How to write weaknesses in a resume example. Strengths and weaknesses of a person in a resume: examples of phrases for an interview

The recruiter makes the first opinion about the applicant, and, as we know, there will be no second chance to make a good first impression. Therefore, the point about character weaknesses often confuses the candidate.

Do I need to indicate my shortcomings in a custom resume? There is no definite answer to this question, but for most vacancies this is not necessary and will not be a significant disadvantage when considering your response. However, if such a question is in the questionnaire, then ignoring it would be a big mistake.

If you are filling out a resume on a job search site and there is this item, you should not skip it. You can limit yourself to writing standard 2-3 characteristics and move on to next point. But if you really want to make an impression, it's better to be thorough in filling out every item on your resume. If in a dialogue we can paraphrase a phrase, focusing on the behavior of the HR manager, then in a resume every sentence should speak only in your favor.

By including a question about weaknesses in the questionnaire, the employer certainly does not expect your absolute honesty. Rather, he wants to test the candidate’s ability to answer complex questions, not ignore the manager’s instructions, simply his adequacy. After all, if a person has nothing to tell about himself, then is he such a good worker and is it worth wasting time on an interview.

What answers should you avoid?

So how to answer tricky question about your shortcomings? First, let's look at what is better not to write:

You should not put a dash or completely ignore this point. For a recruiter, such an act is a signal of the candidate’s inattention, lack of desire to carry out complex or unpleasant instructions from his superiors, and inability to correctly evaluate himself.
Write a list of 10 or more shortcomings. For most companies, it is enough to indicate 2-3 qualities.
Describe those aspects of character that can really interfere with the chosen job. For example, laziness, conflict, unpunctuality, etc. will definitely not brighten your appearance in the eyes of your future boss.
Lie outright. Even if the quality you specified in the point about weaknesses will be perceived positively when evaluating the questionnaire, but in reality you do not possess it, the truth will quickly become clear and there will definitely not be any praise for deception.

Questions asked during an interview are aimed at giving the employer or recruiter the most complete answer on three main points:

ability to perform this work;
desire to do such work;
correspondence corporate culture companies.

Personal qualities are one of the main questions when meeting a candidate.

This information will help the employer or recruiter get an initial impression of the applicant not only as a specialist, but as a person.

Often questions asked with subtext are needed precisely to obtain information about the personal qualities of the candidate.

The employer undoubtedly wants to know whether your negative traits nature of implementation functional responsibilities and communication in a team.

Which ones are worth mentioning and which ones are not?

Very often you can hear the question from candidates: what positive and negative qualities should they name during an interview?

Employers are interested in employees with character traits such as:

determination;
organization;
initiative;
diligence;
creativity;
goodwill;
determination.

Tell us about them if you really have them. Give examples.

Often during an interview you are asked to name three negative qualities and three positive qualities. Think about this point in advance.

There is no need to say that you are professional, adequate, loyal, smart, charming. Other people can notice and name such qualities when talking about you, but not you yourself.

Never mention negative characteristics such as laziness, disorganization, short temper and the like.

In general, 3 negative qualities in an interview are, first of all, self-doubt, fear of the interlocutor and insincerity.

Do I need to repeat what is written on my resume?

The interview is conducted to get to know you personally and to check whether what is stated in your resume is true. Therefore, it is likely that the employer will ask you a question that has already been covered in your resume.

In addition, the employer may simply not read the resume thoroughly. When answering the question, tell everything in your own words. Depart from the templates, but be precise, but also do not allow any discrepancies in facts from the document.

It is unacceptable to answer a question like this: “It says so on my resume.”

How to talk about positive and negative qualities

No need to be modest!

In case you think that you do not have any outstanding qualities, just tell them what you have.

For example: the ability to concentrate - you focus your attention on a specific task and complete it without distractions.

A high speed work - always complete a task as quickly as possible, without procrastinating.

You should not take the question literally: “Tell me, what are your personal qualities that are shortcomings?” Not the best The best decision, answering this question, proceed to detailed description your weaknesses.

It is better to determine in advance which of your qualities have double meaning.

At first glance, these are disadvantages, but if you choose a different perspective, they may turn out to be advantages. Think about the wording and present your weaknesses so that they look positive.

Sample answer: “I usually pay a lot of attention to detail, and I know that in some areas of work such meticulousness is not important and is not always appropriate. But I see that for the position for which I am applying, this character trait should be useful.”

If your employer asked you to share three weaknesses, you could list the following: “Intolerance – I can’t stand disorder. Irritability – a little infuriating at the incompetence of employees.

