Infosys Business Analyst Interview Questions, Process, and Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers -

If you've ever been asked the question "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" in a job interview, you probably immediately noticed your heart racing. How do I say what I'm not good at without looking terrible and say what I am good at without bragging? Yep, this is a toughie. But there's a secret formula that can help you succeed: Emphasize a positive quality or skill that's needed for the job, and minimize—but be truthful about—the negatives.

Let's say two candidates—we'll call them Francine and William—have job interviews for a customer service manager position. As always, one of the interview questions they'll be asked is about their strengths and weaknesses.

First up is Francine. When she's asked, "What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?" Francine responds, "My strength is that I'm a hard worker. My weakness is that I get stressed when I miss a deadline because someone else dropped the ball."

This answer is unimaginative, a no-brainer. Most people think of themselves as hard workers—who would actually admit to not being a hard worker? Also, Francine's weakness is technically not a weakness, plus she passes the buck: Someone—not her—drops the ball, which causes her to get stressed.

Now it's William's turn. He also has difficulty with the question. "I really can't think of a weakness," he begins. "Maybe I could be more focused. My strength is probably my ability to deal with people. I am pretty easygoing. I usually don't get upset easily."

This answer leads with a negative, and then moves to vague words: maybe, probably, pretty and usually. William isn't doing himself any favors.

So what is the best way to answer this common interview question?




Assessing your weaknesses
Let's get the hard part out of the way first—your weaknesses. This is probably the most dreaded part of the question. Everyone has weaknesses, but who wants to admit to them, especially in an interview?

Some examples of weaknesses you might mention include:

Being too critical of yourself
Attempting to please everyone
Being unfamiliar with the latest software
The best way to handle this question is to minimize the trait and emphasize the positive. Select a trait and come up with a solution to overcome your weakness. Stay away from personal qualities and concentrate more on professional traits. For example: "I pride myself on being a 'big-picture' guy. I have to admit I sometimes miss small details, but I always make sure I have someone who is detail-oriented on my team."

Assessing your strengths
When it comes time to toot your own horn, you need to be specific. Assess your skills to identify your strengths. This is an exercise worth doing before any interview. Make a list of your skills, dividing them into three categories:

Knowledge-based skills: Acquired from education and experience (e.g., computer skills, languages, degrees, training and technical ability).
Transferable skills: Your portable skills that you take from job to job (e.g., communication and people skills, analytical problem solving and planning skills)
Personal traits: Your unique qualities (e.g., dependable, flexible, friendly, hard working, expressive, formal, punctual and being a team player).
Some examples of strengths you might mention include:

Enthusiasm
Trustworthiness
Creativity
Discipline
Patience
Respectfulness
Determination
Dedication
Honesty
Versatility