Your greatest weaknesses. Work on yourself

Every person has strengths and weaknesses. You have them. The employer may ask you to talk about them. Why and why does he do this?

In most cases, the employer needs an analysis of the weaknesses and strengths of a potential employee to make sure how ready you are to interact with other people. Find out if you can do this at all. Finally, by analyzing your strengths and weaknesses, you can draw certain conclusions about your personality type.

Knowing that you will have to talk about your strengths and weaknesses in sufficient detail, you should not worry about the fact that you will have to admit to some weaknesses. Talking about strengths should not be taken as inappropriate boasting; it is better to prepare in advance for this topic that arises during a job interview.

First, you yourself must identify your strengths and weaknesses. Try to make a list in which you carefully write down both your strengths and weaknesses.

This approach is the most useful for communicating with your potential employer.

To begin with, you should identify your strengths that will contribute to your success in the organization where you are interviewing.

Strengths and weaknesses of a candidate for a vacancy

As you know, there are almost no perfect people in the world. Therefore, every person has strengths and weaknesses.

Focus on your strengths first. These are the first things your potential employer should know about.

Focus on your strengths and use examples to explain how your strengths will help you perform your job responsibilities.

Your strengths can be divided into sub-items in which certain qualities are concentrated. For example, this is what it might look like:

Acquired and transferable skills as strengths

This paragraph, which describes your strengths, should focus on the skills that a person gains from performing his duties and is also able to transfer them to others. These skills include: people skills, planning skills, communication skills, and so on.

Personal qualities

The strengths of any person are his personal qualities. So, a person can be hardworking, reliable, independent, punctual, optimistic and so on. All these positive qualities can help you in fulfilling your official duties.

Knowledge Based Skills

The strengths of an educated person are the skills that he acquired during the learning process. This includes: your special education, additional courses that you have completed (language, computer and others).

Important: during a job interview, it makes sense to talk only about those skills from this point that will really help you in the position you are replacing.

Your strengths. Specific examples

You will need to think a little about what exactly your strengths are. If, when thinking about your strengths, you doubt some qualities, remove them from the list. Also remove from the list those qualities that are not needed for this job.

Here's what you might end up with when you write a list of your strengths:

The list above probably doesn't reflect all of your strengths, but we've just shown you what to strive for.

Weak sides. Full list

All people also have weaknesses. It is important that when you list your weaknesses, you can present them as problems that can be solved and will not affect the quality of your work.

This means that when analyzing your weaknesses, you should immediately look for ways to overcome your weaknesses.

Try to convince the interviewer during a job interview that you are quite capable of turning even your weaknesses into strengths. And you know exactly what and how to do this.

Traditional weaknesses may include qualities such as:

Lack of experience

You show some interest in the job you are applying for, but have the necessary practical experience to do it.

Be prepared to conduct a full analysis of strengths and weaknesses so that lack of experience does not become the main reason for denying you this position. Certificates of completion of courses in the field in which you want to work can be an additional advantage if you lack the necessary experience.

How to turn weaknesses into strengths

As you list your weaknesses, think about how they can turn into strengths. So, if you are a slightly slow person by nature, then during a job interview you can say that sometimes you lose speed in completing work, focusing on the little things so as not to miss anything.

Weak sides. Sample list

Describe your strengths and weaknesses. How to answer an employer's question?

Be honest in your strengths and weaknesses analysis

If you are interviewing for a job and the employer asks you to provide an analysis of your strengths and weaknesses, be as honest as possible when answering this question. It’s better if you already have a prepared answer, where you can present your strengths and weaknesses in a positive way.

Choose the right qualities

During the job interview process, pay attention to the employer's requirements for the position. Describe your strengths and weaknesses according to these requirements.

When describing your weaknesses, choose those whose presence will not deprive you of your chances of filling a vacant position.

Don't brag or be ashamed

Every person has strengths and weaknesses. From you, from your employer, from the secretary who sits in the waiting room while you are being interviewed for a job.

When asked about strengths and weaknesses, speak calmly, don't be ashamed to mention your weaknesses, but don't be too arrogant when talking about your strengths. Never say that you have no weaknesses at all, because you do have them.

