The best strengths to present are the ones that matter to the specific role and that you can back up with a real example. Rather than copy a universal list of desirable traits, choose a few relevant strengths and show how you used them—in a resume bullet, a cover-letter connection, or a focused interview story.
How to choose strengths that fit the job
Start with the job description and identify the skills or behaviors the employer emphasizes. Then match those needs to situations where you personally demonstrated a relevant strength. Harvard’s resume guidance recommends tailoring materials to the position and supporting qualifications with examples.
A strength is not persuasive merely because it sounds desirable. It should be relevant, specific enough to understand, and supported by evidence you can discuss. Evidence may come from paid work, school, extracurricular activities, or volunteering; it does not need to come only from a formal job.
Strengths to consider—and the evidence behind them
Harvard’s interview guide offers problem-solving, teamwork, communication, writing skills, and leadership as examples of competencies. These are prompts for reflection, not a ranking or a checklist every applicant should claim.
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| Strength category | Evidence to look for | Question to help shape an example |
|---|---|---|
| Problem-solving | A real obstacle you helped analyze or resolve. | What was the problem, what did you do, and what changed? |
| Teamwork | A specific contribution you made while working with others. | How did your actions help the group make progress? |
| Communication | A time you adapted or clarified information for a particular audience. | What did the other person or group need to understand? |
| Writing | A written deliverable you created or improved for a defined purpose. | Who needed it, and how did your writing serve that need? |
| Leadership or responsibility | A situation where you took ownership, coordinated work, or helped others move forward. | What responsibility did you take on, and what was the result? |
Use a category only if you can give a truthful example. A result does not have to be numerical: a completed project, a clearer process, or a lesson learned may be meaningful evidence. Use figures only when you know what they measure and can explain their context.
How to present strengths on a resume
On a resume, communicate the strength through a concise, active description of what you did and why it mattered. Harvard’s resume and cover-letter guidance recommends specific, active language that makes the relevance of skills, experience, and impact clear.
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- Tailor the skills and experience you emphasize to the position.
- Use a concrete action rather than relying on a string of adjectives.
- Include a factual outcome where available, but do not invent a metric or imply a result you cannot support.
- Be prepared to explain every claim if an interviewer asks about it.
For example, instead of writing only “strong problem-solver,” describe the problem you addressed, the action you took, and the result. Keep the statement accurate and specific to your actual contribution.
How to describe strengths in a cover letter
A cover letter should connect relevant experience to the employer’s needs and explain why the role and organization interest you. Choose one or two strengths that fit the position, then support them with an example that adds useful context instead of repeating the resume in paragraph form. Harvard’s cover-letter guidance recommends highlighting applicable skills or experiences, tailoring the letter to the organization, and using examples to support qualifications.
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Use the letter to explain a connection the resume may not make clear—for instance, why an experience is relevant to this role or what context helps an employer understand your background. Keep the writing concise and factual, and avoid unsupported claims or flowery language. Harvard’s 2026 industry resume guidance also describes a cover letter as a place to add a different dimension, such as context about a career break or pivot.
How to answer “What strengths would you bring to this position?”
Answer with a strength that fits the role, then tell one focused story. Harvard’s interview guide recommends a situation–action–result structure for behavioral answers and advises candidates to stay on topic, explain their own role, and connect the behavior to the position.
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- Situation: Briefly set the scene and name the challenge or goal.
- Action: Explain what you personally did. Distinguish your contribution from the work of the wider team.
- Result or lesson: State what happened or what you learned, then connect the example to the job.
Prepare examples from work, school, extracurricular activities, or volunteering. Keep the story focused: the interviewer needs to understand the strength through your actions, not just hear its label. Be ready to discuss the details of anything on your resume.
Use each format for a different purpose
| Format | How to present the strength | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Resume | Show the skill through a specific action and, when available, a factual outcome. Use concise, active wording tailored to the role. | Generic self-descriptions without evidence or claims you cannot discuss. |
| Cover letter | Connect a relevant experience to the employer’s stated needs, and explain your interest in the role and organization. | Repeating the resume in paragraph form or making unsupported claims. |
| Interview | Tell a focused situation–action–result story and identify your contribution. | Rambling, describing only what a team did, or naming a strength without an example. |
Keep the claims authentically yours
Harvard’s guidance on AI for resumes and cover letters says generative AI can help with brainstorming or editing, but should not be the primary author. Review any suggestions carefully: your final materials should accurately represent your experience, and you should be able to speak naturally about every example and claim.
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