Why is this such a hard question?

I have many candidates who struggle and tell me “I don’t want to blow my own trumpet” or “I haven’t really thought about that much?”

Really? You are sitting in front of me and part of your job when sitting in front of me is to tell me what are you good at, what you bring to the table for your potential new employer, what makes you different, special, unique or better than your peers in our industry. If you can’t tell me, then who will?

Come prepared. You should be able to comfortably and humbly rattle off eight to ten clear things you do really well…. And be able to support that with an example. If you say you are organised – then how does that manifest – how do you stay organised? If you say you are “strategic” (as many people often do) then provide a solid example of something you have done that had short and long term gains for your employer. Many a candidate has been tripped up when saying “I am good at X” but then can’t provide an example when asked at interview to back that up.

My suggestion. White down what you think you do well AND what your colleagues tell you, you do particularly well. Then write down those examples that support it. Then come to the interview. You’ll be prepared.

You will always be asked “what do you do well, OR how do you add value, OR what are your strengths? So, let’s nail this one at interview next time. No excuses!

Happy job hunting!