Take responsibility for your strengths and weaknesses

Often we are proud of our successes, and blame failures either on others or on circumstances. During a job interview and when it comes to whether you have strengths and weaknesses, take responsibility and don’t look for someone to blame.

Don't give too much information

During a job interview, be careful that asking an employer to describe your strengths and weaknesses does not lead you into a verbal jungle where you unwittingly reveal more information that you did not originally intend to voice.

Talk about your job, describing your strengths and weaknesses

When you describe your strengths and weaknesses, talk only about work. Only about how these qualities will contribute to your success in a new place. Only about how your strengths helped you at your previous place of work. Only about how you managed to get rid of several weaknesses and what qualities you plan to improve or change in yourself in the near future.

After all, it is after reading it that the first stage of screening candidates for the position follows. This means that the applicant must first of all interest the HR specialist in order to qualify for the first interview.

The resume should be fairly short, no more than 1-2 pages. It is necessary to try to place in this format not only information about professional skills and education received, but also to briefly identify the applicant. When providing personal information, weigh each phrase, as this will reveal your weaknesses in your resume. For example, if you are afraid that you may be rejected because of your age, list your work experience first and write your date of birth at the end. and the presence of children in each specific case also affects the evaluation of the resume. If your job involves business travel, be sure to indicate that a family member or nanny is with the children and that you can easily leave them during business trips. This applies to women to a greater extent, especially if the children are small. It is better to include information about the children at the very end of the resume so that it is not perceived negatively. For almost any employer, the presence of preschool-aged children is your weaknesses in your resume. Try to spend as much time as possible

our strengths - education, professional experience, acquired skills. It may happen that you are asked to fill out a resume form developed by the employer. Surely it will contain a lot of questions about your personal qualities. There is no need to pretend to be someone you are not, because during work it will all come out.

Yours on your resume

If you're required to describe your strengths and weaknesses in your resume, don't be too forthcoming. There is no need to describe character weaknesses. In your resume, be concise and weigh the characteristics. Indeed, depending on the position for which you are applying, the same quality can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. For example, communication skills are not required to work as an analyst; other qualities are more appropriate here - scrupulousness, concentration, etc. Working with visitors requires a worker with a calm, sometimes even phlegmatic character. Leadership inclinations are not needed here at all.

When describing your weaknesses in your resume, for example, lack of knowledge of a foreign language, focus on your desire for development and desire to learn. If you are required to talk about your shortcomings, indicate no more than 2-3 qualities. It is better to avoid vague formulations and do not indicate qualities that run counter to the requirements for the vacant position. Describe your weaknesses in your resume in the simplest words, without complex verbiage. Example: impulsiveness, straightforwardness, isolation, etc. Do not write statements such as restlessness, short temper, slowness, etc. that frighten a potential employer. Don't share your pain, it has nothing to do with your plans to get a job.

Not everyone requires you to list your weaknesses on your resume. But if there is such a clause on the form, then putting a dash through would be a mistake. Better look at an example of character weaknesses in your resume.

What to write

Before filling out the box in which you need to indicate your shortcomings, think about your answer. Do not miss it under any circumstances, because ideal people do not exist. As a rule, managers want to see how adequately you evaluate yourself. If you don't know what to write, look at the suggested options and choose something that suits you best.

A universal formula: select character traits that are an advantage for performing this particular job, but in ordinary life can really be considered a human flaw.

The following weaknesses can be written:

• excessive directness, the habit of telling the truth face to face;
• difficulty establishing contact with strangers;
• inability to show flexibility in labor matters;
• reliability;
• increased anxiety;
• excessive emotionality, hot temper;
• love of formalism;
• restlessness;
• slowness;
• hyperactivity;
• fear of air travel.

All of the weaknesses listed in your resume can become strengths if you look at them from a different angle. An example is restlessness. For a sales representative or active sales manager, this can even be a plus. The same goes for reliability. This is a signal to the manager that you may be the person who will do all the overtime work.

Linking weaknesses to the characteristics of professions

All applicants should think about how to write my weaknesses for a resume. For example, a future accountant or design engineer might write:

• distrust;
• excessive scrupulousness;
• increased anxiety;
• excessive demands on oneself;
• straightforwardness;
• pedantry;
• modesty;
• inability to lie;
• difficulties in establishing contact with strangers;
• self-esteem;
• lack of flexibility in labor matters;
• integrity;
• inflated sense of responsibility;
• lack of diplomacy.

