Strong and weak professional qualities in the resume. Weaknesses in a resume - examples

The weaknesses of a person in a resume show how objective he is in relation to himself. Rarely does anyone include such an item on their own initiative. But if the employer himself provides a questionnaire to fill out, such a question may well appear there. We will tell you what weaknesses to indicate in your resume in order to fulfill the requirement and not spoil the impression of yourself. We will also teach you how to turn them into advantages.

What flaws to indicate in a resume: an example

Do not write that they do not exist at all. Ideal people do not exist, and overly narcissistic people are reluctant to hire. But it is not necessary to list all the weak qualities of a person. Your task is to demonstrate that you are quite critical of yourself, and not to expose your vulnerability.

Win-win negative character traits for a resume:

excessive demands on oneself and others;
increased responsibility;
pedantry;
hyperactivity;
shyness;
incredulity.

All this is not very good for everyday life, but for work it gives significant advantages.

Sample

Weaknesses in a resume: examples of transformation into virtues

Finding your weaknesses is half the battle. The next step is to use them to your advantage. If there are free columns where you can paint the details, do it. Point out how good your shortcomings are in your resume: for example, a distrustful person will not cooperate with dubious suppliers.

If the questionnaire is concise, then these issues will be discussed at the interview. It is better to prepare for it properly. And our cheat sheet (table) will help you with this. But even if you do not plan to give explanations, it is useful to know how your manager will perceive your minuses.

My weaknesses


shy	I maintain subordination. I will not conflict with colleagues. I won't sit with the boss. I can't be rude to a client.
Hyperactivity	I will not sit idle. I will do everything and more. I can’t sit on the sidelines when I need to take the initiative.
slowness	I will not miss important details in a hurry. I will not bring chaos to the workflow. I will not bore clients and colleagues.
exactingness	I will not allow myself to work half-heartedly. I can organize a team. I will negotiate effectively. I will do my best to achieve results.
Reticence	I won't waste my time on chatting. I won't talk about company business where I shouldn't. I talk less, I do more.

Obvious flaws in a resume: examples

Some cons are better left unsaid. Especially if they go to the detriment of professional duties. So, for example, the mentioned laconicism is good for an accountant or a programmer. But a sales manager or a teacher cannot be silent, otherwise the effectiveness of his work falls.

Therefore, strengths and weaknesses must be compared with the specifics of the profession.

Inappropriate character weaknesses in a resume (examples)

Profession	Invalid cons
Supervisor	credulity; emotionality; insufficient activity; shyness; frivolity.
Client Relations Specialist	reticence; irascibility; slowness; propensity for formalism; straightness.
Lower level workers	ambition; self-confidence; stubbornness.
Representatives of creative professions	inability to be flexible; propensity for formalism; self-doubt; pedantry.

This question is asked by most job seekers when faced with the need to write a resume for the first time. . On the one hand, we understand that everyone has flaws. On the other hand, it is important to present them to the employer so as not to harm yourself. So, what are the shortcomings should be indicated in the resume?

You will probably come across this question when looking for a job. First, try to make a list of possible disadvantages. Remember what acquaintances and friends usually tell you about this: “You always ...” or “In general, you tend to ...” or “Well, you are famous ...” or “It bothers you ...” You can ask relatives and colleagues to give you feedback on what you really lack in professional terms, what skills should be improved, what personal characteristics to work on. You will receive a lot of valuable information with which something can already be done.

Remember that information must be credible. At the interview, the employer may ask you to give arguments and examples from your life and professional career, confirming both your positive aspects and shortcomings. You may be asked what this or that quality of yours manifests itself in, ask your attitude.

When listing shortcomings, try avoid formal and socially desirable responses such as laziness, hyper-responsibility, "honest workaholic", perfectionism, honesty, decency, excessive self-criticism, excessive exactingness (especially for leadership positions), "too much addicted to business", "too stubborn in achieving goals", " I have my own opinion," etc. Such qualities cannot be unambiguously classified as negative or positive. Rather, they indicate that you do not want to answer the question about the shortcomings. Indicate both personal qualities and professional ones. Avoid ornate phrases like: "I consider shortcomings as a continuation of my strengths" or "There are shortcomings, but they are not related to professional activities."