I’m picky and meticulous – I don’t allow myself the right to make mistakes.” Here you can see that not very pleasant character traits turn into advantages.

How to talk about strengths and weaknesses.

Very often, recruiters ask for examples of strengths and weaknesses during an interview. This task can be played to the obvious benefit of the applicant.

Feel free to name yours strengths. Try to tell more about those that will be useful for the vacancy you have chosen, or for the situation in the company. For example, maintaining the ability to work under stress. Support your words with examples from the past. Think about sample answers in advance.

What is a bad quality to name in an interview? When answering a question about weaknesses, be careful and careful. There is no need to openly admit them to yourself. Instead, you can talk about minor gaps in areas that are not clearly required for the position.

Positive and negative qualities in an interview should equally present you in a favorable light. The main thing is to remember what shortcomings you can talk about at an interview, and what it is better to remain silent about.

If the recruiter insists on clarifying the weaknesses of nature, and not professional ones, then tell about 1-2, and those that cannot always be considered as weaknesses.

To be completely honest?

An employer asks you to name your weaknesses during an interview, what should you say? How to answer interview questions about weaknesses correctly?

To avoid the impression that you are not answering questions frankly, it is worth pointing out some shortcomings or gaps in knowledge, but most importantly, choose the right wording.

Honestly admit some of your shortcomings, name your shortcomings, but talk about them in a way that makes them seem more like positives.

If you have to say that you are not fully familiar with a particular type of activity, indicate only those areas that are not critical to the vacancy.

Think about your answers in advance. If you really want to get this job, then don't take the risk.

How to tell about yourself in an original way?

According to statistical studies, about 90% of applicants mention their responsibility, sociability and determination. It is clear that such qualities are unlikely to interest or draw the attention of the listener to them.

If you talk about general, common character traits that are undoubtedly positive, but everyone talks about them, it won’t hurt, but it won’t make you stand out from the general background of applicants.

You can take a different route: talk about rare qualities that match your character.

Better yet, provide examples of how these qualities were used, the positive role they played, or how they were viewed positively. By using this tactic, you have a chance to stand out and be remembered.

Remember that sometimes what is more important to an employer is not WHAT, but HOW you answer questions about personal qualities. Reasonable, logical, confident answers, as well as grammatically correct speech are of great importance.

Demonstrate positive attitude, the ability to adequately respond to complex or personal issues, the ability to find compromises and the right solutions.

Successful interview! Moreover, now you know exactly what weaknesses you can point out at an interview and how to correctly talk about your shortcomings in order to make a favorable impression.

When writing a resume, some firms and companies ask you to note positive and negative qualities in your application for a job. More often, this requirement is made by large companies with a large staff, where coordinated, teamwork of all employees is important.

We advise you to make a preliminary list of your positive and negative qualities in advance. When compiling a list, you should take into account the specifics of the company’s activities so that negative qualities do not become an obstacle to obtaining the desired vacancy.

When describing your positive qualities in your resume, try not to describe yourself as superior, stick to the “golden mean”. The description must contain objective, reliable information. If you are hired, it may later become apparent that the stated qualities do not correspond to reality and an awkward situation may arise.

You must be ready to provide reasoned support with examples from your personal life, professional activity presence of described positive aspects character. There are several basic qualities of a person that an employer will definitely pay attention to when reading a resume.

Performance	Here you can clarify that if you need to overtime work you are ready to offer your services and time. Pay attention to the desire to work quickly and efficiently.
Communication skills	This quality is important in teamwork. Focus on your ability to easily adapt to an unusual environment, crowd large quantity people, the opportunity to conduct dialogue with different categories of people.
Resistance to stress	This quality is in demand in work involving serious physical activity or requiring instant solution in complex emergency situations. When interviewing, provide real life examples.

The qualities listed below are optional, but will make your resume more complete and are guaranteed to draw the employer's attention to you as a person suitable for the available vacancy:

analytical thinking;
attentiveness;
discipline;
initiative;
creativity;
organization;
punctuality;
readiness to work to improve professional level;
hard work;
creative approach to the task.

Indicate those qualities that best suit the vacancy for which you are applying. Don't overload your resume with unnecessary details.

Negative qualities

There is no perfect person in every way. It is incorrect to write on your resume that you are devoid of negative qualities. Present negative sides character as a virtue, for example:

gullibility;
pedantry;
increased demands on yourself and your work;
straightforwardness in judgment;
distrust of unconfirmed facts.

It is important to understand and take into account the fact that characteristics in a certain situation will manifest themselves fully, so do not try to hide what is obvious. Be prepared to talk about what you think are your negative shortcomings. Don’t be ashamed to admit them, because you are ready to fight them in order to bring the company maximum benefit.