• hyperactivity;
• self-confidence;
• restlessness;
• impulsiveness;
• the need for external motivation;
• distrust, desire to double-check and confirm all information.

Disadvantages for one profession can become advantages for another.

You can also indicate in your resume among your negative qualities:

• straightforwardness;
• workaholism;
• excessive love of communication.

Applicants for the position of manager must prepare before filling out this column. It is better to think in advance about what weaknesses to include in your resume. You can write to them about the following character traits:

• excessive emotionality;
• pedantry;
• love for little things;
• thoughts about work and planning occupy most of your free time;
• increased demands on others.

A good example would be the following:

• inability to respond to rudeness with rudeness;
• tendency to make decisions based on one’s own opinion;
• distrust of people and love of confirmation of facts.

Some applicants prefer to indicate that they:

• overly trusting;
• can raise their voice to subordinates;
• straightforward, express their opinions without veiled embellishments;
• hot-tempered;
• always looking for confirmation of words;
• have a hypertrophied sense of responsibility;
• prone to formalism and pay excessive attention to detail;
• irritated by clutter;
• slow;
• do not like to do something to please others.

For all occasions

Many people are afraid to write about shortcomings, believing that the employer will immediately send their resume to the trash bin. Of course, you shouldn’t be too frank, but you shouldn’t completely skip this section of the questionnaire. In this case, you can write about some neutral qualities that will not affect your work in any way. For a person applying for any vacancy, among the inherent weaknesses one can indicate:

• fear of airplanes;
• arachnophobia (fear of spiders), vespertiliophobia (fear of bats), ophidiophobia (fear of snakes);
• excess weight;
• lack of experience;
• age (suitable for people over 40 years old);
• love of shopping;
• love for sweets.

This information does not characterize you in any way, it simply speaks about your fears or small weaknesses.

The following disadvantages can be mentioned:

• I don’t always express my thoughts accurately;
• I trust people too much;
• prone to reflection;
• I often analyze past mistakes, focusing too much attention on them;
• I spend a lot of time evaluating my actions.

These are negative qualities, but they should not affect the work process.

Regardless of the position for which you are applying, you can write the following weaknesses in your resume:

• I get so carried away with work that I forget to take breaks;
• I can’t build relationships with colleagues because I don’t like gossip;
• I can’t fight back in response to boorish treatment;
• I constantly pass all situations through myself;
• I let people get too close;
• I don’t know how to swear;
• I get noticeably worried when I have to lie.

Important nuances

Please note that there are items that are best left unindicated. You should not write, for example, that you:

• love to be lazy;
• afraid to take responsibility;
• don't like making decisions;
• unpunctual;
• are often distracted;
• you only think about your salary;
• love office romances.

For example, if you write about your laziness in your resume, you run the risk that the employer will decide that you don’t want to work.

Which section of a resume do you consider the most important?

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When applying for a job, your application form becomes the only link with your employer. It is difficult to get a good job without the correct presentation of your own capabilities. However, many serious ones require filling out an insidious item - character weaknesses.

In a resume, every word written is important. Do not fill out this line hastily!

Your weaknesses on your resume should be a mirror image of your strengths.

How to turn weaknesses into strengths on your resume

But you shouldn’t be too zealous in listing your shortcomings. And there is no need to reproach yourself for your personality weaknesses. Remember that what is good for one person is unacceptable for another. For example, for someone you are wasteful, someone will consider you generous; Some will see greed in you, others will say - economical.

Present your negative character traits to the employer, wrapping them in a beautiful package. For example, for an accountant, unsociability can even be useful in work, but a manager with this quality will have a hard time.

Expert opinion

Natalia Molchanova

HR manager

Find 2-3 traits of your character that would be considered a disadvantage in everyday life, but from the point of view of your chosen profession turn into undeniable advantages.

What weaknesses should you include in your resume?

You should think carefully about this. Sometimes writing a few words about yourself is much more difficult than you thought. After all, what’s at stake is working in a reputable company, and the well-being of the whole family may depend on your ability to show your weaknesses in your application form.