Specify shortcomings specifically. Indicate 2-3 qualities, no more. It is very important that your shortcomings should not go against the key requirements of the vacancy for which you are applying. For example, "self-doubt" may be a neutral quality for jobs that do not involve constant interaction with people, but be critical for a claims manager job.

Paradoxically, but the willingness to talk about their shortcomings sooner arrange the employer. Indicate not only your professional features, but also the qualities that characterize you as member of the work team. It is better to honestly indicate characterological traits and features of temperament in order to avoid future conflicts at work.

Here are a few examples indication of shortcomings in the summary:

prone to formalism
excess weight
restlessness
not very punctual
slowness
hyperactivity
impulsiveness
fear of air travel
"it's hard to say no"
increased anxiety
straightness
irascibility
"requires extrinsic motivation"
isolation
self-confidence
mistrust of people
"I can raise my voice"

This is a conditional list. You may have your own ideas about what flaws to point out. Remember that it is better to know your shortcomings and work on them than to avoid answering both to the employer and to yourself. Good luck with your resume!

We decided to prepare our own version of the analysis of the question for an interview in a common piggy bank, perhaps some of our fellow recruiters will come in handy not only as an example of how to arrange a job for, but also in work. And the topic - one of our favorites - is the question about the weaknesses of the candidates.

Applicants often consider this question about shortcomings to be provocative or tricky, they suspect the employer of wanting to find grounds for refusal, to take him at his word and other sins. Is it really? Let's try to figure it out.

Target

There are no ideal employees, there are those whose “features” the company can or cannot tolerate.

Asking in an interview the question: “What are your weaknesses?” or "What are your main weaknesses?", we want to evaluate:

openness,
the adequacy of self-esteem,
self-confidence,
ability to introspection and development,
the ability to talk about uncomfortable topics,
flexibility and ingenuity,
presence of critical deficiencies.

Restrictions

From the side of the candidate

Workout. Candidates are now preparing for interviews like they are for exams. Thematic sites and forums, career consultants and coaches do everything to make the applicant appear fully armed before the employer. Answers to standard questions are memorized to the point of bouncing off the teeth.

On the one hand, this is bad, since it is becoming more and more difficult to get something even remotely resembling sincerity from a candidate. But on the other hand, the main part of the "assistants" listed above strongly recommends not to lie at the interview, which is good. In addition, if the candidate took the trouble to prepare for the conversation, it means that he is serious about his career, does not like to let everything take its course, and the vacancy is important to him. And this is a "plus" in his piggy bank.

From the side of the recruiter

The temptation to play detective. In pursuit of the weaknesses and shortcomings of our future employee, it is easy to go too far. You should not make sure that the interview focuses on this aspect. The candidate may have an unpleasant feeling that can affect his perception of the company as a whole and scare him away from further cooperation.

In the issue of weaknesses, it is important for us not only WHAT the candidate says, but also HOW he presents information. This is precisely what gives us the opportunity to deal with learned and unnatural answers. Behavioral reactions, calm or nervousness, length or monosyllabicity of phrases, the ability to give examples will say much more than the content of the answer.

To whom, when and how do we ask a question?

It is most logical to ask this question after the candidate has told about himself, his experience and achievements. It can be addressed to candidates for any vacancies. The ability to soberly evaluate yourself is important in every business. Ranking should rather be expected from the answers. Managerial positions require a much higher capacity for reflection than executive ones. Potential managers can be asked to give examples of professional failures, to describe lessons learned and steps taken to remedy the situation.

Rules for evaluating the answers received to the question about the shortcomings of the candidate

Let's make a reservation right away that it is possible and necessary to evaluate the answer to the question about weaknesses at the interview in conjunction with what the candidate says throughout the interview.

Comment

"I have no flaws"

Couldn't be worse

Almost a clinical case.

The candidate is not set up for dialogue, is closed, cannot evaluate himself, does not know his weaknesses or is not ready to discuss them, self-esteem is too high. He has no imagination and no sense of humor at all.

An attempt to reduce the question to a joke:

“I have the right not to testify against myself” and similar ironic remarks

A bit better,

but still bad

Irony and a sense of humor are very useful qualities. The candidate has them, we found out.

Otherwise, it is also closed, as in the previous version.

The seriousness of intentions regarding employment in the company raises doubts.

We repeat the question and ask you to take the answer more seriously.

