Job Hunting Answers: Weaknesses & Strengths
Interviewing for a job makes most people very antsy, but if you take time and learn as much as possible about the company beforehand, you have a tremendous advantage. You also should research some of the questions that many interviewers ask, and practice your answers with a friend or family member. A good question to start with is, "What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?" In answering this, always turn a negative into a positive and remember that you may have characteristics that fit into both categories.
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Goal Oriented
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Respond to the question with information on how you handle goals. As a weakness, being overly focused on completing a goal leads to inflexibility when other urgent matters arise. In this case, tell the interviewer that you have learned the importance of being able to adjust to changing circumstances while maintaining the quality of your work.
As a strength, telling the interviewer that you are goal-oriented requires a little more information. For example, has that resulted in your meeting deadlines or sales objectives consistently? If so, include those measurable results in your reply.
Time Management
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Provide details on how you manage time. As a weakness, a person spending too much time double-checking work might get behind schedule. Balance that by offering information on how you have created systems so that you complete tasks correctly from the get-go.
As a strength, time management ties into organizational skills and overall efficiency. Be ready to provide some examples of how you apply your time management ability. For example, an excellent illustration of time management is describing how you rearrange your workload to accommodate overflow projects from elsewhere in the company without your normal tasks suffering.
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Work Ethic
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Inform the interviewer about your work ethic. As a weakness, perhaps in the past you over-committed to various projects and then found you couldn't complete them. This "weakness" tells the potential employer that hard work is part of your vocabulary. Offset the weakness by adding that you have learned your limitations and discuss time lines before accepting projects now.
As a strength, a strong work ethic speaks highly for a potential employee. Give the interviewer viable examples, such as how much paid time off or sick time you have banked in the last year.
Team Player
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Discuss your ability to work effectively with others. As a weakness, some people have trouble delegating because they worry that someone else will complete a task incorrectly or not at all. That illustrates dedication. Balance that weakness by indicating the awareness that each person has skills to bring to the table, and there's a tremendous benefit to using those skills effectively.
As a strength, being a team player means that you like working with others. The team should motivate you to even greater things. Talk about the ideas developed and any subsequent achievements that came out of a teamwork scenario. You may find some great examples of teamwork in past volunteer efforts, if applicable.
Diplomat and Peacemaker
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Touch on the importance of staff cooperation. As a weakness, some individuals spend inordinate amounts of time trying to keep the peace or please everyone. That may negatively affect duties, but it shows genuine caring to the potential employer. Offset that by adding that you have since learned how to judge your priorities and also how to use the chain of authority to resolve issues when necessary.
As a strength, knowing how to resolve stressful situations in the workplace creates a strong foundation for positions in Human Resources, Corporate Compliance and Management. Again, have some specific examples without revealing any identities. Doing so illustrates sensitivity to confidentiality.
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References
- Carnegie Mellon Career Center: The Best Answers to Tough Interview Questions
- North Virginia Community College: Questions Employers Ask Candidates
- Hobart and William Smith Colleges: Sample Interview Questions with Suggested Ways of Answering
- Federal Citizen Information Center: Employment Interviewing
- Job Hunt: Handling the Question: What's Your Greatest Weakness?
Resources
- Photo Credit la rencontre image by Yves Damin from Fotolia.com