Of course, there is no guarantee that the next employer will take you on to their team. There is no doubt that the future boss will not only not put him aside, but will show his interest and will certainly want to meet. So what trump cards will we have in store to beat our competitors?

Be truthful

The habit of exaggeration will come in handy here. If the employer does not require you to dwell on negative qualities, then there is no need to write anything. Then emphasize your merits as a specialist by mentioning your strengths. If your resume needs to be written in any form, then focus on your positive aspects as an individual and a specialist in the field.

But what shortcomings should you include in your resume in order to become the first applicant for the long-awaited position?

1. Firstly, as we have already said, so that the employer does not get the impression of you as a person with painfully inflated self-esteem, in no case do we ignore the point about shortcomings.
2. Secondly, don't deviate from your resume writing style. When talking with an interlocutor live, it is much easier to convey information to the listener: you can use gestures, facial expressions, and focus on his reaction. In the case of a resume, a special approach is needed, because the manager sees only what is written.
3. Thirdly, the boss will not be able to help but note the honesty of the resume, where you will briefly report your shortcomings, based on some important points.

Don't chase the standard

When reviewing a resume, each employer looks at the situation from its own angle. Sometimes the same character trait can be viewed in two ways. For some, it will turn out to be the positive side of the coin, while others may be blacklisted for having such character traits.

Expert opinion

Natalia Molchanova

HR manager

Each field of activity requires an individual approach. In teamwork, leadership qualities will only hinder the team, but for a manager, the ability to make his own decisions will be quite useful.

Be intellectually mature

It is important that you are aware of your imperfections and do not take criticism with hostility. After all, only an intellectually mature person can calmly and fairly conduct a personal assessment of his positive and negative sides.

It is undoubtedly easier for an employer to give preference to a mature personality than to educate an unbalanced person.

Show your willingness to work on yourself

Having presented your negative qualities to the general court, be sure to indicate that you are actively fighting against the shortcoming you indicated. You can’t let your employer think that you live comfortably with this negativity.

It could be shyness or impulsiveness. You can point out their manifestation in accordance with the situation, and make it clear that you are waging a persistent struggle against the presence of these disadvantages: expanding your connections and striving to keep your ardor under control.

Let's look at a simple example in a resume, where the weaknesses of the applicant turned into a positive side from a professional point of view.

“In everyday life, you are unable to refuse people, and because of this you do not have your own personal life. However, the boss may consider this quality more than beneficial for him. Having hired a reliable employee, the manager expects that he will always be able to rely on such an employee, no matter what issues the assignment concerns. This trait can be simply invaluable for personnel who work under someone’s direct supervision.

Present your strengths as weaknesses

Psychology is a very interesting science. Of course, it’s not worth filling out the field for shortcomings with the phrases “increased responsibility” or “workaholism.” The manager will immediately accuse you of dishonesty.

To take a highly paid position and, along with it, a future boss, you need to:

• gullibility - you will be perceived as a person capable of concluding agreements exclusively with trusted partners;
• self-confidence - they will see you as a leader inclined to move forward;
• hyperactivity - they will place bets on the speed of completing assigned tasks commensurate with other employees;
• slowness - they will find in you a scrupulous worker who can see mistakes and notice important nuances;
• increased anxiety - they will note a responsible approach to work and their responsibilities;
• straightforwardness - you will be considered a master of negotiations who will confidently insist on the terms and requirements of the company;
• demanding - they will think: if an employee is demanding of himself, then you will treat production processes with no less responsibility;
• pedantry - will determine the ability to bring initiatives to perfection through repeated checks;
• restlessness - they will see you as an employee who is ready to carry out new tasks and assignments regardless of external factors;
• modesty - they will be included in the number of employees who weigh what is said, which helps prevent conflict situations and unnecessary misunderstandings.

For the resume of a future accountant, the following can be used as an example of weaknesses:

• suspicion;
• excessive pedantry;
• increased anxiety;
• straightforwardness;
• scrupulousness;
• modesty;
• inability to lie;
• pride;
• lack of agreement in work situations;
• scrupulousness;
• an inflated sense of responsibility;
• inability to negotiate.

