecure in new situations: “In new teams I can be a bit reserved at first. That is why I plan short introduction meetings and actively ask for feedback.”
Link your weaknesses to the role
Show that your weakness is not a dealbreaker for the job. Explain that you are aware of it and actively managing it. For example:
“Although I sometimes take on too much, I plan my tasks carefully so that everything is still finished on time.”
Use storytelling
Instead of just listing your weaknesses, make it into a mini story. Describe a situation where your weakness showed up and how you handled it. That makes it authentic and easier for the interviewer to remember. Again, you can use STARR for this.
Balance honesty and positivity
The secret to a strong answer lies in the balance: be honest, but always close with what you learned or how you are improving. This shows that you are professional and solution oriented. That way you avoid undermining yourself while still being authentic.
Conclusion
Talking about strengths and weaknesses is not a trick. It is a way to show who you are, what you bring, and how you want to grow. Be honest, stay close to yourself, and demonstrate that you learn from experience. That is exactly what employers want to see.
For many people, these answers remain tricky to formulate. At Nexie, we work with you to identify your authentic strengths, phrase your weaknesses in a way that is honest but does not harm your chances, and practice examples that really stick.
We can help you:
Clearly define your unique qualities
Reframe weaknesses positively and honestly
Practice stories that make a lasting impression
With our training sessions and one to one coaching, you can turn the “strengths and weaknesses” question from a stumbling block into an opportunity. Or plan a free intake directly.
