Strengths
Determining my greatest strengths has always been difficult for me. I have been asked to name them in nearly every interview that I've ever had, and I struggle to find set answers that I can use repeatedly. Do I use the strengths that I truly think are my strongest? Do I use strengths that I think they want to hear? I never know, but after a lot of internal debate, I think I have decided.
The most common answer from my friends and family is in line with my personal answer. My greatest strength is my sociability. Simply put, I love to talk to people! I've always been able to make natural conversation, which has led me to forming great relationships with professionals, peers, and family. Perhaps my best example of this strength comes from this past January. On January 1st, I left the United States to study abroad in Singapore. While Singapore has its English speakers, there is less of an open culture here. Nobody will ever talk to a stranger unless they have to. Nobody will ever ask the person eating alone if they can join them. It was hard for me at first, but my natural ability to form relationships really made the transition easier as time went on. I have made a lot of amazing friends, pictured below, that I talk to and hang out with regularly. Professionally, my sociability has set me apart from my peers by giving me strong networking skills when it comes to dealing with various professionals. It is a strength that can never be capped, and I continue to grow and develop daily!
(Pictured second from the right)
Another valuable strength of mine, also agreed upon by my family and friends, is my timeliness, in all senses of the word. I'm very cognizant of deadlines, I always show arrive places early, and have my weeks neatly planned out in a calendar. Some people like to "wing it" with their schedules, but I prefer a more strict approach. This has proved to turn into a strength as time has gone on, allowing me to be more self-aware of what I need to do each and every day.
Finally, a great strength of mine is my ability to commit. While this was not brought up in discussions with my friends and family, it is something I have come to realize. When I take something on, I take it on with 110%. When thinking of starting something new, in whatever sense, I like to make sure I know exactly what I'm getting myself into. This way, I will be able to give it my full attention and fulfill whatever it may be. Whether it be an assignment or running for a position in my RSO, I like to know all about it before I start. That way, I won't waste my time, or anybody else's.
Weaknesses
While they were certainly less fun to hear and think about, I have also identified some key weaknesses within myself. First, with my sociability, comes a willingness to trust others easily. In the past, I have sometimes trusted others to the point where it has ended up affecting me negatively. My go-to example for this comes from a group project I did my freshman year. Each group member's duties were independent, so I couldn't help with their work, but I trusted them to get it done in a timely manner. I knew all three students fairly well, and for that reason I may have trusted them too much. Two of the students did not get their work done on time, and claimed that they had "forgotten" that the deadline was so soon. When I asked them about it, they accused me of not having reminded them about the due date. While I don't believe it was my fault, I should have followed up with them during the actual work process. To combat this weakness, I've started to hold others more accountable when working in groups and teams.
Another key weakness has been my undeveloped ability to multitask. A family member brought this up when talking to her, and I had not really ever considered it as a weakness. When working on something important, I like to see that it gets done to its full potential, but after further thought, I realize that I never really multitask unless I have to. With all of my involvement at school, my classes, and my social life, I am going to have to start juggling more and more as time goes on. Multitasking is a key skill that I am trying to develop by accomplishing related tasks at the same time. My favorite way to do this is by killing two birds with one stone.
Where does that leave me?
There seemed to be a lot of parallels between what I thought of myself and how my family and friends view me. To me, that's a good thing. It means that I'm living honestly! I do appreciate the feedback on my weaknesses, and I will continue to try and reposition myself so they can be seen as positive aspects to my personal brand. I will turn my willingness to trust others into a positive by trusting others while still holding them accountable. I will actively practice multitasking in order to turn it into a strength too. On the other end of the spectrum, there is certainly room for my strengths to get stronger as well.
Feature Benefit
Why should we hire you? It's another common question that I get asked in every interview. What is my answer? I'm a workhorse. My strengths have led me to be dependable in any situation that I am put in. My sociability gives me the power to network and make relationships efficiently and effectively. My timeliness in completing my tasks turns me into a machine, without sacrificing any quality. Finally, my ability to commit is a personal guarantee that I will give everything that I have to give to do what is asked of me. Some people call me the hardest worker that they know. That's a pretty cool thing to be called, but Peter works just fine too.
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