Formal blanks:

“I am a workaholic and a perfectionist”

“I am so passionate about work that I forget about everything in the world”

“I can’t rest, I’m always drawn to work”

Qualities not related to work:

"I eat a lot of sweets"

"Can't Quit Smoking"

The candidate accepts the rules of the game and expresses his readiness to follow them formally.

Perhaps this is the influence of the very “respondents and assistants” that we mentioned earlier. A person has read a lot of “smart” books and articles, and thinks that this is how it should be, that this is exactly what the recruiter is waiting for.

We reveal the trick and give the opportunity to express their own thoughts in relation to the content of the vacancy.

Trying to get the recruiter to justify the question:

"Let's discuss the criteria for weaknesses, in which company regulations they are specified, and how they are measured"

Bad, with rare exceptions

This answer is only good if you are talking to a future legal adviser or trial lawyer. Such a grip may indicate a professional instinct.

In other cases, this is a block, a way to get around an unwanted question or an attempt to assert oneself at the expense of a recruiter. The last assumption makes you think about the personal qualities of the candidate. Do we need such a feisty teammate?

Disadvantages not directly related to job responsibilities:

For an accountant or programmer: “It’s hard for me to speak in front of a lot of people. I'm lost"

ForPR manager: "It's hard for me to work with large amounts of digital data"

For operatorcall center: “I have problems with grammar, it’s difficult for me to answer questions in writing”

Acceptable but uncertain

The candidate is ready to talk about his shortcomings, but not in the context of the vacancy he is applying for. It remains to be directed in the right direction.

We concretize the question, we ask you to concentrate on the position under discussion.

Partial lack of knowledge or experience as a point of growth. The strategy only works if the applicant is well informed about the goals and corporate culture of the company.

“My experience is somewhat less than what is stated in the requirements. On a formal basis, this is a minus. But if you look at it, I have experience, but there is no fatigue from work, and there is also a fresh look, a desire to improve in this area. I know that you have a young team and you strive to keep up the pace of development. Our goals are the same. I have a high motivation, and I am ready to prove it to you every working day. Professional burnout is not a threat to me for a long time. And experience, like age, comes with time.”

The candidate understands his weak side, speaks openly about it. He was clearly preparing for an interview. I studied the information about the company, analyzed it and came up with a way out of the situation.

We check the sufficiency of knowledge with the help of a subject expert.

The shortcomings must be known in person. If they cannot be defeated, then they must be used or compensated.

"I am an owl". My productivity in the morning is zero. That is why I chose your vacancy with a free schedule. I am much more productive at night than the average person during the day. There are no distractions, no unnecessary conversations and reasons to shirk.”

“I think badly. This does not mean that I do not like numbers, it's just that the computer counts for me. I am well versed inExcel and learned how to work with large data sets, analyze them and display them in a user-friendly format. I, like no one else, know how hard it is to work with numbers, so I write the most detailed explanations. I encounter computational difficulties only during the calculation of change in the store. Although recently I have solved this problem - I pay with a plastic card.

The candidate is self-confident, knows everything about himself. He calmly talks about, at first glance, impartial things. And he does it not without pride. He was able not only to identify his "demons", he defeated them and forced them to work for himself. Constructive, knows how to turn shortcomings into strengths, and respects the interviewer because he gives a complete answer to the question posed.

Additional questions

People do not like to talk about their shortcomings with strangers. For this there are relatives, friends, acquaintances. Of strangers, such things are shared only with fellow travelers. Therefore, sometimes you have to help the applicant, guide him, rephrase questions.

What qualities can, in your opinion, interfere with the performance of job duties? How do you plan to deal with it? Such a formulation allows a person to lead to the strategy that we agreed to consider correct - to be aware of their shortcomings and find ways to compensate for them.
Give examples of situations when your personal and professional qualities prevented you from achieving the desired result? We check the accuracy of the information. If a person came up with “beautiful” flaws for himself, it will be difficult for him to quickly compose such examples. If the information is true, then the examples will appear without problems.
What do you think, if we were to ask your previous manager now, how would you describe your weaknesses? We give the candidate the opportunity to look at himself from the outside.
What professional and personal competencies do you plan to develop in the near future and why? In fact, this is the same question, only in a milder formulation. We get the right information, and also find out the candidate's expectations in terms of training and development.

