Interview strengths and weaknesses: What to answer if a Recruiter asked about your Shortcomings

Interview strengths and weaknesses: What to answer if a Recruiter asked about your Shortcomings: Imagine that you are invited for an interview with an interesting company. You easily answer all the questions, but the recruiter asks you to talk about your shortcomings. How not to spoil the impression about yourself? Of course, there is no perfect answer, but the following tips may help you.

To begin with, it is worth remembering the typical mistakes that people make when talking about their shortcomings and never commit them.

Avoiding the answer (Interview strengths and weaknesses)

Some people choose to ignore the request to talk about their weaknesses or say that nothing comes to their minds. This response tells the recruiter that the candidate has not prepared for the interview and is afraid to say too much (or, even worse, maybe hiding something).

Trying to pass off positive qualities as disadvantages

For example, “I think too much about my job so I might work overtime” or “sometimes I work too hard and my previous employers liked it.”

Remember, recruiters are well aware of these techniques, and they are outdated.

“Recruiters have heard this hundred of times,” said Jim Cousins, HR expert at EssaySupply. “It’s an old trick and nobody’s buying it anymore, so don’t do that.”

Disclosure of a significant flaw (What to answer if a Recruiter asked about your Shortcomings)

Some candidates admit that they have such serious shortcomings that it could prevent them from getting the position. For example, if you are applying for the role of a sales manager and say that you don’t like talking to people, the recruiter may wonder if you are the right fit for the role. Honesty is great, but being overly revelatory can diminish your chances of getting a job.

What needs to be said

Now let’s move on to some things to keep in mind when talking about your negative qualities in a job interview.

Remember what the employer needs

Remember that the recruiter is asking about your shortcomings to see how well you will handle your job responsibilities. To understand which negative qualities or professional weaknesses you should discuss, carefully study the position for which you are trying to get a job and determine which weaknesses will be minor.

Explain how you want to correct your shortcomings

You should have a plan or a remedy for every flaw you say in your interview. This will show the recruiter that you are ready to work on yourself.

Disadvantages to talk about

Time management problems

If you are not good at managing your own time, say so, but add that reminders, alarms, and calendars help you cope with this lack.

Strong nerves due to deadlines

It’s okay to worry about deadlines, but if you get too nervous it can be considered a disadvantage. You can add that you are struggling with this problem and are trying to set more reasonable deadlines.

Excessive self-criticism

Say that in the past (especially at the beginning of your career) you were too critical of yourself, but now you are trying to celebrate your successes and work on self-esteem.

Shyness

Shyness in itself is not a disadvantage, but at work, you often have to communicate with many people, so the employer may consider this a disadvantage. If you have such a weakness, say that you are struggling with it and try to improvise and work on your speech.

Procrastination

Good old-fashioned procrastination. Many people have this disadvantage, and you may not be an exception. Tell the recruiter that you are trying to stick to a daily schedule that helps you fight procrastination. Interview strengths and weaknesses: What to answer if a Recruiter asked about your Shortcomings