They want to assess your self-awareness, your willingness to develop and your honesty. It is therefore important to be honest but also to make sure you come across positively. So telling the interviewer that you find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning and that you’re often late for work is not a good weakness to talk about! There is such a thing as being too honest…

Strengths and weaknesses

So you are looking for a weakness that is maybe a covert strength. (“I find it difficult to say no to people so I sometimes have to work late to finish things”).  Or it could be a strength that you have a bit too much of. (“I am very cheerful and positive but that’s sometimes not appropriate for everyone – particularly first thing in the morning!” )

To begin with make a list of your strengths and weaknesses as you perceive them to be. Have a think about any feedback or development suggestions you’ve had in the past. Also imagine how your manager or colleagues would describe you. Now while looking at your strengths, think about if any of those correspond to your weaknesses. For example: “I’m a really good team player (strength) but that can mean I don’t always take full credit for my work and get noticed (weakness).”

What are you doing about it?

Once you have identified your weaknesses it’s important that you highlight in the interview what you have done and are doing to deal with them. For example: “I have high standards and I can sometimes get annoyed when people don’t work to the same standards. However I’ve realised that everyone works in their own way and it can actually be really useful to have different work styles and perspectives.”

Not another perfectionist!

Even if this is true, it is a very unoriginal answer and it’s guaranteed they will have heard it already that day! So find another way to say it without actually using the word. For example: “I am strong on detail which means sometimes I can spend too long on one piece of work. I’ve learnt that it’s important to reach a high standard and then know that it is finished and move on.”

Rather than dreading this question, you can turn it around so it becomes an opportunity for you to demonstrate your self-awareness and desire to develop.

Make a list of all your strengths and all your positive qualities and why you would be great for this role. Ask your colleagues and friends as well – sometimes other people can see these things better. Take some time to remind yourself of all your skills and experience, so that when asked, you will appear enthusiastic and committed.

‘I’ not ‘we’

When talking about successful projects or achievements make sure you give yourself full credit. It’s easy to get into the habit of talking as a team because that is often important in a work context. For example: “We achieved the targets.” However in an interview start getting used to emphasising what you did personally. For example: “I made sure that everyone understood what was required by meeting with them individually and as a result I achieved my target – along with the rest of the team.”

Voice

If you voice is monotone or very quiet then you will sound unenthusiastic and they will be less likely to believe you. Practice making your voice more engaging by really focusing on the interviewers and deliberately making what you say as interesting as possible. It can help to record your practice answers and listen to them. Try emphasising key words and slowing down your delivery as this makes the voice easier to listen to.

Body Language

Body language is also an important element when trying to come across with confidence and enthusiasm. Avoid slumping in your chair or fidgeting nervously. Before the interview, practice how you will sit. Relax your shoulders, sit up and make direct eye contact – and remember to smile as this will make you look confident and friendly. Use your hands to gesture, just as you would if you were talking to someone in a normal situation.

Selling yourself

“Why should we give you this job?”

“What’s special about you?”

“What makes you think you’re right for this role?”

These are typical interview questions, so have answers ready, based on the list of strengths and your experience.

Remember, you’ve done really well to get this interview. Now you need to make sure they understand just how right you are for the job. They are not mind readers… You have to tell them while demonstrating confidence, enthusiasm and commitment.

• Leadership
• Team working
• Communication skills
• Conflict management
• Delegation
• Influencing
• Risk taking
• Integrity

Preparation

Check on the competencies required in the job description or the application form. Then think about examples from your work when you have demonstrated them. It is important when talking about competencies to always give examples. Usually they will ask for this: “Tell me about a time when you had to use your communication skills to influence someone.”

Make notes in bullet form so that you can review them before the interview. If possible have two examples of each one because sometimes they ask you for another example.

Don’t worry about stating the obvious. What may seem obvious to you, still needs saying. For example you may believe that you are acting with integrity all the time but you still need to come up with a specific example. If you don’t say it, then they can’t give you credit for it. You could say something like: “My aim is to act with integrity at all times but I suppose a particular example where that became important was…”

Delivery

When answering this type of competency question try using the following ‘STAR’ structure to give coherence to you answers.

