Nobody likes to confess their faults and shortcomings, however nobody is ideal. And in a job interview, pretending to be excellent can really harm your candidacy.
Recruiters and hiring managers wish to ask job candidates about their strengths and weaknesses to gauge a candidate’s truthfulness, picture of self and, in fact, areas that could possibly be improved.
In the event you’re on the lookout for a brand new job utilizing a job search board like ZipRecruiter, right here’s how highlighting your strengths and proudly owning as much as your weaknesses will help you discover a job that’s the proper match and keep away from disappointment on the finish of the interview course of — or touchdown a job you battle to hold out.
Frequent Strengths and Weaknesses
So, what are your strengths and weaknesses?
It’s one of many hardest and commonest interview questions, proper up there with questions on your causes for leaving your job.
The hiring supervisor or recruiter gained’t count on you to itemize each single one among your strengths and weaknesses. Reasonably, they need to find out about your strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the job description.
The strengths and weaknesses your interviewers will need to find out about could possibly be smooth abilities or technical abilities.
Listed here are some widespread strengths that employers generally search for in job candidates:
- Teamwork: You’re employed nicely with others, particularly in conditions by which it’s quicker or extra environment friendly to collaborate with coworkers.
- Management abilities: You don’t draw back from taking a number one position, together with the accountability that comes with it.
- Focus: You aren’t simply sidetracked from the duty at hand.
- Multitasking: You possibly can juggle a number of priorities and reorder them when obligatory.
- Integrity: You all the time make sure the job is finished the proper means with no corners minimize or guidelines bent.
- Creativity : You have a tendency to have a look at issues otherwise and give you much less typical options.
- Flexibility: You don’t break when you must bend to accommodate altering priorities.
- Element Oriented: Nothing will get previous you, particularly the necessary particulars.
- Group Expertise: You recognize precisely the place your instruments, initiatives and property are at any given second.
- Self-starter: Nobody has to inform you when you could do your job. You get to work when one thing must be achieved.
- Writing abilities: You’re clear and environment friendly in your written communications, even in case you don’t have extraordinarily sturdy writing abilities.
Listed here are some widespread weaknesses individuals listing throughout job interviews:
- Self-doubt: Typically you aren’t positive in case you’re doing issues the proper means.
- Inexperience: You lack expertise with a device, a way or a accountability within the job description.
- Lack of Consideration to Element: You aren’t that detail-oriented. Typically, you miss necessary particulars both since you’re working too quick or simply fail to acknowledge them.
- Impatience: Typically, you get pissed off when issues don’t transfer as rapidly or as easily as you’d like.
- Disorganized: You generally lose sight of instruments, initiatives or property.
- Lack of Creativity: You normally don’t give you a brand new means of an issue.
- Shyness: You are likely to draw back from the highlight, together with management roles.
- Poor Communication Expertise: You’re not all the time forthcoming with well timed data.
Easy methods to Promote Your Strengths
Nobody needs to look unhealthy of their job interviews. When requested about your strengths and weaknesses, you must strike a steadiness between not overselling what you’re good at and never focusing an excessive amount of on stuff you battle with.
When requested about your strengths, don’t listing all the things you suppose you’re nice at. Deal with the issues you understand you do greatest and which are most relevant to the place.
In the event you can’t establish your strengths by yourself, take into account asking a coworker or a good friend. You could possibly additionally suppose again to any teaching or efficiency critiques you acquired from previous or present bosses.
Easy methods to Body Your Weaknesses
Tie your weaknesses to your skilled development. In your responses to interview questions, attempt to assist your interviewers perceive how far you’ve are available shoring up your weaknesses in your skilled life.
In the event you really feel your management abilities might enhance, for instance, inform your interviewers about the way you’ve volunteered for management alternatives to enhance. Exhibiting them that you simply’re working to enhance exhibits them that you’ve self-awareness and could be coached up.
Employers normally offer you a cheat sheet with most of the solutions they need to hear — the job description.
Instance Solutions for Interview Questions
Listed here are some instance solutions you should use as templates to your responses in your subsequent job interview.
What are your biggest strengths?
I really feel that a few of my biggest strengths are my skill to focus, multitask and maintain observe of all the particulars of my assignments. Through the years, my supervisor has entrusted me with a heavier workload and has remarked on my skill to remain on job and steadiness my priorities effectively.
Breakdown:
This respondent listed a number of associated abilities, which is extra plausible than itemizing a dozen strengths. In addition they use their supervisor’s belief in them as proof of their skill to handle a number of duties effectively.
What are your biggest weaknesses?
Primarily based on suggestions I’ve heard up to now, I really feel like my communications abilities might use some enchancment. I’ve taken this suggestions to coronary heart, and I’ve labored to be extra vocal within the office. I particularly attended a collection of Lunch and Be taught classes at work with the purpose of bettering my management abilities.
Breakdown:
This reply to the interview query acknowledges a weak spot upfront, with out going into an excessive amount of element about how massive the difficulty is.
It additionally exhibits that this respondent listened to suggestions and took steps to enhance their communications abilities.
Discover a Job That Performs to Your Strengths
Each job would require a sure set of soppy abilities and technical abilities. However how are you going to focus your job search on job alternatives that demand your greatest abilities?
Get personalised job suggestions from a digital recruiter named “Phil.” ZipRecruiter integrated the ability of synthetic intelligence to permit Phil to make your subsequent job search straightforward and environment friendly.
Simply inform Phil your expertise and your profession targets. Then Phil will get to work scouring job postings, analyzing tens of millions of information factors and sending you a brief listing of probably the most related jobs.
There are tens of millions of lively jobs on ZipRecruiter, and it’s good to know you’re not alone in your job search. Whereas Phil saves you time on looking jobs, ZipRecruiter’s One-Click on Apply enables you to apply to open jobs immediately — all it takes is one click on to submit your resume and profile to employers.
Prepared for a wiser job search? Getting began with ZipRecruiter is so simple as making a free account and importing your resume.
