
Have you ever been asked “Please tell me your weaknesses” during an interview and found it difficult to answer? Just when you’re trying to explain your skills and experience to show how you’re the right person for the job, these questions come across as false and can be difficult to answer. It’s difficult to express your weaknesses in a positive way, but a combination of self-awareness and a plan of action will give you an answer that will set you apart from your competitors.
When preparing an answer to this question, it is essential to identify your weaknesses and include content that connects to your strengths. This allows you to objectively analyze yourself and show off to the interviewer that you have ample future potential and room for growth.
Examples of disadvantages answers
Here we will look at your weaknesses, positive aspects and areas for improvement, and introduce some examples of how you should respond in an interview.
- You worry too much about details.
While being methodical is generally a good thing, a tendency to spend too much time on details can be seen as a weakness when it comes to moving projects forward. Show the interviewer that your attention to detail can help you avoid small mistakes.
Example answer:
“My biggest weakness is that I focus too much on the details of a project and end up spending too much time analyzing the details. Therefore, by providing opportunities to regularly check on progress and review the big picture, I I work hard to improve on these areas.I work hard to maintain productivity and meet deadlines while ensuring quality by paying attention to details.”
- Becoming a perfectionist at work
Even if you have completed the assigned work, you always think that there is still room for improvement before submitting it, and if you have a tendency to check details and try to improve until the last minute, you may end up threatening to miss the submission deadline. not. However, unstinting efforts toward improvement will also lead to the appeal of being able to create more sophisticated finished products.
Example answer:
“My biggest weakness is that I am a perfectionist when it comes to my work. I am my biggest critic and always find things that need improvement or changes until I am satisfied with my work. In order to improve the points, we have set detailed deadlines for corrections. By doing so, we are making sure that changes are not made until the last minute.”
- I’m not good at saying no.
People who have a strong desire to try new things are often people who can’t say “no”. Although you may seem dedicated and enthusiastic, your employer may think that you may not be able to complete your work on time and cause trouble to those around you. Showcase the self-management practices you use to organize your tasks and achieve more realistic results with those around you.
Example answer:
“My biggest weakness is that I cannot refuse requests and take on things that are beyond my control.In the past, there were times when this became stressful and difficult. To improve this, I use project management apps to visualize the amount of work I currently have and know if I can afford to take on more.”
- You become impatient with impending deadlines.
Employers value on-time work and appreciate people who try to keep projects within the planned schedule. Therefore, it is considered a weakness to express stress or dissatisfaction as the deadline approaches, or to miss the deadline. If you use these weaknesses in your interview, reflect on the work you completed on time and focus on improvements to be more efficient.
Example answer:
“My biggest weakness is that I get anxious when a project has a deadline. I try to increase my motivation and efficiency by checking my situation and becoming aware of the situation I’m in.”
- Lack of experience
Even though you have specialized knowledge or a field that you are good at, you may find that you wish you had been more proactive. It could be something specific like creating a pivot table in Excel, or it could be a skill like math, English, or public speaking. By talking about what you want to improve, you can show the interviewer that you are aware of what you are lacking and have a strong desire to take on challenges. However, be careful not to give an answer that suggests you lack experience in the skills required for the position.
Typical areas where experience is required include:
Communication through conversation
Written communication
Leadership
Analysis and analysis
Assign tasks
Providing constructive feedback
Specific tools and systems (e.g. I want to improve my PowerPoint presentation skills)
- Lack of confidence
Lack of self-confidence is a common weakness among people with little social experience. When you lack confidence, your work efficiency decreases. For example, even though your ideas may help the team achieve their goals, you may not feel confident enough to speak up in a meeting. Humility is important, but during the interview, be sure to understand the importance of confidence and the value of expressing your opinion, and emphasize how you can demonstrate this in the workplace.
Example answer:
“I have struggled with self-confidence in the past. By documenting the impact I have had on the team and organization, I have found that I can have confidence in the skills and experience I have. became.
