A high school counselor gave me this advice many moons ago concerning that question:
Step 1: Sit down in a quiet area and clear your mind with a piece of paper and a writing implement close at hand.
Step 2: Think of the things you love to do. Write those down.
Step 3: Clear your mind again.
Step 4: Think of the things you hate to do. Write those down.
Step 5: Look at your list. Why do you love or hate the things on your list?
As you concentrate on that last step, certain truths reveal themselves to you.
Maybe you love gardening, but are you good at it? If so, why are you good at it? Is it because you are very persistent in picking out every single weed every week so that the flowers don't have to compete for food and grow big and beautiful?
If so, your strengths learned from gardening that you can reveal to your employer are:
You are persistent
You are thorough
You will stay with a task until it is completed
On the flip side (and still using gardening just to give two sides on the same coin), do you hate gardening because it's boring to have to keep doing the same thing week in and week out? Do you get angry with the flowers because they just don't bloom when you want them to?
If so, then the weaknesses you could reveal to the employer are:
You don't like routine.
You can tend to be impatient.
Your strengths and weaknesses aren't necessarily all just plusses and minuses, though, as they can sometimes help an employer to give you a position within the company that suits you well. The person who can't stand routine shouldn't be stuck into a position that involves nothing but filing day after day, but the person who is persistent and can stick to the job until it's done would be perfect for that same position.
Good luck on the interview, and make sure to take a few deep, cleansing breaths to steady your nerves on the way in. You're expected to be a little nervous, but if you are calm, cool and in charge despite the nerves, it's always a great first impression to make!
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