S for Situation: What was the situation you found yourself in? Set the scene with a couple of sentences. Don’t go into too much detail at this point – save that for later.

T for Task: What was it you had to do? What was the project?

A for Action:  This part is crucial. What did you do? How did you influence the outcome? What effective behaviours did you display?

R for Result : People often forget this part. So make sure you end by clearly stating what happened as a result of your actions.

Using this structure will give your answers clarity and direction and will help you to speak to the point and to know that you’ve given the right amount of information.

Practice

Practice using the STAR technique, but don’t learn answers off by heart as this can sound over-prepared and inauthentic. Instead become familiar with discussing the examples so that when it is required you are able to speak fluently and precisely.

1) Questions you would rather not answer.

These are the ones which touch a nerve or sore point. They usually relate to something you feel insecure about or which you believe will prevent you getting a job. The result can be that you become defensive when answering or else blurt out unnecessary information which weakens your case. It’s important to think about the question and to have planned your answer, rather than just hoping it won’t come up. Be honest, but also be aware you are selling yourself. So, don’t talk at length about your horrible colleagues who made your life a misery. Instead aim to turn what you perceive to be a weakness into an opportunity.

For example:

“You were made redundant nearly two years ago. Why is it taking you so long to find another job?”

“I made a decision when I was made redundant that I would be very selective and make sure I only went for jobs that matched my skills set and which I really wanted to do. So I’ve been very specific about the jobs I’ve applied for which means there have been less of them and so it has taken a longer time to find work than if I just took the first thing that came along.”

“Why did you leave your previous job?”

“I felt I’d done as much as I could in that company and so I’m really looking forward to the challenges of a new job.”

“Would you say you’re over-qualified for this role?”

“I can see why you might think that, with my previous managerial experience. But this is a different and very exciting industry and I’m keen to get practical experience and learn as much as I can. I think it’s worth emphasising that I am committed to this role and my previous experience would be useful but wouldn’t prevent me delivering what this role requires.”

2) Questions you don’t understand or don’t know the answer to

It’s absolutely fine to ask for clarification or for the question to be repeated. Better that, than struggling on and answering a question you only half understand. You could also ask them to rephrase the question.

Remember, the interviewer wants to get the best answer from you and will usually be happy to do so.

You can buy yourself thinking time by saying: “That’s an interesting question.” “I’ve never thought of that before.” “Can I have a moment to think of the best example?” Repeating the question before you answer gives you more time and also helps you to understand it.

Remember it’s never necessary to leap in with an answer straight away. It works better for you and for the pace of the interview if you take a few seconds to think before you reply. Giving yourself this time puts you in control of the speed of the interview so you are less likely to feel put on the spot and pressured.

Review your experience

Look back at your c.v. and work experience and remind yourself what your key achievements have been. Have a think about how you would describe each role you have taken – what did you do, what were your responsibilities and what did you achieve? This is the time to get really positive and to think about selling yourself. Many people find this concept difficult and worry they are showing off. A way to deal with this is to imagine how a colleague would describe you or your manager or even your best friend.

Come up with examples

Next check the application form or job specification and make a note of all the qualities and skills they are looking for. These are sometimes called competencies. It is important to make sure you have an example from your past where you have displayed the relevant competency. Everyone can say they have great communication skills but you must have an example to back it up.

Practice and Feedback

It’s all very well having all those great examples in your head but unless you’ve practised saying them, they may not come out the way you intended. Make a list of probable questions which you can base on the competencies or find specimen questions either on this site, or on the Internet. Find someone to do a mock interview for you such as a colleague, a friend or your partner or you may want to consider some professional coaching.  Ask them for feedback.  How are you coming across? Are your answers well-structured? Are you using relevant examples? Are you selling yourself?

If you are not able to set up a mock interview, then you can just ask the questions yourself, but do practice the answers out loud and if possible record yourself. Then you can review your answers and make sure you are coming across as you want to.