During the interview, stay calm and do not become overconfident. Try to look your interlocutor in the eyes and answer to the point. Try to convince the employer of professionalism and readiness to as soon as possible start working.

You can be an incredibly cool specialist and even a guru in some narrow field, but what is the use of this if the personal qualities for the resume were chosen incorrectly or were completely forgotten about? It would seem: they should look at work experience, and the employee’s business qualities for a resume are of secondary importance. In fact, how you present yourself in the “personal qualities” column can become fateful.

Before moving on to considering the qualities an employer needs, a little advice: forget about the words “commitment”, “ fast learner", "work for results." This is all great, but so old. Even if you want to write about such qualities, let them not be the only ones on the list of honor. Your characterization as a future employee will definitely not benefit from the scarcity and stereotyped presentation.

Let's start with general advice from professional HR specialists. In order not to waste their precious time on an interview with the wrong person or the wrong person, they will definitely pay attention not only to work experience, but also to personal qualities. And here’s what the HR people themselves advise:

You can value yourself very much as a specialist, but you don’t need to indicate more than 5 personal qualities
The qualities of an employee for a resume are indicated based on the position. We will write more about this later. But, for starters: an employee of a food warehouse will not need charisma when performing his direct job duties.
You can use humor, but only if you are not pretending to leadership position. The employer's preferences can most often be found out in advance in the job description.

Positive qualities of a person for a resume must correspond to the job responsibilities. That is why we have prepared a list of positions and personal characteristics for them.

Examples of business qualities for workers by specialty

Example #1: accountant. A lot depends on this person. Sometimes, even the life of the company depends on him and his ability to manage money correctly.

Strong professional quality accountants, which are important to indicate: stress resistance, perseverance, learning ability, loyalty, responsibility, non-conflict. And it’s not for nothing that we put stress resistance in first place. Conduct monetary transactions companies with a million-dollar turnover - why not be stressed? If the turnover is lower, the nerves are intact and the sleep is stronger.

Example No. 2: sales manager. The more he can sell, the better. The more new customers it attracts, the more confidently the company will develop. Yes, the life of the company largely depends on the sales manager. True, representatives of this position are not always rewarded with decent wages. But we will only talk about the good, and only about professional sales managers, for whom it is important to indicate the following employee qualities for their resume:

Sociability, stress resistance, presentable appearance, competently delivered speech, learning ability, responsibility. In the case of the sales manager, we put communication skills first. True, what kind of sales can there be if the manager does not know how to start a conversation, and even more so, “lead” the conversation with a potential client to the result necessary for the company?

Example #3: Secretary. For some reason, there is a stereotyped opinion that a secretary is an exclusively attractive person. And she is included, but many complex routine tasks fall on the shoulders of the secretary, depending on the needs of the company.

Personal qualities in a resume for a secretary: competent speech, attractive appearance, diligence, responsibility, perseverance, ability to work in a team, non-conflict. And here is the destruction of the template: primacy goes to “competent speech.”

Secretaries must be able to win over every visitor, be it an applicant for a position in the company or a potential business partner. The secretary is the first to create a general impression of the company. Have you ever met secretaries who couldn’t say two words? If you have met, you understand exactly why competent speech is so important.

Here we “went through” some of the most common vacancies that appear on the Internet every day in the amount of several dozen and even hundreds.

Why not pay special attention to IT specialists?

The professional skills of IT specialists are especially valuable today. Many companies are in need of incredibly cool specialists who can catch up and surpass their competitors, while increasing the company’s income several times.

Here's what IT specialists most often write about themselves in their resumes:

Analytic mind
Hard work
Skill to work in team
Ability to work with large amounts of information

Hard work, it seems to us, is approximately the same pattern as “determination” with “the ability to work for results. It is not hard work that potential employers want to see in the personal qualities column of their future IT specialist. Do you want to know what they want to see?

Here's what:

Independence
Initiative
Stress resistance
Energy
Responsibility
Skill to work in team
Attentiveness
Mobility
Creativity

This is the track record.

Business qualities, as you can see, have absolutely no importance for an IT specialist’s resume. In the first positions: independence and initiative.

True, what employer wants to get an IT specialist into their team, who will have to be constantly monitored or adjusted and reminded of something? Moreover, the IT sector is one of the few where narrow specialization does not allow management to influence the results in any way.

So it turns out that an IT specialist must be independent, proactive (where would we be without this), creative, etc. Resistance to stress is a plus for the karma of not only the IT specialist himself, but also the entire company. Without stressful situations in this work it is rare to get by, and deadlines cannot be missed, it is undesirable to show one’s emotions and losing a client is like the collapse of one’s own and corporate reputation.

