Strengths-Based Interview Questions (and How to Answer)

"What energises you?" "Do you prefer starting tasks or finishing them?" If an interview question sounds more like a conversation about you than a test of what you have done, it is probably a strengths-based question. Many UK graduate employers now use them, often in a recorded video interview built by the assessment company Cappfinity.

This guide explains what strengths-based questions are, how they differ from competency questions, which employers use them, and how to answer 30 common ones.

What is a strengths-based interview?

A strengths-based interview looks at what you are good at and what you enjoy doing, rather than only at what you have done before. Prospects describes it as focusing on what you enjoy doing rather than what you can do, and the University of Manchester's careers service says these interviews concentrate on what you are good at and what you enjoy.

The idea behind it is that people do their best work, and stay longer, when the job uses things they are naturally good at and find energising. Cappfinity, which designs many of these assessments, looks at three things for each strength:

Performance: how well you do it.
Energy: how much it energises you.
Use: how often you do it.

In Cappfinity's terms, a strength is something you do well, do often and enjoy. A good answer shows all three.

Strengths-based vs competency-based questions

	Competency question	Strengths question
Example	"Tell us about a time you worked in a team to meet a deadline."	"What kind of team role comes most naturally to you?"
What it tests	Whether you have done it before	Whether you are good at it and enjoy it
Typical answer	One past example, told in order	What you enjoy, why, and an example that shows it
What interviewers listen for	Evidence and results	Evidence plus energy and authenticity

TARGETjobs puts the difference this way: competency questions test your basic ability to do the job, while strengths questions try to predict your future potential. Many interviews mix both, so prepare for each.

Which employers use strengths-based questions?

Employers change their processes every year, but in October 2026 these UK employers described strengths-based stages on their own pages:

Aviva: a video interview with a few strengths-based questions, after its online tests, with a practice question first.
M&G: timed video questions run through Cappfinity, and interviews at its assessment centre.
The FCA: a strengths-based interview at its half-day assessment centre.
TfL: a strengths-based online test where some answers are recorded on video, with 2 minutes to prepare each one.
Deloitte: a skills and motivation interview at its final stage, after a job simulation with video answers.

See our guides to the FCA, M&G, Aviva and TfL online assessments and the Deloitte Job Simulation for each process.

How to answer strengths-based questions

Be honest. These questions are designed to find a good match, so a polished but false answer can put you in a role you will not enjoy. Cappfinity's advice for its assessments is to answer honestly rather than guess what the employer wants.
Show energy, not just ability. Say what you enjoy about the activity and why. "I find it satisfying when…" tells the interviewer far more than "I am good at…".
Back it up with one short example. A strength claim without evidence sounds empty. Give one specific moment, then stop.
Be specific about what drains you, too. When you are asked about weaknesses or tasks you avoid, name something real that is not central to the job, and say how you handle it.
Connect it to the role. End with a sentence on how the strength would help in the job you applied for.

A simple structure for most answers: what you enjoy → why → a short example → how it fits the role.

Sample answer

Question: "What energises you at work?"

"I'm most energised when I'm making sense of something messy. In my final-year project our survey data came back inconsistent, and I spent two evenings building a spreadsheet to clean it. I didn't find that a chore. I enjoyed seeing the patterns appear, and the result was the basis for our recommendation. In an audit role I'd expect a lot of that kind of work, which is one reason I applied."

It names the activity, says why it is energising, gives one example and links to the role, in under a minute.

30 strengths-based interview questions to prepare

These are common themes, not leaked questions from any employer.

What energises you

What energises you?
What kind of tasks make you lose track of time?
What did you enjoy most about your degree, and why?
Describe a day when you felt you had done your best work.
What activities do you find draining?
When do you feel most motivated?
What would your ideal working day look like?

How you like to work

Do you prefer starting tasks or finishing them?
Do you prefer working alone or in a team?
Do you like having a plan, or working things out as you go?
How do you like to receive feedback?
Do you prefer detail or the big picture?
How do you organise your time when you have several deadlines?
What do you do when a task gets repetitive?

What you are good at

What are you naturally good at?
What would your friends say your strengths are?
What have you learned most easily?
What skill are you most proud of developing?
When have you surprised yourself with how well you did something?
What do people come to you for help with?

Working with others

What role do you usually take in a group?
How do you build relationships with people you have just met?
What do you enjoy about helping others?
How do you handle disagreement in a team?
Describe someone you enjoy working with and why.

Growth and the role

What is something you are still working on?
What do you find difficult, and what do you do about it?
What are you looking forward to learning in this job?
Why are you excited to start your career with us?
Which part of this role do you think you will enjoy most?

Questions 26 and 27 are the strengths-based version of the weakness question. Answer them honestly, with what you do about it.

Strengths questions in a video interview

In Cappfinity-style and other recorded interviews, you see the question, get a short time to prepare and then record your answer. Cappfinity says video answers have time limits for both. TfL, for example, gives 2 minutes to prepare.

Decide your example in the preparation time. Do not try to script the answer.
Answer the question in your first sentence, so the main point survives if you run out of time.
Aim for 60 to 90 seconds unless the time limit says otherwise.
Look at the camera, not at your own image.
Use the practice question to check your lighting and sound.

The HireVue interview practice simulator gives you timed questions with a think-time countdown and feedback on each answer. It is built for HireVue interviews, but recording strengths answers against the clock is the same skill. Our one-way video interview tips cover setup and delivery. For the other parts of a Cappfinity assessment, such as the situational strengths ranking task, see Cappfinity practice.

FAQs

What is the difference between a strengths-based and a competency-based interview?

Competency questions ask for evidence that you have done something before. Strengths questions ask what you are good at and what you enjoy, to judge how well the role suits you. Many interviews include both.

How do I prepare for a strengths-based interview?

Make a list of activities you do well and enjoy, with one example for each. Note what drains you as well. Then practise saying the answers out loud, in under 90 seconds each.

Can you fail a strengths-based interview?

Yes. Employers still compare your answers with what the role needs. But the best way to do well is to be honest and specific, because a role that matches your strengths is also one you are more likely to enjoy.

What is the best answer to "What energises you?"

There is no single best answer. Name a real activity, say why it energises you, give one example and link it to the job. Avoid generic answers such as "working with people" without an example.

Are strengths-based questions used in video interviews?

Yes. Aviva and M&G describe strengths-based or timed video questions in their Cappfinity-run processes, and TfL's online test includes recorded answers.

Sources

Prospects: strength-based interviews (July 2025).
TARGETjobs: strength-based interviews for jobs and graduate schemes (August 2026).
University of Manchester Careers: interview questions.
LSE Careers: succeeding at strengths-based interviewing (2019).
Cappfinity Preparation Hub: Performance, Energy and Use; time limits on video answers.
Employer pages read in October 2026: Aviva graduate pathways, the M&G early careers FAQ, FCA early careers, TfL how to apply and Deloitte early careers assessment.

Candidate Falcon is independent and not affiliated with Cappfinity or any employer named here.

Strengths-Based Interview Questions and How to Answer Them