Turning Weaknesses into Strengths
If you're like me, your Myers-Briggs personality type is probably a strong indicator of your strengths and weaknesses. I'd bet that if you were to ask someone who knew you well what their perception was of your strengths and weaknesses, they would probably be able to tell you right away what they thought those things were. And while it's good to know your strengths and weaknesses as an individual, it can also be helpful to know which ones are shared by other people with a similar personality type—especially when trying to identify them in job candidates.
Weaknesses
Weaknesses are a necessary part of the job application process. It's important to be honest, but it's also important not to make yourself look bad by using a weakness detrimental to the job you are applying for. Here are some examples of weaknesses that don't work:
"I'm not very good at managing my time."
"I don't have any experience in this field."
"I'm terrible at socializing with people I don't know."
“ I have a hard time getting to work on time.”
Here are some examples of weaknesses that do work:
“I have limited experience with a certain technology or skill.”
“I have difficulty delegating tasks.”
“ I can struggle to manage a good work/life balance.”
Turn the weakness into a strength
It's OK to have weaknesses. It's better than OK: it shows that you're human. But you don’t want to answer the question by dropping your weakness and adding no context. The key to this question is to show what you are doing to overcome the weakness.
Be honest about your weaknesses, and then talk about how you are working on overcoming them in a way that will help show off your skills and boost your confidence! For example, if one of my main weaknesses is organization, I could share with my interviewer how I've improved by creating systems for myself, like calendar reminders for upcoming deadlines or weekly checklists for recurring tasks like filing paperwork or cleaning out my inboxes(and yes, those things do need regular maintenance!).
Examples:
Weakness: I am nervous when I am asked to speak in front of an audience.
Context: I joined Toastmasters and am working on getting more comfortable speaking in front of an audience.
Weakness: I have limited experience with advanced Excel functions.
Context: I started taking a Microsoft Excel course I found on YouTube and am learning how to do formulas, pivot tables, and much more.
If you've ever watched a reality TV show, you know that the contestants are often forced to tell their biggest weaknesses. Watching them squirm as they try to come up with an answer that doesn't make them look bad is entertaining. But when it comes down to it, what does honesty mean in this context? Is there such a thing as being too honest? We think so!