Here is a list of qualities that IT specialists list least often in their resumes:

Charm
Bravery
Eloquence
Forethought
Strength of character
Skepticism

It seems to us that most of this list are very important personal characteristics for a resume. Especially if you want to join a creative team. Why not indicate bravery and charm? When communicating with clients and employees, these qualities will not be superfluous. True, everything should be in moderation.

Universal positive qualities for any resume

And finally, about the universal qualities that HR specialists recommend indicating in your resume without reference to the position and its requirements:

Fast learner
Honesty
Initiative
Stress resistance
No bad habits

This is a small but universal set. You can take note of it, but do not forget to indicate those personal qualities that the future employer expects from you.

And it’s very simple to write what you need: put yourself in the shoes of this employer. Think about what kind of specialist you would like to see on your team? The right employee qualities for a resume are not templates. You want people to pay attention to you, right? Then pay special attention to the “personal qualities” column, and the position will be yours, we are sure.

Not everyone requires you to list your weaknesses on your resume. But if there is such a clause on the form, then putting a dash through would be a mistake. Better look at an example of character weaknesses in your resume.

Before filling out the box in which you need to indicate your shortcomings, think about your answer. Do not miss it under any circumstances, because ideal people do not exist. As a rule, managers want to see how adequately you evaluate yourself. If you don't know what to write, look at the suggested options and choose something that suits you best.

A universal formula: select character traits that are an advantage for performing this particular job, but in ordinary life can really be considered a human flaw.

The following weaknesses can be written:

excessive directness, the habit of telling the truth face to face;
difficulty establishing contact with strangers;
inability to show flexibility in labor matters;
reliability;
increased anxiety;
excessive emotionality, hot temper;
love of formalism;
restlessness;
slowness;
hyperactivity;
fear of air travel.

All of the weaknesses listed in your resume can become strengths if you look at them from a different angle. An example is restlessness. For a sales representative or active sales manager, this can even be a plus. The same goes for reliability. This is a signal to the manager that you may be the person who will do all the overtime work.

All applicants should think about how to write my weaknesses for a resume. For example, future accountant or a design engineer might write:

distrust;
excessive scrupulousness;
increased anxiety;
excessive demands on oneself;
straightforwardness;
pedantry;
modesty;
inability to lie;
difficulties in establishing contact with strangers;
self-esteem;
lack of flexibility in labor matters;
integrity;
inflated sense of responsibility;
lack of diplomacy.

hyperactivity;
self-confidence;
restlessness;
impulsiveness;
the need for external motivation;
distrust, desire to double-check and confirm all information.

Disadvantages for one profession can become advantages for another.

You can also indicate in your resume among your negative qualities:

straightforwardness;
workaholism;
excessive love of communication.

Applicants for the position of manager must prepare before filling out this column. It is better to think in advance about what weaknesses to include in your resume. You can write to them about the following character traits:

excessive emotionality;
pedantry;
love for little things;
thoughts about work and planning occupy most of your free time;
increased demands on others.

A good example would be the following:

inability to respond to rudeness with rudeness;
tendency to make decisions based on one’s own opinion;
distrust of people and love of confirmation of facts.

Some applicants prefer to indicate that they:

overly trusting;
can raise their voice to subordinates;
straightforward, express their opinions without veiled embellishments;
hot-tempered;
always looking for confirmation of words;
have a hypertrophied sense of responsibility;
prone to formalism and pay excessive attention to detail;
irritated by clutter;
slow;
do not like to do something to please others.

Many are afraid to write about shortcomings, believing that the employer will immediately send their resume to trash can. Of course, you shouldn’t be too frank, but you shouldn’t completely skip this section of the questionnaire. In this case, you can write about some neutral qualities that will not affect your work in any way. For a person applying for any vacancy, among the inherent weaknesses one can indicate:

fear of airplanes;
arachnophobia (fear of spiders), vespertiliophobia (fear bats), ophidiophobia (fear of snakes);
excess weight;
lack of experience;
age (suitable for people over 40 years old);
love of shopping;
love for sweets.

This information does not characterize you in any way, it simply speaks about your fears or small weaknesses.

The following disadvantages can be mentioned:

I don’t always express my thoughts accurately;
I trust people too much;
prone to reflection;
I often analyze past mistakes, focusing too much attention on them;
I spend a lot of time evaluating my actions.

These are negative qualities, but they should not affect the work process.

