We correctly talk about our strengths and weaknesses during an interview

What personal qualities can be communicated to a potential employer, and which ones are best left unmentioned.

This is how human nature works - we do not know how to praise ourselves, much less criticize ourselves. And these skills are necessary. Especially if you want to successfully pass an interview and find a job.

Work.ua invites you to learn how to correctly convey information about your pros and cons to a potential employer.

What recruiters want to hear

When asking a question about positive and negative qualities, the recruiting manager does not expect the candidate to repeat a story about himself or list too personal character traits (for example, I am kind, sympathetic, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke).

His goal:

• find out how the applicant behaves in a non-standard situation;
• determine how adequately the candidate evaluates himself and the results of his work;
• understand whether he fits the vacancy for which he is applying and the corporate culture of the company.

During an interview, you may be asked to describe yourself in different ways:

• “Tell me about your positive and negative qualities.”
• “Name three of your positive and three negative qualities.”
• “Name your strengths and weaknesses.”
• “What qualities of yours can help or hinder you from doing this or that job?”
• “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

You need to be prepared for any development of events. Therefore, think through at least 3 of your pluses and 3 minuses in advance, compare them with the employer’s requirements. The recommendations below will help with this.

I lack self confidence

Lack of self-confidence can affect work performance: people with low self-esteem refuse tasks that they are fully capable of and are embarrassed to express their ideas.

Don't be afraid to admit that you had difficulties with self-esteem. Tell us how you struggled with an inferiority complex: for example, you kept a success diary or read books on self-development. Add that now you adequately assess your capabilities and competencies.

How to talk about your strengths

During an interview, the answer to the question “Tell me about your positive and negative qualities” should begin with the strengths that allowed you to become successful both in life and in your profession. Prepare before the interview. Using simple techniques, identify the best in yourself and connect these qualities with the requirements of the job.

1. Make a 10-point list of your main strengths. Get creative with this assignment, get rid of your shy inner editor and write down all your strong character traits. Choose those that you really have.

2. Carefully study the vacancy, try to understand the employee with what set of qualities is needed for the position for which you are applying. Relate yourself to it. Focus on your knowledge and experience in a particular area, and only then mention the personal.

3. Limit your list of positive aspects to three to five items. Choose what you feel most comfortable discussing.

4. Illustrate each strong quality with an example. And preferably not alone. The more such positive characteristics of yourself you have in stock, the better. Recruiters may ask for more and more information.

Here are a few options for constructing your answer.

Example #1:

“I have an analytical mind, I write competently, interestingly, in different styles and genres. If necessary, with humor. I also create unique content, not only text, but also graphic. I have a lot of interviewing experience. By the way, interviews are my favorite genre. Because it involves new acquaintances and communication, and I’m a sociable person.”

Example #2:

“I know how to get along with people. I can find a common language with almost any person, no matter how old he is or what position he holds. I also like it when, through conversation, you can achieve a certain result: avoid conflict or convince your interlocutor to buy something. For example, at my previous job I... (tell me how you manage to achieve your goals with the help of communication).”

Example #3:

“I consider my strength to be my ability to find innovative ways out of difficult situations. I always look at the world optimistically. And I try to approach problems the same way. They don’t scare me, but, on the contrary, mobilize me. I can give you this example... (tell a real story).”

I react too emotionally to customer dissatisfaction

It happens that customers complain about the quality of a product only because they use it incorrectly. At the same time, some are downright rude.

It's hard to keep a cool head when dealing with such clients. Tell us a couple of funny cases from practice when the claims were completely unfounded - for example, the user forgot to remove the protective film from the screen and complained about the image quality. Add that at first such claims unsettled you, but then you learned not to take harsh statements too seriously and realized that calm, leading questions help solve the problem best.

Now rude customers cannot upset you - you realized that the customer is not angry with you, but with the fact that the product did not meet his expectations. If you find out where something went wrong, the complaints are dropped and the client is showered with gratitude.

I still need to practice.
The vacancy usually states the maximum requirements for the applicant. But pay attention: some skills are listed as key, and some as desirable.

