In early interview rounds, a question about your three strongest traits or strongest things you could bring to the interviewer’s organization is usually asked.
“I’m a people person. I have a strong work ethic and I have a commitment to integrity,” goes the common reply from someone who has not anticipated this question.
This answer really says nothing, though. There is no differentiation between you and any other candidate with this kind of statement. Every candidate will say they work well with people, are hard working and have integrity.
Say something substantive that will address the real hot buttons of the decision maker. Give examples of previous successes to back up your assertions, if possible. Here are some example responses:
- “I solve problems. Most people run away from problems. I run to them because I want to fix them. For example, here was a situation…”
- “I know how to find efficiencies in any operation. In my previous job, I led an effort that improved our productivity by 28% while reducing our costs by 18%. This netted an extra $2.4M to our bottom line.”
- “I’m a builder of powerful culture for our people. In my last job we improved our recruiting of key talent tremendously and reduced our turnover by 33%.”
These statements say something of value that will instill excitement in the interviewer. Don’t be bland when asked about your three strongest things. Think long and hard to come up with your power statements to get your interviewer excited so you can make the cut and move on to the next round of interviews.
About Endeavor Agency, Inc.
Endeavor Agency, Inc. is the nation’s leading agency helping individual executives, professionals and physicians find the jobs they truly want. The combination of additional resources, expertise and manpower helps Endeavor clients uncover more and better job opportunities than what they could access on their own.
Endeavor Agency helps rebrand clients to effectively communicate their value throughout the interview process and increase their odds dramatically of winning offers. Additionally, Endeavor Agency helps clients achieve better results in negotiating the terms of their employment agreements.
Endeavor Agency also provides executive coaching, outplacement services and guides executives focused on the private equity and venture capital market segments.