Regardless of the position for which you are applying, you can write the following weaknesses in your resume:

I get so carried away with work that I forget to take breaks;
I can’t build relationships with colleagues because I don’t like gossip;
I can’t fight back in response to boorish treatment;
I constantly pass all situations through myself;
I let people get too close;
I don’t know how to swear;
I get noticeably worried when I have to lie.

Please note that there are items that are best left unindicated. You should not write, for example, that you:

love to be lazy;
afraid to take responsibility;
don't like making decisions;
unpunctual;
are often distracted;
you only think about your salary;
love office romances.

For example, if you write about your laziness in your resume, you run the risk that the employer will decide that you don’t want to work.

It is known that there are no phenomena or events that would have only positive or negative consequences, therefore each of the factors of the external or internal environment must have a comprehensive assessment of the mechanisms and results of the impact. In addition, it must be borne in mind that environmental analysis is carried out certain persons, who can evaluate events and phenomena differently, develop various approaches regarding the behavior of the enterprise in certain conditions. There is still a basic rule: you need to analyze the external and internal environment in their interrelation and dependence.

Strategic balance is a certain combination of negatively and positively influencing factors (threats and opportunities) affecting the activity of the enterprise, which objectively exist in the external environment of the enterprise and are subjectively changed by managers, with relatively strong and weak points in the functioning of the enterprise. In addition, the greatest threats arise when the negative development of the situation in the environment is superimposed on the weaknesses of the enterprise; opportunities are situations in external environment, a positive process or phenomenon in which an enterprise has the opportunity to demonstrate its strengths. It is necessary to identify threats in a timely manner in order to prevent a crisis of the enterprise, and knowledge about potential opportunities makes it possible to write in advance for their most effective use.

Drawing up a strategic balance in Western literature is called SWOT analysis.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE ENTERPRISE ARE USED IN SWOT ANALYSIS

Potential Internal Benefits

Potential Internal Weaknesses

competitive advantages(uniqueness)

the most important features in competence regarding certain activities

strong position in specific market segments, well-known leader

tough competitor in the market (use of aggressive initiative)

offensive strategy or other special strategy, justified "strategic set"

promoting growth in the number of target consumer groups or their loyalty

above average awareness of market conditions

knowledge of the most important strategic groups, possibilities of protection from competitors

concentration on fast-growing market segments

lack of real competitive

constant attacks from key competitors (competitive position worsens)

loss of competitive position as a result.

lower average growth rate

lack of some key skills to compete effectively

lack of financial resources, insufficient profitability

loss of reputation among consumers

“shepherding” in product development, narrow specialization or unjustified diversification

working in a strategic group losing its foundation, shortcomings in strategic activities

weakness in areas that have great market potential, insufficient attention research and development

product differentiation, justified diversification

competition to reduce costs

higher average profitability and

sufficient financial resources

above average marketing skills

above average technological and innovative skills

creative, entrepreneurial management

well-researched market, needs

ability to realize the capabilities of competitive personnel skills

image of a reliable partner

lack of action to mitigate competitive pressures

weak distribution system

high-cost production, aging capacity

production sizes are too small to influence the market situation or too large - the “disease of large companies” begins

lack of real specific management skills, lack of talent

a "newbie" in business whose reputation has not yet been proven

poorly chosen and insufficiently justified strategic actions (including market relocation), lack of a clear understanding of the strategic directions of development

lack of a strong position to deal with threats

GENERAL EXTERNAL OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS FOR THE ENTERPRISE USED IN SWOT ANALYSIS

To develop strategies, it is not enough to state the influence of certain environmental factors. To ensure the survival of the enterprise in the long-term trade union perspective, it is necessary to predict trends in the development of chances and thunderstorms. The fact that analysis and forecasting of trends should be carried out simultaneously is confirmed by the list of stages of conducting a SWOT analysis (Table 2.15).

The need to process large amounts of information predetermines the use of various statistical methods of data analysis: single and multifactorial, descriptive and inductive methods, methods of dependency analysis and methods of relationship analysis. In many enterprises, when applying SWOT analysis, regression, variation, discriminant, factor and cluster analysis are widely used. The use of a particular method depends on the level of scaling of dependent and independent variables, as well as the content of the phenomenon or problem that is the object of analysis. The quality of the analysis performed ensures the reliability of the forecasts constructed on its basis (see Section 2.7).

MAIN STAGES OF APPLYING SWOT ANALYSIS

Analysis of the current situation (diagnosis)

Future analysis (forecast)

1. Analysis of critical internal and external factors

2. Assessment of external factors (expertise)

5. Forecasting development trends for each (selected) external factor

3. Assessment of internal factors (expertise)

4. Who are we and what are our competitive advantages (disadvantages)?