StrengthsFinder in Interviews & Coping Strategies
Have you taken the Gallup Clifton Strengths test? I've taken it 3 different times, in 3 different positions, and found slight variation in my results though many stayed consistently high on my list. There are so many strengths to cover, so in this series I'm going to focus on mine and give examples of questions I would ask in an interview to assess for them as well as ways I personally work with my strengths.
Harmony's always a good strength to have during the holidays. 😂 It's a relationship building strength and can be really helpful when working with a team. It also means I can be pretty conflict avoidant in some situations, which I'm actively working on. 😬
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This question is a great way to demonstrate the way you encourage healthy discussion and participation from multiple team members, especially when there's a difference of opinion or conflict. It's easy to tell if Harmony isn't a strength for someone if their focus is barreling through, choosing a path and forcing conformity.
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Here are the things I do to use this strength to my advantage:
*Use my power in the room to allow everyone a chance to state their opinion when decision-making. If I notice someone has been quiet, or the person who is the owner of the work being discussed isn't speaking, I make sure they have the space and authority to contribute.
*Notice when something feels off-balance in my team and investigate, problem solve to determine next steps to resolve any issues.
*If I find myself avoiding conflict, ask myself if it's an attempt to make myself more comfortable. Is it working the way I intend or should I disrupt the harmony to improve the situation?
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Do you think Harmony is a helpful strength for a team member to have? How do you determine when conflict is necessary?
Input is my strategic strength and it relates to my desire to want to gather ALL the information. (Yep, Enneagram 6w5 coming in strong here) If I'm learning about something new or starting a project, there's nothing I love more than diving deep and becoming an expert.
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I love this question because it allows you to determine if a candidate is hung up by this strength's dark side. If you easily get sucked into analysis paralysis (🙋) this may be a tough question to answer.
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If this is also your strength, here are some tips I use to stay out of the dark analysis paralysis space:
*Schedule time to dedicate to "deep dives" where you can gather your information. I like to do this on Friday afternoons- when my productivity is low. It means I'm still making good use of my time but it feels new and fresh.
*Show others what you've learned; I tend to assume people who know me understand that I spend a lot of time researching things, but they really don't. Rather than just whipping out a wealth of information at a critical moment, try to proactively share with others.
*Recognize you won't always have the ability to gather all the information you want before you move forward or make a decision. If you notice this becoming an issue for you, consciously put yourself in situations where you have to act quickly or make decisions without all of the information so you can get more comfortable with it over time.
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Individualization is my favorite strength ⭐ - it's all about being able to understand other people and their differences to best figure out how to work with them and how to help them work together. Great skill for a PM- an especially great one for someone doing a lot of traffic management and process improvement for productivity within an agency setting. It's also part of why I love things like Enneagram, Meyers-Briggs, etc- it helps me understand both myself and others better.
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This question won't always result in an answer about other people, but I think it will about 85% of the time. Sometimes a process is in the way of the result you want, but unless someone is preventing you from doing so, you can change a process. A good answer to this question will include a detailed and tailored approach to solve the problem.
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My tips for using this strength:
*Truly and earnestly get to know the people you're working with - your manager, direct reports, teammates, clients, stakeholders. If you have this skill, this will allow you to better work with and influence them. For me, this was the most handy when delivering difficult feedback or determining who was best to work on each task.
*Work with clients, direct reports and mentees to help them identify their strengths so they can define and create their own success.
*At times, people have been concerned that my individualization was giving certain team members more attention than others or more of a break- this wasn't the case. As a manager or leader who has this skill, you should activelyidentify the needs of different team members and adjust accordingly to help set them up for success. (spoiler alert- doing this sets everyone up for success and saves time down the road)
Responsibility is probably my strongest strength, which is both helpful and a curse. It basically means I'm the annoying kid doing too much and taking over the group project because I want to make sure I get a good grade. 😜
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I like this interview question because you can quickly assess if the candidate is someone who will take ownership or be limited by what they perceive their role to be. Junior candidates may have a harder time with this question simply because they hadn't yet considered they could take something on outside of their primary role, so it gives them the freedom to think that way moving forward.
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I do have to be careful with this strength because I've been prone to workaholism in the past. Here are some quick tips to make the most of this strength if you share it with me:
*Remember your primary responsibility is to yourself - most things aren't as urgent as you feel they are, and the decision you're making is most likely not life or death
*Show your manager and team members the responsibilities you're taking on outside of your role (mentoring, helping other teams, etc)- for visibility and to inspire others to do the same
*Not everything is a great use of your time- just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. Prioritize wisely.
Achiever is the strength that drives me to make To Do lists for everything I do, even household tasks. There's just something about that gold star for me when I get to check it off the list. ⭐
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This question helps identify someone with this skill because it's easy for them to create mechanisms to keep themselves on track, even if no one else is checking up on them. They should be able to describe their processes in great detail and give examples of successful projects.
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My tips for using this strength:
*If it helps keep you feeling accomplished, use a to do list even if the day's wins or activities are small.
*I always say to not let perfect be the enemy of the good, but at the same time, don't release something that is poor quality just to check it off the list.
*Remember that your value is not defined by what you get done in a day. Sounds simple, but it's important.
When I shared my strengths with one of the teams I worked with, they were a bit confused by the combination of Competition and Harmony. 🤔 Competition sounds aggressive, but honed properly, it's most helpful when it comes to exceeding goals
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This question can help you determine how a candidate works within a competitive environment and if they’re able to use it in a positive way or if it gets the better of them. Be sure to dig in for more specifics about communication and the result of their actions.
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Tips for working with this strength:
*Compete against goals, not people. I always use this strength to go above and beyond any goal I’ve set. Directly competing with yourself or a goal is always going to be more productive than competing with another person at your company.
*Keep it to yourself, if you can. It can be helpful to share strengths with a team, but some team members may be intimidated that this is one of your strengths and be concerned you’re actively trying to compete with them. I’ve also had a manager use this strength in their favor by challenging me to compete against them just to get something done. I "won" the challenge, but I trusted my manager less moving forward as a result.
*Focus on numbers. People with this strength do particularly well with aggressive goals attached to numbers. Volume based goals, sales pursuits, and beating that Peloton personal best output are all good examples.
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Do you share any of these strengths? How do you use them day to day and in interviews?