You must remember that nobody is perfect and that this possible employer knows that.
A really great way of telling someone about a flaw is to always add a
suggestion of improving that flaw. For example you could say, " I'm
always told that I am a bit too slow... but that's only because I want
to do the best job I can. I guess you could say I'm a bit anal when it
comes to perfection." An employer can only look at that as being a
great characteristic, and in no way a negative quality to possess.
Talking about your strengths is a tricky one; you do not want to come
across as egotistical. From my interviewee, an excellent answer I like
to get is this: " I am very headstrong. I really like to be challenged
in my job, and I just want to learn as much as I can in my position. At
the end of the day I need to be able to look back on my day and feel
good about the job that I've done. I guess you could call it sense of
self worth. That's why I always put my all into everything I do."
Here is more input and examples people have given for strengths:
- Your strengths should already be noted in your resume and
cover letter. Go over them (i.e., the strengths) again with the
interviewer.
- One of my biggest strengths is my communication skills. I
work very well with all kinds of people, and understand that everyone
has different perspectives about projects and work tasks -- so when I
work with others I realize that everyone comes to the table with
different priorities and objectives. I keep this in mind when I
communicate tasks that need to be accomplished with positive
reinforcement and awareness of what others are working on.
- A positive attitude will not differentiate you from the
crowd. A good attitude is expected of every employee. Also you should
back up what you say with an example. For example, don't just say you
have good customer service skills prove it by also telling them how you
won a comapny award or received positive customer comment letters for
your good service.
- My strength is my flexibility to handle change. As
customer service manager at my last job, I was able to turn around a
negative working environment and develop a very supportive team.
- Believe in myself; self-confidence.
- I have the ability to cope with failures and try to learn from my mistakes.
- I like to work in team and have been an active participant and organizer at several places.
- One of my greatest strengths I've acquired during my
education is good analytical and planning skills. This has always
benefited me to set goals and try to achieve them. But at the same
time, I'm driven by the thoughts of success.
- Full commitment to my work.
- Love to learn new things.
- Having good interpersonal skills.
- Well organized and like to be neat with all of my work.
- A good helper towards those who need it.
- I am a team player and work well with others.
- I have great communication skills
- I am a quick learner. I have great problem-solving skills and am willing to learn new things to get the job done.
Here are notes and examples of weaknesses:
- You should answer with things you "are improving upon".
Example: I believe I should always be improving upon myself, good or
bad. You are answering the dreaded question without looking like an
egotistical maniac, and showing the interviewer that you see yourself
as a work in progress, trying to better all of your qualities.
- For your weakness, just pick one that is not going to
disqualify you from the job, and then follow up with -- this what
really matters -- the examples of what you are doing (or have done) to
fix your weakness. The most important point here is to show that you
learn from your mistakes and your weakness, and you are taking the
corrective action to fix the situation -- and stress that! For example,
if the job does not require public speaking, you can say that your
weakness is you are afraid of speaking in front of the public. Then
tell the interviewers that you have joined a Toastmaster club or public
speech course to overcome the problem. Remind them that when you
identify a problem, you actively take actions to correct it, and that
is how you do things.
- Don't try to use a cliche or try to present a strength as
a weakness by saying your weakness is that you are a workaholic. No one
will believe that answer. Being too emotional will make the recruiter
wonder if your interpersonal skills are lacking. Give a true weakness
but one of modest size. Shows that you have taken steps to correct the
weakness. For example you want to improve your MS Excel skills so you
are taking a course on that now.
- I used to have trouble with procrastinating, now I have
learned to write down a list of things that I need to do, and keep a
calender to keep track of deadlines, I have found that this not only
helps me to finish things on time, but it has also helped me to be more
organized.
- A weakness of mine would be the fact that I get nervous
when speaking in front of groups. I haven't had a lot of experience
with this over the past several years. Although I did join Toastmasters
International to help overcome this anxiety -- and feel much more
confident today when I need to speak in front of groups and give
presentations.
- I'm little egoistic when it comes to winning things and get a little ruthless too.
- Lose patience sometimes when I am not in a position to complete the assigned job in time.
- I have to work on having more patience and giving myself a break because I always want everything done at once.
- Tend to go to any limits while helping my friends.
- I am too focused on my work and I need to find more time to relax.
- I'm too focused on work and need to develop some after hours hobbies.
And examples of combination strength-weakness answers:
- I'm a workaholic person and love to dedicate myself to the
work I'm doing. But at the same time I forget to keep a balance between
other things which I'm trying to improve on.
- Take whatever is your best quality and also describe it as
your worst. It often is, as we are all made up like two sides of a
coin. Try it out with different qualities and accomplishments and see
how it works. For example ... The best thing about me is that I am able
to see the big picture in a situation. The worst thing about me is that
I can see the big picture in a situation. This is the best thing
because I can remove myself from the emotion of a decision that needs
to be made and act accordingly. It is a bad thing because I often can
see the conclusion quicker than the other participants in a project and
that can cause frustration sometimes amongst them.
Notes on interviewing
- This question unfortunately has become a staple in the
interview process and is an easy way out for an interviewer who can't
think of any other questions. The reason this is a bad question is
simply this: If someone has a weakness that could jeopardize his chance
of getting the job, he will never reveal it. So the only answers that
this question receives are false answers intended to placate the
interviewer. A good interviewer won't ask this question. I'm always
tempted to answer this way: "Mr. Interviewer, I always have a hard time
with that question. What would your answer be to the question?"
- A good interviewer wouldn't dream of asking someone this
question. As the interviewer, you will not get truthful answers from
the weakness part of the question, and as the interviewee, you can end
up coming across as egotistical and boastful when answering about your
stengths. A good interviewer shouldn't want to make you uncomfortable.
"My strengths are my ability to be flexible; I've seen companies go
through changes in structure and management philosophy. I've had to
adjust my style to the new environment several times. My weakness is my
tendency to over-work so I pace myself now."
The key is to turn the weakness -- a negative character trait -- into something positive.
Whatever you do, tell the truth. While there are certainly answers
that interviewers prefer to hear, it has to match reality. Why? First,
it's generally not good to get hired for a job that you're not matched
well for. If you like new, exciting, dynamic situations but you're
looking for a job on an assembly line, you're not going to be happy;
saying that you like repetitive work doesn't make sense. Second, any
good interviewer will check your references. If your answers don't
match what they hear, you're almost certain to lose the chance for job.
Don't ever list as a weakness the following: "I take
on too many things and work to hard, and just don't know where to
stop." It's a cliche, completely transparent, and I can tell you that
it rarely makes the desired impression.
This question is usually asked by prospective employers from
candidates applying to them for employment. To answer this question the
following procedure should be helpful:
1) Find out what nature of work "the team" in question does.
2) Assuming you are interested in that type of work, list what
formal training courses you have taken and qualifications acquired in
that field or a related field. Next, mention whatever practical
experience you in the field. List any relevant worthwhile achievements
you have made. Such specifics will carry lot of weight.
3) As a general plus point, say that you are a team worker and get on well with others, if you feel this is true.
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