Everyone has flaws. They are not only the reverse side of the advantages, but also the potential for development. And it is also a safety device that does not allow a person to get into a business that is not at all his. A standard question at any interview: “What are your weaknesses?” Can make the candidate himself think about how correctly he chose the area of \u200b\u200bapplication of his strengths and protect him from the wrong career decision.

Everyone sooner or later faces the need to clearly identify all their strengths. Most often this happens at the time of writing a resume. The employer wants to see a list before the interview - the strengths of the person. In order for this question not to take you by surprise, you should analyze yours in detail.

Talent

It is on talent that all strong character traits are based. Each person knows perfectly well what he can do best.
It takes effort to develop talent. Few can achieve perfection, but everyone can hone their skills.

In order for talent not to go to waste, it is best to associate your profession with it. Life will be much more interesting if work is fun. For this, it is simply necessary that it suits a person in character, temperament, and meets his interests.

Work on yourself

The strengths and weaknesses of a person are closely intertwined with each other. No one can boast that he is perfect and has no weaknesses. A self-sufficient person always admits that he has flaws. There is nothing wrong. After all, human shortcomings are traits that, with volitional influence, make it possible to develop further, not to stand still. If you engage in self-development, then over time, a person can turn all the weaknesses into strengths.

It is not always easy to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a person. Their people are not inclined to hide, they know perfectly well what they can do best. However, sometimes people overestimate themselves, do not always correctly assess their capabilities.

If everything is more or less clear with positive character traits, then everything is more complicated with shortcomings. Few people are able to honestly admit to themselves that they are excessively lazy, constantly late, or cannot bring the work they have started to its logical end.

Weaknesses of a person, what are they? In most cases, people are characterized by laziness, excessive softness of character, shyness, problems with observing the daily routine, indiscipline.

Many human shortcomings are easily corrected on their own, while others cannot be dealt with without the help of a psychologist. Some human flaws cannot be removed. Under them, experts advise to adjust their own way of life so that they do not cause inconvenience.

Objective assessment

What are my strengths? On the one hand, the question is not difficult, but many cannot accurately characterize themselves. Assessing your capabilities is important. If self-improvement is also important to you, you should not neglect it.

By making a list of your strengths, you can understand what you lack for career growth, which means you can begin the journey to eliminate gaps in knowledge and opportunities.

Strengths: list

The combination of strengths gives a strong-willed character. There are qualities by which one can judge the strength of the human personality.

To be successful in your career and life, you need to have:

sociability;
Confidence;
professionalism;
Purposefulness;
analytical thinking;
Patience;
Learnability;
diligence;
Responsibility.

Developing your strengths

Professionalism

One of the strengths of a person is the ability to improve in a chosen area. Experts recommend every month to read at least one book in their specialty.

Analytical thinking, learning

These strengths of the personality are fully dependent on the level of intelligence. It, in turn, is determined by the genetic data and the training that has been received.

Discipline

To increase the level of discipline, you need to learn how to motivate yourself.

industriousness

Few people can boast of having this quality from birth. A person starts work not because he is tired of idleness, but only because there is such a thing as “necessary”. Each action performed brings a sense of satisfaction, which works as a great motivator.

Patience

You can't get everything you want right away. It takes time to reach the goal. The ability to wait is a valuable character trait.

Confidence, focus

These strengths come with acquired experience and skills. The more knowledge you have, the easier it is to follow the chosen path.

These human strengths can be supplemented by the following:

Courage;
Honesty;
Responsiveness;
Reliability;

People who possess all these qualities can control their actions and desires, manage their lives.

Exercises to determine your personal capabilities

Analyze your strengths and weaknesses. To do this, you need to remember what actions cause you the most positive emotions. Write them down in a notebook, starting with the most significant and ending with those that are the least pleasant.
The next step will be a reassessment of values. Rethink your life beliefs to understand which ones are strengths and which are weaknesses.
Remember the people whose opinion is valuable to you. Why do you respect them? What traits do they have? Do you have these virtues?
Remember the last time you were happy? What happened at that moment? Why were you happy?
After studying your answers, try to find similarities in them. Those features that will be repeated in most of the answers are your ideals, what you are striving for.
Determine if your beliefs match your real life.
Learn what is good and what is bad in the area where you live and work.
Determine if the environment is optimal for your personality development.
Conduct a survey in which you ask people who know you what are inherent in you.
Having received answers from loved ones, you should find in them all the common points. Make a list of the personality traits most people find in you.
Make a self-portrait. As a result, you will get a deep characterization of personal qualities.
Make a list of things you need to do to improve your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

Self improvement

Human shortcomings can be overcome only through constant development. It is impossible to ignore not only shortcomings, but also strengths of character, as well as talents. They require improvement, because even the most outstanding abilities, without daily training, weaken over time.

