When you interview for a job, a recruiter or hiring manager will probably ask about your strengths and weaknesses. They want to see whether your strengths match the job and whether you can honestly recognize areas where you can grow. With a bit of practice, you can answer these questions clearly and confidently without sounding arrogant or overly humble. Here’s how.
Discovering Your Strengths
If you’re having trouble identifying your strengths, think about how well you collaborate with others, solve problems, follow directions and stay focused on tasks, use technology, or take on leadership or mentoring roles.
Reflect on your skills and accomplishments and why they qualify you for the job you’re applying for. Consider the strengths you admire in professional role models and whether you share some of those qualities. Think about times when teammates recognized something you did well or moments when you received praise for your work; those experiences can point directly to your strengths.
Show Your Strengths: STAR Method in Action
Talking about your strengths helps show why you’re a strong fit for the job and how your skills align with the team or company. Focus on strengths that match key parts of the job description — whether they’re technical skills or soft skills like teamwork or communication.
Once you’ve chosen the strengths you want to highlight, think about real situations where you’ve used them. The STAR method helps you explain these examples clearly and confidently.
Situation: Give a brief background about the challenge or task you faced.
Task: Explain your role and responsibilities or goal that needed to be achieved.
Action: Describe the steps you took or ideas you contributed to address the challenge.
Result: Share the outcome and show how your actions made a positive difference.
Example
If you’re interviewing for a job that involves leading or working on a team, you might highlight leadership as one of your strengths.
Situation: I volunteer as a gardener at a local park and often help new volunteers get started.
Task: The park needed a way to teach new volunteers about native plants.
Action: I created and led a training session to teach the team about native plants.
Result: The training was so helpful that the park added it to the official onboarding process.
This example shows initiative and leadership — qualities employers value.
What Are Your Weaknesses?
On the other hand, an employer may also ask you what you think are your weaknesses. This can be a trickier question to answer because you don’t want to say you have none — that would make you seem arrogant or overconfident. You also don’t want to discuss a weakness that would keep you from performing the job, such as, “I get upset too easily” or “I am not good at multitasking.”
So what should you say in this instance? Indeed recommends that you reflect on your accomplishments and then think about some things you could improve. What steps have you taken to improve that aspect? You want to make sure you are honest. For example, you could say, “I have problems delegating tasks to others.” This shows that you do all your work but may have difficulty prioritizing, which is not considered critical. You could also say, “I have problems with presenting,” if this is not a core skill needed for the job.
How Ticket to Work Can Help
Social Security’s Ticket to Work (Ticket) Program supports career development for people ages 18 through 64 who receive Social Security disability benefits (SSDI/SSI) and want to pursue employment. Participation is free and voluntary, and the program connects you with trained service providers who offer personalized, one on one support. Whether you're exploring work for the first time or returning after time away, the Ticket Program provides expert guidance at every stage of your journey.
Ticket to Work service providers can help you strengthen your interview skills, identify your strengths and areas for growth, and practice through mock interviews. They can also support you through every part of the job search — exploring career options, preparing applications, finding job opportunities, and building success once you're hired.
With Ticket to Work, you have a team in your corner. Service providers understand Work Incentives, employment supports, and real world hiring practices. Their expertise can make navigating the path to work clearer, less stressful, and far more achievable.
Your Next Step Toward Employment Success
Taking a step toward work doesn’t have to be overwhelming — and you don’t have to do it alone. The Ticket Program offers tools, guidance, and encouragement to help you build confidence and move forward with your goals. If you're ready to learn more, here are easy ways to get started:
Ready to Learn More?
- Attend a free WISE webinar.
Learn how the program works, hear real world tips, and get answers to common questions. - Use the Find Help tool.
Connect with service providers who can help you practice interviews, build skills, explore job options, and create a plan tailored to your goals. - Contact the Ticket to Work Help Line.
Call 1-866-968-7842 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
TTY users can call 1-866-833-2967.
You can also email TicketToWork@ssa.gov for support from representatives trained in disability benefits and Social Security Work Incentives.
Thinking about work? You don’t have to have a job goal, a resume, or a plan in place to get started with Social Security’s Ticket to Work (Ticket) Program. No matter where you are on your journey to financial independence, Ticket to Work is here to help.
Deciding whether to begin work or return to work is a personal choice. If you're receiving Social Security disability benefits, you may have questions about your health, your finances, or whether you're ready to make a change.
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