“What are your strengths? question

When interviewers ask about strengths they’re testing whether you understand what you’re good at, whether it’s relevant to the role, and whether you can prove it with facts.

The right way to answer is simple: name one or two real strengths, give a concrete example that shows you applying them, and explicitly connect them to the job. Keep it max 60 seconds.

e.g. “One of my strengths is structured problem-solving. In my last role, I was given a very open-ended performance issue with no clear owner. I broke it down into a few drivers, built a quick fact base, and identified the real bottleneck within a couple of days. That work directly shaped the action plan and helped the team focus on what actually mattered"

If you can’t point to a specific moment where that strength changed an outcome, it’s not convincing.

"hard-working" and such, not ok.

Hi there,

The key to answering “What are your strengths?” well is to be specific, credible, and relevant — not exhaustive or overly polished.

How to structure your answer
A simple and effective structure is:

1. Name the strength clearly
2. Briefly explain what it looks like in practice
3. Support it with a concrete example

You usually only need 2–3 strengths. More than that starts to feel generic.

What kind of strengths work best
Choose strengths that are:

• Directly relevant to the role (problem solving, communication, ownership, teamwork)
• Things others have actually recognized in you (feedback you’ve received)
• Demonstrated through actions, not traits alone

For example, instead of saying “I’m analytical,” explain how you break down ambiguous problems or make decisions with incomplete data. Instead of “I’m a good team player,” show how you’ve collaborated across functions or handled conflict constructively.

Examples
Your examples don’t need to be dramatic. Small, real situations often land better than big, rehearsed stories. Focus on:

• The situation and your role
• What you did specifically
• The impact or outcome

What to avoid

• Listing buzzwords without evidence
• Saying strengths that sound like clichés unless you anchor them with examples
• Talking too long — clarity beats coverage

A good rule of thumb: if the interviewer can easily imagine you using that strength on their team, you’re doing it right.

If you’d like, you can share your draft answer and I can help you refine it. Feel free to reach out.

Best,

Evelina

This is a crucial question—it looks easy, but it’s often where high-potential candidates fail to differentiate themselves. The standard advice is to just list positive traits, but that doesn't work in MBB interviews.

Here’s the inside track: Interviewers aren't listening for "hard worker" or "detail-oriented." They are listening for evidence of core consulting muscles that prove you can be useful on a live client case starting next Monday. You need to focus on functional strengths, not just personal character traits.

Your structure should be simple and highly focused: Label, Prove, Impact.

1. Label: Name the strength using consulting-adjacent vocabulary. Examples include: Hypothesis-driven Problem Solving, Structured Ambiguity Management, or Executive-level Synthesis. (Avoid generics like "communication.")

2. Prove: Immediately back it up with a 60-90 second, high-stakes mini-case. This should be a Situation/Action/Result story that demonstrates the application of the skill, preferably in a high-pressure environment where you lacked initial information.

3. Impact: Quantify the result. How much money was saved, how quickly was the solution delivered, or what was the magnitude of the consensus you achieved? The impact must be visible.

Aim to present two different, powerful strengths (e.g., one related to analytical thinking, and one related to stakeholder management or influencing). Keep the total answer under three minutes. If you frame your strengths as tangible capabilities rather than abstract traits, you turn this question into a massive opportunity to stand out.

All the best!

The biggest mistake I see is people treating this like a personality quiz. They say things like "I am a hard worker" or "I am a team player" and it just sounds generic. The interviewer has heard that a hundred times already. It tells them nothing about you.

Here is what actually works. Pick one, maybe two strengths that are genuinely relevant to the role you are applying for. Not strengths you think sound impressive. Strengths that would actually make you good at this specific job. If you are going into consulting, things like structuring messy problems, building trust with senior stakeholders quickly, or turning complex data into a simple story for clients are all fair game. Pick what is true for you.

Now here is the important part. Don't just state the strength. Prove it with a short, specific example. Something like, "One of my key strengths is taking complex technical information and making it simple for non-technical audiences. For example, in my last role I was working on a project where the client team had no science background, and I had to present our findings in a way that helped them make a commercial decision. I stripped out all the jargon, focused on the three things that actually mattered for their business, and that presentation ended up shaping their go-to-market approach." That is it. Strength stated, example given, impact shown. Thirty seconds, done.

What you want to avoid is listing five or six strengths like you are reading off a menu. It dilutes everything. One or two, well explained with a real story behind each, is far more powerful than a long list with no proof.

The other thing people miss is that your strength should subtly answer the interviewer's real question, which is, "What will this person be good at on day one if I hire them?" So always connect it back to what the role actually needs.

Keep it tight, keep it real, and make sure whatever you say, you can back it up with a story that takes less than a minute to tell.

Feel free to reach out if you want to practice this or pressure test whether the strengths you have picked actually land well for the roles you are targeting.

Be honest, first of all. 

Try to reflect on the feedback you've received from people you've worked with. 

Then focus on the most important 1-2 things. 

And make sure you support them with an example when you exhibited that strength. 

If well executed, that's the ideal approach. 

If you want to practice this and get live feedback, reach out and I'm happy to help.

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

You should honestly ask yourself what are your strengths. It's different for everyone. Then pick 1-2 stories that demonstrate this strength, following the STAR approach.