Of all the interview questions, the ones that I dread most? The ones that address strengths and good qualities. This question has managed to manifest itself in some form in almost all of my interviews. Naturally, you might respond that you are self-motivated, trustworthy and hard-working. Funny that…so did everyone else.

It is your goal to set yourself apart from other candidates during the interview. So how do you answer a question truthfully without giving a generic response?

Simple: get specific.

Think you are a team player? Don’t end your answer there. Describe a time when you worked well with others in a class project or a club activity. Want to prove you are proactive? Site a time when you took the lead in a project at your internship.

When you talk about specific examples of how you exhibited each quality, you:

1. Make your answer stand out from the others with an original response, thus increasing the chances of the interviewer remembering you
2. Take advantage of another time to let the interviewer know about your accomplishments
3. Play to the “Skeptical Sally” in everyone by providing cold, hard evidence that you are hard working, loyal, etc.

Have a hard time remembering all of your great accomplishments? Keep a journal of all the things you do so that you can quickly recall them before an interview. Sound dorky? Perhaps. But when you are in the middle of the interview and are faced with this formidable question, trust me – you’ll be glad you did.