It's okay if you lack additional competencies or work experience. The main thing is that everything is in order with the key skills, and the rest can be learned along the way.

How to talk about your weaknesses

When answering the question about negative qualities, you do not need to name abstract or “good” flaws. Your task is to show that you are aware of your shortcomings, know how to deal with them and work with them. Such a presentation can make a positive impression on the employer more than a list of your achievements.

How to do it:

1. Turn negatives into positives.

“I am meticulous and scrupulous. Many people consider this my shortcoming. But for me, as an analyst, it is important to check all the data down to the smallest detail, to analyze all the details. I won't rest until I do this. In my practice, there was a case... (give an example when your meticulousness helped to detect some error).”

2. Indicate that you are working with shortcomings. Admit it, yes, you have negative qualities, but you are doing everything to correct them.

“I'm a bad speaker. When I have to speak in front of a large number of people, I get lost. I understand that this is a very big drawback for a journalist, so I’ve been taking public speaking courses for a month now. I’m still far from Cicero, but I’m making progress.”

3. Compensate for negative qualities if you understand that they cannot be turned into a plus, and it is useless to fight them.

"I am an owl. I like to sleep longer. So I might be late for work. But I don't mind staying late at the office to complete all the tasks planned for the day. I’m most productive in the afternoon, so I usually get everything done and never miss a deadline.”

Difficulty getting along with some colleagues

The ability to work in a team, to find a common language with a wide variety of psychological types of people is a very important “soft skill”. If you have difficulty communicating with colleagues, your effectiveness suffers.

Tell us with which colleagues it is most difficult for you to achieve mutual understanding. For example, before you didn’t trust “jumpy” colleagues - those who complete a task at the last moment, but before that they seem to do nothing. However, you understand: everyone has their own pace, and a person shows the best results when he is psychologically comfortable.

Therefore, now you are calm about this style of work and it does not in any way affect your attitude towards your colleague.

How not to answer

If the HR manager does not ask you to name your strengths and weaknesses, then on your own initiative do not start a conversation about it. But if the question is asked, then answer quickly. Don't be silent and embarrassed. But remember, you are not in confession, do not pour out all your positive and negative qualities on the recruiter.

If we try to formulate a basic rule for effectively answering a question about advantages and disadvantages, it would be this: “Tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” A mature person knows that he has both strengths and weaknesses, and he is not embarrassed to admit it. And even more so, he will not lie and fuss about himself.

Work.ua reminds you that lying on your resume and during an interview is the worst assistant in building a career. Therefore, be honest, first of all, with yourself, be convincing, believe in yourself and your answers. And don’t forget that confidence is an important factor when getting a job.

It's hard for me to refuse anyone

Some people just don't know how to say “No” - and that's actually a problem. If you find it difficult to refuse a new project or a “trifling” request from a colleague, you may end up taking on too much and not getting anything done.

If you think that your biggest weakness is the inability to refuse, tell about it as a success story: how you took on all the work tasks, almost reached burnout, but caught yourself in time. Now you keep a diary or use an application, where you can immediately see what projects are in work and how busy you are.

Qualities that shouldn't be mentioned

There are things it's better not to talk about. If a potential employee reports that he is lazy, he is unlikely to be hired. When the position is high, a bad decision would be to talk about the fear of taking responsibility. Such a person blames others for all failures. You can’t rely on him or trust him with anything.

Other things best left unsaid:

• commercialism and thoughts only about money, salary and promotion;
• lack of punctuality;
• addiction to romance novels, gossip, intrigue, etc.

But people who are really serious about finding a job will definitely not mention this. After all, their goal is to find a decent position with a good salary in a prestigious company.

Often, applicants do not talk about bad habits that they cannot give up. Subsequently, such employees take frequent smoking breaks. On holidays, they can drink during working hours and set their colleagues up for it. They are often distracted by phone calls and spread gossip. Some are initiators of conflicts.

Human strengths

List:

• Strong thinking;
• Learning ability;
• Professionalism;
• Discipline;
• Love for your work;
• Responsibility;
• Activity;
• Hard work;
• Confidence in your strength;
• Determination;
• Patience.

