How to deal with the answer so as not to lose your chance of getting your dream job?
The first step is to prepare
If you have thoroughly practiced answering potential questions from the recruiter before the interview, do not forget to make a list of your strengths and weaknesses. It is important that you speak about them consciously and with conviction. If you start to think of answers while you are asked to state your pros and cons, it will be easy to see that you are actually improvising and not being credible.
Tell me about the benefits first
Choose your 2-3 strengths based on the position you are applying for. Think about which of them might be important and useful, and be sure to include examples. This can be, for example, effectiveness and persistence in achieving the goal, as evidenced by the leading position in the ranking of salespeople in the current/previous job. By giving examples of your strengths, you will prove that you are telling the truth.
As for the cons, here’s a tougher nut to crack
First, you need to realize that there is no man without flaws. You shouldn’t be afraid to talk about them. It’s best to pick 1-2 weaknesses that you actually have. It is not worth pretending to be someone you are not, as often the other party will easily notice that you are talking about something that does not apply to you. You can “mitigate” the issue of flaws by listing the weaknesses you are trying to fight. Here, too, it is worth using an example and telling specifically what resolution you have made regarding a given defect and how you implement it. Example: “I was smoking 10 cigarettes a day. I asked my relatives for support and colleagues from work to make sure that I do not smoke more than 3 cigarettes at work, similarly at home. Now I smoke 4-5 times a day and I am gradually reducing the amount. ”
The best answer to the question about disadvantages is to provide such weaknesses that can be treated as an advantage in the position for which we apply. For example, you consider excessive detail as a disadvantage, which can be a strong advantage when working as a graphic designer, architect, accountant, or copywriter. When you mention too much about the opinion of others as a weakness, it may turn out to help you, for example, in your daily work with a difficult customer who is dissatisfied with the quality of the product and you intend to help him in such a way that he is ultimately satisfied with the proposed solution.
You can also give a defect, which from the point of view of the position will not be of great importance. Here, however, it is worth being careful not to overdo it and not to mention the defect, which is totally abstract in relation to your profile. If you have studied accounting for five years, and have been an accountant for two years and you say that you cannot speak in public, it is quite understandable and completely irrelevant in your profession. After all, that’s not what they teach in this field of study and that’s not what you did at work.
Be authentic
Remember that when specifying strengths and weaknesses, authenticity is important and how you confirm your strengths and defend your disadvantages. By citing specific ways of dealing with weaknesses and examples from working life that prove your strengths, the recruiter will know that he is dealing with a conscious and courageous person. During the job interview, try to be honest, but it is worth ignoring those disadvantages that may affect the results of work in a given position. There is a limit to honesty. This makes the question of weaknesses the least liked by candidates.
