In a strength-based interview, you want to introduce and talk around your strengths.
Maybe you’re a revenue generator, or a project manager or a strong team builder.
Whatever your strength is, introduce it “globally” and then illustrate it with you best examples.
Here’s how it might sound, if one of your strengths is your experience as a team leader:
I have 5+ years experience in total in team lead positions
and I have worked in this capacity in my last 3 roles.
At my last job, at Company ABC, an IT software solution provider,
I was Team Lead for 2 years, from 1992-1994.
My job was to coach a team of 5 BD Rep’s and 3 multilingual Sales Rep’s.
I coached them on a weekly basis, both individually and as a team.
I also introduced peer coaching for the multilingual rep’s.
I left this role because I was promoted to Coach Manager…
Another example, is when…
1. Use a template, like the 5-h structure:
It’s perhaps helpful to use a template structure when you talk about a strength
just so that you stay on topic.
Below is the 5-h structure, which is a spin-off from Dilts’ logical levels.
The structure mirrors that of Robert Dilt’s Logical Levels, although the order has been slightly modified.
Dilts, American NLP researcher introduced the idea of “logical levels” in 2003. His idea is that people react to situations in reaction to different levels, such as environment or behaviour or identity. These levels are :
1. Environment: Where am I? In what time period? With whom am I?
2. Behaviours: What am I doing? What are my actions?
3. Capabilities: How do I do what I do? What strategies do I use?
4. Belief & values: Why do I do what I do? What motivates me?
5. Identity: Who am I when I do what I do? What is my role?
6. Vision & mission: Why is this important for me…? In a larger sense, what do I want to give?
1. House: Where did I work? What was the name/type of company?
2. Hat: What was my job title? And for how long?
3. Hands: What did I do? What were my actions? What was my greatest achievement?
4. Head: How did I do what I did? What strategies or skills did I use?
What 3 main steps did I take to achieve what I did?
5. Ears: What kind of feedback (results) did I get? Why was what I did so important?
6. Heart (optional): In a bigger sense, why was it so important?
And if everything was so ‘great’, why did I leave?
2. Use 5 gestures:
Here is a mnemonic (memory) tool to help you remember the structure.
Place your right hand on the table. Then tap one finger at a time.
For each job you talk about, you are going to cover 5 main points.
5 points like 5 fingers on your hand.
And each finger is associated with an image.
1- House: Place both hands together to form a triangle – like the roof of house.
2- Hat: Slide this triangle to forehead – like a hat.
3- Hands: Flash left hand, right hand, then clap – like action and success.
Left hand – what you were supposed to do. Right hand – what you actually did.
Hands clapping – my greatest achievement in this role.
4- Head: Then tap forehead – like skills.
5- Ears: Touch ears – like feedback.
6- Heart (optional): And tap heart – importance.
3. Do 5-minute rehearsals:
Memorize the order, so that you can do 5-minute rehearsals of an example of a strength in action, when you’re walking, waiting for the bus, sitting in meeting…