What is interesting about you?

Make a list of your key achievements, your main areas of work and your particular skills and training. You can also include some non-work related facts. For example if you do work for charity or run a local football team, these involve skills that are of interest to a future employer.

Do remember how many times the interviewer will have asked this question and so try to pick some things which are memorable and perhaps a bit different from what everyone will say.

Structure your answer

This type of answer really needs some structure otherwise you can end up just burbling away and then running out of things to say.

• Introduction

This is like the top line of your c.v. It’s a thumbnail sketch of who you are, what you do and what kind of roles you are looking for. It will probably be just a few sentences.

• Three main points

Look at your list and select three things to structure your answer around. Three is a memorable number – it helps the listener to follow what you are saying and also allows you to keep on track.

For each point;

• Explain what the skill or area of work is.

“I was responsible for creating a new software database for my department.”

• Emphasise what you did, what was involved and how you did it.

“I had to do a lot of research to discover what was needed and I had to make sure that everyone bought in to it and was able to use it.”

• Add what you learnt and what you gained from it.

“I learnt that some people can be resistant to change, but that once I had explained the benefits fully, and really listened to their input, then they accepted it. Now they say they can’t imagine how they managed all those years without it. It really gave me the confidence to initiate and lead projects.”

Try to end with the most powerful and interesting point as this will stay in the interviewer’s memory.

• Conclusion

It is very important to finish cleanly and on a strong note. So sum up and then end by re-stating what kind of role you are now looking for (being sure that it fits appropriately with the current interview).

Practice

Practice this answer out loud a few times so you get a sense that it flows well and makes sense. Don’t learn it off by heart – as it is then difficult to make it seem spontaneous. But do become familiar with the material, and adapt it as necessary depending on the job you are applying for.

Practice

This is something which many people neglect to do – and yet it makes a huge difference.  Either get someone to ask you some specimen questions or ask yourself the question and then practice speaking the answers. A lot of nervous energy comes from fear of the unknown or fear that we are going to freeze or look stupid. So by practising answers aloud, it will start to feel more familiar and your confidence will grow.

Relaxation and Breathing

It is important to be as physically relaxed as possible before an interview as, not only will this help you to feel more confident, it will also project confidence to the interviewer.

So take a few minutes, either at home before you leave or find somewhere quiet at the interview venue. Roll your shoulders a few times, forwards and backwards, shake the tension out of your arms and hands, look in a mirror and smile to remind yourself to do it later!

Breathe in deeply through your nose to a count of four and then out through your mouth to a count of five. Make sure you are still physically relaxed. Try placing your hand on your stomach and think of breathing deeply (rather than shallow breathing in your chest).

Visualisation

Ask yourself this question: “How do I make myself nervous?” Now think about the answer. No one is making you nervous – you are doing that yourself. So how do you do it? Perhaps you imagine yourself going blank in the interview? Or going red and stammering? Our ability to make ourselves feel emotions by using our imagination is highly developed. It’s just a shame that so many of us imagine the worst case scenario! The result is it makes us really nervous, which then means we perform badly and end up fulfilling that worst case scenario. In order to break this cycle, imagine yourself in the interview with it all going really well. You are calm, relaxed and friendly. You are answering all the questions easily and in a structured way. You are feeling confident and in control. It helps to reinforce the scenario if you use all your senses. So imagine what it will look like, what it will sound like and what it will feel like.

You’re the solution to their problem

Someone conducting an interview has a problem. They have an empty role in their organisation – and you could be the solution to that problem. As you walk through the door rather than focusing on being judged, imagine that you are there to help them. Changing the way you think about the interview can have a huge impact on your confidence.

You’ll discover a number of techniques to help you prepare before the inteview; how to control your nerves during the interview; and how to answer even difficult questions convincingly.

So have a look at the different interview skills articles below.  Good luck with your next job interview and remember, practice makes perfect.

And if you ever need some interview skills training, have a look at the links on the top right hand side of this page for our recommendations.