How to express strengths and weaknesses in Japanese interviews

To express strengths and weaknesses in Japanese interviews, here are some common and polite ways to phrase them:

Expressing Strengths

• A typical way to say “my strength is…” is:
  私の強みは〜です (わたしのつよみは〜です, Watashi no tsuyomi wa ~ desu)
• Examples of strengths include:
  • コミュニケーション能力 (communication skills)
  • 問題解決能力 (problem-solving skills)
  • チームワーク (teamwork)
• You can say:
  私はコミュニケーション能力に自信があります
  (“I am confident in my communication skills.”)

Expressing Weaknesses

• For “my weakness is…” use:
  私の弱みは〜です (わたしのよわみは〜です, Watashi no yowami wa ~ desu)
• It’s polite and common to also mention steps you are taking to improve, for example:
  〜を改善するように努力しています
  (“I am making efforts to improve ~.”)
• Examples of weaknesses might be:
  • 完璧主義 (perfectionism)
  • 時間管理 (time management)
• You might say:
  完璧主義なところがありますが、効率的に仕事を進めるように取り組んでいます
  (“I tend to be a perfectionist, but I am working on improving efficiency in my work.”)

This approach aligns with the typical polite and humble style expected in Japanese interviews while demonstrating self-awareness and a willingness to improve. ^{1, 2}

References

• SELF INTRODUCING AND WORK ETHICS IN JAPANESE COMPANIES

• Modeling Japanese Praising Behavior by Analyzing Audio and Visual Behaviors

• Vectors for Change or the New Old Guard?Repatriation and Japanese HRM in the Twenty-First Century

• From hoes to story-telling as “Weapons of the Weak”: farmers’ resistance to neoliberal 2007 Multi-Product Management Stabilization Plan in Japan

• Assessment of technical strengths and information flow of energy conservation research in Japan. Volume 2. Background document

• Musician and Teacher: An Orientation to Music Education by Patricia Shehan Campbell. New York: Norton, 2008. 328 pp., paperback, £16.99. ISBN: 0393927566

• Editor Introduction

• Corporate Social Responsibility: A Cross-National Study of the Treatment of Consumers and Employees

• Acceptability, accessibility and effectiveness of a form of physical exercise session adapted to obese adolescents attending school in Brazzaville: Comparative study (Preprint)

• Asian transnational organized crime and its impact on the United States: Developing a transnational crime research agenda

• Domestic accidents with elderly assisted in an urgency hospital

• Interviewing to Understand Strengths

• Request Expressions in Japanese Language for Educational Purpose