Most savvy interviewers don't come right out and ask "What's your top strength?" They approach it from different angles in an attempt to differentiate you from other candidates—in other words, to identify your strengths—and determine which candidate is the best fit for their organization. With that in mind, consider that several routine questions provide the opportunity to sell your candidacy, such as:

• Why should we hire you?
• What would an old boss say about you?
• Tell me about yourself.
• How would you add value to this group?

As you prepare for an interview, identify your leading two or three strengths as they relate to the position and personalize your answer with an example of a time or situation where your strength was particularly valuable. Incorporating stories into your answers is effective for two reasons. Vignettes make for more memorable answers and, more importantly, provide concrete "proof" of your strengths. You're not just telling someone you have strong negotiation skills, you're recounting a time when you saved the company $1.2 million on a renegotiated multi-year vendor contract, or the time you saved the company thousands of dollars while hiring a team of contract employees for a long-term project. 

Related posts on preparing for interviews:

• Handling salary questions during an interview
• Become one with your resume