I also felt that it was appropriate to express my thoughts and opinions during the meeting, and I endeavored to express my opinions in a way that would allow me to make a contribution. As a result, the team adopted my new financing process idea, which reduced the time it took to plan the annual budget by 10%.”
- I have a hard time asking for help.
He has a strong sense of responsibility for his work, and his willingness to work alone to overcome challenges is a quality that deserves praise. But asking for help when you don’t understand something, when you’re feeling stressed, or when you can’t handle the workload is a necessary skill.
Knowing how to rely on others when you need help can reduce stress, increase productivity, and help you grow your business in the future. Give examples of times when it was difficult to ask for help in the past, explain why you realized the need to ask for help, and explain what you have tried to improve your skills.
Example answer:
“I like to work quickly and steadily at my own pace, so I’ve never been good at communicating with others to ask for help when I need it. I learned that relying on my boss and colleagues when I’m tired and overwhelmed is beneficial for both myself and my team.
I was also able to realize that there are many colleagues around me who have specialized knowledge and skills for work that are different from mine. I’m still finding my way around, but by getting advice and communicating with people around me, I’ve been able to do higher quality work than before.”
- It’s difficult to work with people you don’t like.
No matter how friendly someone is, it can be difficult to work with someone you don’t like. Having the skills to build good teamwork means how you work with others and how you approach and coordinate your team to better serve your organization. It also means that you are always conscious of your actions. Describe the personality types you’ve had trouble working with and why, and tell a story about how you strived to work better toward a common goal.
Example answer:
“I have found it difficult to work with assertive people in the past. I understand that individuality and diversity make a business stronger, but I have found it difficult to work with assertive colleagues.” They tend to be unable to express their thoughts and opinions well.
Instead, I started spending more time with co-workers who I didn’t feel comfortable working with. By learning more about their communication styles and motivations, I’ve been able to work more collaboratively with colleagues than before, allowing me to leverage each other’s strengths and skills equally.”
- I can’t maintain a good work-life balance
We tend to think that it is admirable and right to spend our time and energy on work, but setting aside time to spend with family, hobbies, and rest can increase motivation and creativity at work and make you feel positive. I’ll give it to you. Describe how you have strived to maintain a balance between life and work and how your work has improved as a result. This also shows that you value work-life balance.
Example answer:
“I really like my job and have goals for career advancement, so I can’t say that I have a good work-life balance.However, if I only think about work all the time, I feel motivated.” I realized that it was having a negative impact on my ability to concentrate.
One day, I decided to set aside time to volunteer and spend time with my family, and my work quality improved and I was able to get more done. Even small actions such as turning off notifications on my cell phone during non-work hours helped me turn them on and off, and getting a good rest made me look forward to going to work the next morning.”
- I have difficulty responding to ambiguous instructions.
While following detailed instructions closely is certainly a useful skill, you also need to be able to judge what is needed to get the desired result. Many jobs require you to be experienced, thoughtful, and responsible for even vague workplace instructions. To address these weaknesses, you need to emphasize not only the success of following instructions, but also the steps you can take to figure out your own way when given vague instructions or goals.
Example answer:
“At my previous job as a marketing intern, I received very specific instructions from my boss regarding my responsibilities.I was used to having an established direction, so when I was presented with vague tasks or goals, I felt uncomfortable. I was often at a loss.I felt it was important to ask my superiors for guidance in order to resolve the issues.
My goal is to overcome ambiguity and become comfortable working, but also successful. To that end, I’ve created a personal framework to help me avoid confusion when I’m overwhelmed by ambiguous tasks, such as conducting structured research or seeking advice from experts. This allows us to work more smoothly with less specific or defined goals.”
Use these examples and other answers to identify areas for improvement and explain how you are working to overcome your weaknesses. By presenting both the problem and the solution, you can turn your weaknesses into strengths.
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