But for specialties that require direct communication with a wide audience, this list of qualities is extremely unsuitable.

For example, a manager can indicate in his resume:

• restlessness;
• hyperactivity;
• demandingness;
• impudence;
• stubbornness;
• self-confidence;
• straightforwardness;
• impulsiveness.

Why does a manager want to know about your shortcomings?

If the future boss decides to include a “character weaknesses” column in his resume, then he cannot ignore it.

Be yourself, believe in yourself and you will succeed, and finally, video

Good day, dear friend!

If you value concise answers, then the question “What shortcomings can be listed in a resume?” - you will receive it.I will answer right away, and you decide whether to read this article to the end or not.

The answer is as simple as five kopecks: c - no shortcomings should be indicated. I hope I didn't disappoint too much.

I can imagine that you are thinking like this: there are no ideal people and everyone has shortcomings. And you're absolutely right, but...

What is the purpose of writing about shortcomings in a resume?The resume should be designed to answer the question: Who are you and why do you need to be invited to?

How can your shortcomings help answer this question? That's right - none.

However, I would not put an end to this. We will need the shortcomings very soon, namely at the next interview. If not by telephone, then in person - for sure.

Why do we need disadvantages?

1. The employer needs them

Everything is very prosaic. The employer needs shortcomings so that there is something to point out. A person who tries to hide his shortcomings does not inspire trust. They will still find your shortcomings, you can be sure.

2. You need them

Awareness of your problems is the first step to solving them. Your shortcomings are just as distinctive as your advantages. The desire to seem like a superman with a stone chin will not buy anyone now. Quite the opposite.

What not to talk about

1. About shortcomings that are critical for work. If you are an accountant, but you confuse debit with credit, this is not a case that you need to tell everyone about)
2. Never use templates that are worn to holes. For example: “I’m a workaholic and I don’t notice how quickly time flies.” Such memorized phrases cause nothing but irritation.

“I tried to sell memorized bullshit” - this is the entry your humble servant saw in the interview report of one of his employees. I think there is no need for comments here...

Your flaws should be as unique as you are.

Failures are also a plus

It is quite normal to talk about some kind of failure. For example, I started accepting delivery drivers without taking into account subsequent loading. Or rather, he made a too superficial forecast. As a result, I recruited people, but gave few orders. Accordingly, salaries are low, people leave and we need to recruit again.

The most important thing about failure is what conclusions did you draw? Your humble servant has learned to force his colleagues to make a correct forecast of customer orders and give it to me as an order for the selection of people. And everyone is fine.

How to compensate for shortcomings

Everyone has shortcomings and that's normal. The problem is if you don’t compensate them in any way. That's right, not so much how you fight it, but how you compensate.

Example: I have a bad memory. I can easily forget some important things.

I can fight this as long as I want, for a year or two or more.

But I installed reminder programs on my smartphone. They don't forget anything and compensate for my forgetfulness. It’s even convenient, I write down everything I need, what I don’t need I forget and free up my brain for more important things.

Sometimes a disadvantage can even be presented in a positive light. For example, the same forgetfulness. I receive quite a lot of confidential information from the people I talk to, but I forget it, which means I won’t spoil it for anyone.

My old friend, a colleague in the shop, is a person who is difficult to motivate with a carrot in front. He is motivated to action by the ass in which he finds himself. He doesn't hide it.

The main thing is that he understands his motivation for avoidance and knows how to generate the energy that allows him, like Baron Munchausen, to pull himself out of the quagmire in which he finds himself by the hair. And ultimately, to solve the problems at hand.

Not every recruiter will understand you. Someone will measure with stamps. But an experienced and thoughtful recruiter will understand. A competent person will always understand.

Take responsibility

What is really valued at? Your adequacy and responsibility.

Show that you are willing to take responsibility for your successes and failures.

Talk about yourself as a person who is the only reason for everything that happens to him.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize once again,

1. We do not write any shortcomings in the resume.
2. For the interview: We evaluate ourselves adequately. We find our shortcomings, which clearly exist. We talk about how these shortcomings are compensated.

Thank you for your interest in the article. I would appreciate your comment (at the bottom of the page).

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Have a nice day and good mood!