A strengths-based interview is specially designed to understand the motivations and abilities of the candidates. This is very different from competency-based interviews which analyze the things that the candidates have already done and can do, or biographical interviews, where candidates get asked about their CV.
Several organizations love to use strength-based interviews to predict the future potential of the candidates they pick. The answers you will give can help the recruiters have a feel about inner motivations, personality, and strengths. It is done to analyze whether you will fit in their work environment or not.
What does it assess?
A strengths-based interview assesses:
- What are your natural behaviors?
- How likely are you to finish a particular job in time?
- Will you be energized and motivated while at work?
- How do you typically react to situations that might arise because of the job?
- How likely are you to keep the job regardless of what’s going on in your life?
Why are recruiters using these methods?
The entire reason behind this is to hire people who would actually enjoy working and be able to progress in their careers while helping the organization on the way. These interviews help the companies pick people who would be long-term investments. At the same time, such interviews level the field for every candidate, as work experience rarely matters in such an interview, and therefore candidates from all socio-economic backgrounds will have an equal footing to compete.
What are some examples of strength-based interview questions?
Several types of questions can be asked in these interviews.
- They can be a yes/no (or a closed) question
- They can require you to give a long answer (open question)
- They can have you answer hypothetical and behavioral questions
Typical questions are:
- What are the things that motivate you?
- What is success to you?
- Who do you admire the most?
- What do you think about deadlines? Are they inspiring or intimidating?
- If a colleague is having difficulties in taking decisions, how would you help them?
- What does your perfect day look like?
- What is your most significant achievement? Why do you think so?
- What has been your biggest failure? How did you deal with it?
- If a customer says that they are not happy with the service, how would you persuade them?
- Would you bend the rules to finish a job?
- What do you usually do when you get bored of a task?
- Would you rather give a presentation or double-check the data and results?
- What do you do in your free time?
- What are your weaknesses?
- Are you a quick learner?
How are you assessed?
The recruiters pre-decide the strengths they want to assess and their questions will center around them. They will be focused on finding a set of attributes, skills, or values in their ‘perfect’ candidate. A sample set of common attributes are:
- Relationship management
- Ability to inspire trust in others, especially clients
- Quick learner and ability to pick up information and instructions quickly
- Persistence
- Resilience
Most probably the interviewers are looking for whether you will be able to finish the job well and be energized while doing the same. The attributes are not fixed and would usually change with the job applied for.
How do you answer strengths-based interview questions?
One can not lie their way through such interviews because there is a high probability that one will get caught by the end of it. It is better to be honest and stick to one’s true responses. There are some things that one should keep in mind while answering these questions:
- Make sure you pay attention to the question. Most of these tests are quick-fire, so do not let your mind wander.
- If you miss a question, do not be afraid to ask the interviewer to repeat it. It is best to do this instead of answering it wrong or just sitting silently hoping that they would repeat the question on their own. Also, you can ask clarifying questions.
- Do not forget to bring in relevant experiences. It does not matter whether that was in school drama club or while you were volunteering for a college fest.
- If you can answer the question using fewer words, do that.
- Do not try to force fake enthusiasm or try to project the attributes that you do not have. Instead, focus on what you are and what you can offer and let that show in the interview naturally. Because the recruiters are not only looking at your answers but are also assessing your body language and other verbal and non-verbal clues.
- Do not worry if you are an introvert. Just be confident. The recruiters have enough training to look beyond your coyness.
- See whether the question is situational or it requires examples from past experiences. Proceed accordingly.
Some important tips
- Do not try to memorize answers and then go for the interview. Be spontaneous and answer instinctively.
- Have an overall idea of how and what the questions are going to be.
- Research the position and the company beforehand.
- Match the strengths you have with the required strengths in the job description. Understanding what you bring to the table would help you in forming better answers when the time comes.
- While answering questions that ask you about your weaknesses, never forget to mention what you did to resolve them. Always mention the weaknesses and then tell them how you realized them and how you overcame them.
Which companies usually use strengths-based interviews?
Professional services firms and banks are known to use these interviews and assessments. Several other industry giants in several fields have also adopted the approach because it has given better results. Some companies just use strengths-based interviews, while others mix this approach with competency-based questions.