Each person knows what he can do best. Therefore, only rare individuals do not pay attention to them, do not engage in self-development.

Merits rarely cause problems. After all, there are a huge number of methods of self-development. And if desired, everyone can improve their abilities, make them brighter and more outstanding.

The situation is different with disadvantages. Everyone tends to underestimate them. If you do not see the problem, then you can get along well with it, but life will lose something important from this. You can stubbornly ignore your weaknesses, put up with them, but in order to develop as a person and as a professional, hard hard work will be required.

On the way to professional self-realization, every person, immediately after training, is primarily puzzled by finding a decent job. Unfortunately, in our reality, this is not at all easy to do, especially if you are a young specialist with no work experience. Each of you knows perfectly well how important it is to provide a potential employer with a competent, worthy resume during a job search.

At first glance, it may seem that writing a few words about yourself is not a big deal and does not require special knowledge. But with this approach, do not be surprised if you get a refusal from the next employer. The more solid the company where you are going to find a job, the more important a successful resume cannot be made completely universal. As a rule, it describes in detail their strengths as a person and professional. But no less important is the ability to correctly pay attention to your weaknesses in the resume.

Man is a multifaceted creature, and this is his integrity, not without reason Abraham Lincoln said that a person without flaws, as a rule, has few virtues. Do not be afraid to talk about your shortcomings, which in certain circumstances can become your main trump card.

If you need to write a resume in a free form, then focus on your strengths as a person and specialist. But how to correctly describe your negative ones in order to still get the coveted job?

The first general rule of writing a resume is an increased attention to the style of presenting information. You must write clearly and understandably, because at the interview there is an opportunity to get out and convey the necessary information in different ways, focusing on the reaction of the listener, and what is written is perceived unambiguously.

The main mistake that you should never make is ignoring the section of your resume where you need to enter your weaknesses. Many believe that admitting one's own shortcomings can get in the way of success.

However, this is a wrong opinion - the employer will automatically make a negative impression of you as a person with inadequate self-esteem.

Ideal people do not exist, the employer will appreciate your honesty if you briefly describe your negative qualities, guided by some important points.

Absence of a standard

It cannot be unequivocally said that a particular quality is positive or negative. In different fields of activity, the same quality can become both a weak and a strong side of an employee. You can give a simple example: if you are applying for a job in a team, then your bright qualities of a leader can only get in the way. But if you are applying for the position of a manager, then this quality is definitely your strength.

Be honest

Asking the employer to indicate your negative qualities as a person and specialist for a resume does not have the direct purpose of learning about your weaknesses. This is done in order to find out how self-critical you are, how aware you are of your imperfection and the integrity of your personality.

Only an adult mature person can adequately assess their strengths and weaknesses. A mature person in the eyes of the employer is a priori perceived as a more valuable candidate.

Point out the weaknesses that can be developed

It is very important to tell the truth about your negative qualities, but pay attention to the fact that you are working on yourself, and not just resigned to the presence of negativity, from the “Yes, I am!” series.

An example of such qualities: shyness or impulsiveness. You can say that these qualities manifest themselves situationally, but you are constantly working on yourself, in the first case, expanding your circle of friends, and in the second, trying to control your emotions.

Your weaknesses as a person can become strengths on your resume.

An example is this: you do not know how to say “no” and in your personal life this quality prevents you from being guided by your own desires. But in the professional field, such a quality can make you an indispensable worker who is always ready to carry out important assignments. This quality is especially valuable for specialists who work under management.

Present your strengths as weaknesses

This is an old trick that should be used very carefully. You can safely consider your workaholism, striving for perfectionism and increased responsibility as your trump card in your professional activity, but think twice before writing about it, because the employer may suspect you of insincerity.

A few tips in the video:

What specific weaknesses of your personality can become a trump card in the professional field?

However, in some cases it is best to be yourself!