Many who wish to obtain a management position can indicate the following qualities:

• work to achieve the expected result;
• the ability to find new prospects for development;
• manifestation of initiative, activity;
• ability to persuade;
• ability to motivate;
• presence of leadership skills, you are ready to be responsible for any results and are ready to take risks.
• self-confidence, perseverance, courage;
• Every time you strive to develop your capabilities and self-development.

character strengths in their resume

• courage;
• honesty;
• justice;
• reliability;
• responsiveness.

Weaknesses of a person

Before filling out the column, you need to think carefully about your answer. Remember that ideal people do not exist and managers always want to see how much a person can adequately evaluate himself. Several options for human weaknesses:

• reliability;
• difficulty in communication;
• excessive directness;
• slowness;
• love of formalism;
• restlessness;
• hyperactivity;
• fear of air travel;

If you want to get a job, then you need to think about your weaknesses and give an accurate answer. For example, an accountant might write:

• inability to lie;
• straightforwardness;
• distrust;
• self-esteem;
• integrity;
• responsibility;
• lack of flexibility in complex issues;
• modesty.

These examples can be used as a basis when creating your own resume. Already at the first interview you can see your desire to work and how sociable you are.

Source: https://pristor.ru/silnye-i-slabye-storony-cheloveka-v-rezyume-luchshie-primery/

It’s not always possible to separate work and personal life

Blurring the boundaries between personal life and work is a common problem for remote workers. First, you give in to the temptation to do some personal business during working hours, and then you work instead of resting.

It gradually turns out that all thoughts are only about work, and there is no time left for family and hobbies.

If the same happened to you, be sure to tell us about it, and most importantly, how you solved the problem. How did you restore your work-life balance - set your working hours? Have you included time for family and hobbies in your schedule? decided to work only in the office?

By the way, this information will be useful to the employer: it is better to immediately agree whether you can stay late after work or work on a day off.

“Where do you see yourself in five years/ten years?”

This question is a test of your ambition, the adequacy of your assessment of professional experience, and whether you set long-term goals and whether you plan to achieve them. The answer depends on whether you are truly ambitious. If yes, then according to Natalya Ionova from CAF Group, it is even appropriate to answer that you want to take a leadership position. But you need to do this in such a way that your plans do not look like a threat to the career of the manager who is interviewing you. In this situation, Ionova shares, the appropriate answer is: “I think that by this time I will be able to significantly increase my competence, which will allow me to rise to the next level.” But it’s better not to specify exactly what level.

If you are quite comfortable holding one position for a long time or you have enough changes in the horizontal plane, feel free to say that you plan to develop in your field in order to become an expert and join more complex projects: study, go to conferences, exchange experiences with colleagues.

In any case, Natalya Makhmutkina believes, there is no point in inventing or embellishing a career path that you are not going to follow. If from the very beginning you say that you want to take a leadership position in the company, but in fact agree to horizontal growth, then they will ask you more than you can give. Don’t reveal your grandiose plans during an interview with a company where you cannot implement them. Ionova adds that there is also no need to say that you have no plans at all, just as there is no need to delve into personal prospects.

• Fox hunter. How to recognize a problematic employee in an interview
• Main question. How to bring your interlocutor to clean water
• Groundhog Day: how to survive a career crisis

Linking weaknesses and strengths to the characteristics of professions

Find out what qualities are required for the position

Before making a personal list of positive and negative qualities, you need to carefully read your resume. It indicates what an ideal company employee should be like. Some recruiters even describe this in detail. From this it is worth highlighting the pros and cons for yourself.

Initially, you need to decide on the type of profession. There are 5 of them. They are associated with:

• technology;
• nature;
• other people;
• sign system;
• in an artistic way.

What is suitable for type 1 will absolutely not satisfy the requirements of another category. The rule works here - the weaknesses of one profession can become an advantage for the second.

If the work involves communication, then stress resistance is important. It is necessary for the employee to be able to control his emotions and remain calm in any situation.

