It is a sign of confidence if you are able to express your strengths clearly during interviews. However, some had gone overboard by inflating them and even to the extent of convincing the interviewer that they can do any job that is being interviewed for.

But there is a big difference between being able to get the job and actually performing on the job.

It is important to see things through the eyes of the hiring manager. It is unwise to judge our talent and ability to do the job based on our own experiences alone. More importantly: Are you able to perform the job in comparison to all the other candidates who were interviewing for the position?

Roger Federer is by far one of the best athletes of our times but when he is assessed for playing badminton, even though he may say, “since I can play tennis so well and being one of the best athletes in the world, I can certainly play badminton”, his skills will be however measured relative to the skills of other badminton players. And that may not be his strength.

So, let’s not just be realistic about what you are able to do, but be realistic about your capability to qualify for and get the job.

At the back of every hiring manager’s mind is this: What are the risks and liabilities of hiring this candidate? However talented you may be, you have some risks. Identify them so that you are able to address and rectify them before the interview process.

From the book, Acing the Interview by Tony Beshara, the author list down a list of questions you should ask yourself to assess your strengths, weaknesses and liabilities.

•What are my professional and personal strengths?

•Can and do I explain my experience, background, and previous positions clearly and concisely?

•How can I demonstrate that my strengths have been benefits to the people I’ve worked for in the past?

•What are two or three of the most important features of my background that will be benefits to a company that I might be interviewing with?

•How will I clearly communicate myself and my benefits to a prospective employer?

•What are the facts or issues in my background or experience that might be perceived as liabilities to a prospective employer?

•How am I going to offset, minimize, or mitigate these perceived liabilities?

•Can I turn these perceived liabilities into advantages to a prospective employer?

•How can I avoid being defensive about the mistakes that I’ve made in the past? How can I make them positives?

•Are the things that I think are important in my background the ones that a prospective employer will think are important?

•What makes me unique? What are the three or four of my most important features and benefits that make me a better candidate than my competitors? Is this just my opinion or have others confirmed them?

Check your answers and see how an employer would view them. Bear in mind, you will be compared to other equally qualified candidates. Remember an employer is always looking out to reduce liability. If you posed too much of a liability than an asset, you will be duly removed from the hiring list.

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