When talking about the positive aspects, you need to mention those that will create a competitive advantage over other applicants. When applying for a job as an accountant or salesperson in a small company, the employer is unlikely to pay attention to the candidate’s leadership qualities. But in a company that is just entering the market and plans to actively develop, such an applicant will be very interesting.

“Why did you leave your last job?”

Whatever you answer to this question can be used against you. After all, for an HR specialist, this will be a projection of how the employee will behave when leaving the company for which he is interviewing. Therefore, even if your previous place of work was hell on earth, the boss was a tyrant, and the team was a ball of snakes, experts advise keeping this knowledge to yourself.

If you are simply tired of your previous job and want to change something, you should not admit it either. To a potential employer, says Makhmutkina, this may signal that the employee may also get bored with the new job at any moment, which means he is capable of letting him down and it will be difficult to count on him. It’s also not worth telling that you were not satisfied with the salary, the tasks were uninteresting, and career growth was not expected. By the way, these are the answers, says Olga Petrovskaya from Cornerstone, that are the most popular. But in this case, the HR specialist will most likely ask whether you tried to do something to correct the situation. Therefore, if you decide to answer this question in this way, prepare for several levels of uncomfortable questions.

In general, when you hear this question, advises Natalya Ionova from CAF Group, try to talk less about the company and people with whom you worked, focus better on your own projects: what you managed to do, what successes you achieved. The correct answer, adds Petrovskaya, will be related to the desire to develop and grow as a specialist. And be sure to mention that you completed the tasks for which you came in the previous company. In this case, the future employer, she says, will have the impression that you are finishing what you started.

Why does the employer ask this question?

He wants to get to know you better

You spend most of the interview talking about how good, professional, competent and responsible you are. But it is important for the employer to know about your weaknesses in order to understand how critical they are and whether you can ultimately work together.

He wants to see how you rate yourself

The ability to see your shortcomings and work on them is very important and speaks about your adequacy. It is much more pleasant to deal with a person who is capable of self-criticism and growth than with someone who is sure that he is good in all respects and does not need to grow. For the same reasons, you may be asked to talk about professional failures that befell you in the past.

What weaknesses should not be included in a resume?

Weak character traits must be included correctly in your resume.
Not everything is worth writing about. It may seem to the candidate that this is a harmless trifle, but for the recruiter it is a reason to refuse, since the flaw interferes with the work. You shouldn’t write too many shortcomings, 2-3 traits are enough. Do not indicate negative characteristics if they are directly related to professional activities. For example, a programmer may be shy, but this trait would not suit an event host or account manager.

Weaknesses that are not advisable to include in your resume:

• conflict;
• laziness;
• habit of lying;
• difficulty concentrating on the task at hand;
• amorousness;
• selfishness;
• absent-mindedness;
• lack of willingness to make decisions;
• lack of punctuality;
• excessive irritability;
• frequent mood changes;
• increased aggressiveness;
• capacity for physical violence.

When pointing out shortcomings, you should focus on the characteristics of the position held
. What is negative for one profession will help in another. There are positions where an increased level of activity is required, while in other places excessive communication skills will interfere. Or the manifestation of tough character traits is required, but the person is soft and non-conflicting by nature.

Resume template

I like clear instructions

There are some employees who feel confident only when they have clear instructions: deadlines, tasks and how to complete them. If such an employee is given only a goal, he is lost and does not know how to achieve it.

It all depends on the position. Some specialists are prohibited from deviating from the instructions, while others, on the contrary, are given complete freedom of action. If it’s difficult for you to make decisions, but you have to do it every day, tell us how you learned to be independent, what difficulties you overcame and what successes you achieved.

Name a disadvantage that in some circumstances can look like an advantage

What shortcomings can be mentioned at an interview so that they look like advantages? Most guides on how to properly apply for a job advise you to list your weaknesses, which can also be considered strengths. What disadvantage should you mention during an interview? Example: “I am a workaholic. At times I need to spend too much time on a job to check everything and be absolutely sure that I am doing it correctly.” This answer suggests that you spend a lot of time getting the job done, but you promise management that it will be done flawlessly. This is how you can turn a disadvantage into a very serious advantage.