Advantages and disadvantages. How to answer questions about the pros and cons?

“What are your 3 strengths and weaknesses”?

The question about your advantages and disadvantages will be asked at each of your interviews.

Candidates hate him!

If you are among them, or are wondering:

“Which strengths of the employee are best presented to the employer?”

“How to answer the question about the weaknesses?”

“What is the impact of the answer to the question of strengths and weaknesses in an interview on the decision to hire?”

The answers can be found in this article .

In addition, you will learn to:

• how to answer the question “my strengths and weaknesses”
• how to present a weakness as a strength
• whose weaknesses never reveal to the employer

Want to get ready for a job interview right away? Use our tool to avoid getting caught by the recruiter with any questions.

See below how Answer the Strengths and Weaknesses question in an interview to increase your chances of employment.

Free ebook. Want to prepare for an interview and receive more job offers? Download the free ebook: “50 Most Common Interview Questions” (download the ebook)

I. How to prepare to answer the question about strengths?

Asking about the strengths of an employee during an interview is almost certain. So be ready to answer before you go to the interview.

Remember to prepare a list of your strengths that match your job posting.

Good:

list your strengths

share them into the categories:

• knowledge (e.g. certificate, knowledge of foreign languages)
• professional experience (e.g. team management, analytical thinking skills)
• strengths of character (e.g. ability to work in a group, openness to criticism)

Wrong:

going to the interview qualifying program with the thought “I’ll give you a few strengths that will come to mind.”

Now pick up the advertisement for work and read them again. Read the “requirements” section. From the strengths you have listed, select 5 that most closely match the job offer.

See how to do it on the example of a job advertisement forwarder:

strong and employee weaknesses examples

Employee strengths as a forwarder in this company are:

• caring for business relationships
• negotiation
• accuracy (record keeping)
• knowledge of English or German
• teamwork
• commitment
• good organization of work

If there are any of the strengths listed above on your list, please tell your employer about them in an interview. He will have the impression that he has found a candidate who meets the requirements of the offer.

To increase your chances of employment even more, list your strengths on the sheet. Practice talking about them.

Make sure each strength is supported by an example.

Thanks to this, the employer will believe that “teamwork” or “commitment” are not empty words.

See examples:

• taking care of business relations

I can establish and maintain contacts with contractors. I always inform them first about the latest promotions and also send them thank you cards for cooperation after a successful transaction. Thanks to this, 90% of contractors come back to me on subsequent orders.

I always try to negotiate win-win. My clients know that I am trying to meet their needs as much as possible. I often get thanks from clients for professional and satisfactory solutions.

• accuracy (record keeping)

The documents I prepare do not require correction. Thanks to this, I save my work time, but also the time of other employees.

• knowledge of English or German

I work in English on a daily basis. Our partners are mostly companies from Scandinavian countries with whom I communicate in English.

I like working with people and I’m good at it. The projects that I implement with other team members are always ready on time. My colleagues appreciate me for my support, but also for my constructive criticism.

I try to get all shipments on time no matter what. If that’s not possible, I don’t leave my clients without explaining the situation and apologizing.

I keep the documentation in order. I don’t waste time looking for documents because I have all of them accurately described and arranged.

If you follow an example of each strength, you will show your effectiveness . This will make your employer more willing to hire you.

Stating strengths without examples is just one of the mistakes in an interview.

In this article, you will see some of the other most common mistakes candidates make when interviewing:

“Job interview – 7 mistakes you make”. (read)

II. How do I answer the question about the weaknesses?

This is one of the toughest questions in an interview. If you get it wrong, you might even lose your chance to get a job!

Do you feel like an exaggeration? Imagine you are an employer looking for an accountant. You ask the candidate about the weaknesses and she replies:

“My faults? I think accuracy is my weak point.”

Would you like to hire an inaccurate accountant? Chances are good you don’t.

This is what your employer thinks of you if you don’t skilfully answer the question about your weaknesses.

See why your employer is asking you o Your weaknesses:

• I want to know if your defect (s) will affect your work. (Eg accounting and accuracy)

• Checks that your defect will not make you feel bad in your work environment. (Eg reticence in a section where everyone talks to each other)

• Asking about defects is inconvenient. The employer asks them because they want to know how you react in uncomfortable situations.

The following tips will help you answer your weaknesses question effectively in an interview.

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See other templates, create CV and download PDF document here .

1. Is it worth saying “I have no flaws”?

This is the worst answer to the question about weaknesses! Everyone has faults, including you and your employer.

If you say that you have no weaknesses, you may find your employer overconfident and defiant. Some employers will think that you have not prepared for an interview, so you do not care about work.

How to answer?

Wrong:

“I don’t have any flaws” / “I don’t remember any bigger defects “.

Good

List at least one flaw.

In the next bullet you will learn how to skillfully present it.

2. How do you show your strength with a weak side?

This is a very effective technique for answering a question about weaknesses in an interview.

Each defect should be presented in two sentences below:

1. Admit your weakness.

Example:

“I used to be a lot late”.

2. Show how you handled it.

Example:

“I entered a plan I made a bet that I would try to optimize my latency rate to 2 in the first month and to 0 in the second month. This way I’m hardly late today. “

Note that in response to the question about the weakness, you showed the employer some strengths:

• noticing the problem
• motivation to change li>
• consistency in action

The employer becomes confident that you can deal with problems. Every employer wants to hire an employee who solves problems. As a result, your chances of employment increase.

Also read: Character traits for your CV: what to enter and how to do it? [15 traits]

3. How do I choose a non-essential weakness?

What is a non-essential weakness? This is a defect that has no effect on the position you are applying for!

Examples:

You are applying for a creative position such as a graphic designer or marketer. A disadvantage that you can mention is reluctance to report.

“My weak point is preparing reports. I get lost in the sheets to be filled in. I’m glad that in my in the daily work, reporting is not necessary “.

If you are applying for a customer service position, you might consider a non-human contact job as a weakness.

“My weakness is my reluctance to work only with the computer. I like when something happens when I can talk to clients”.

Remember so that the defect you tell your employer does not affect your job.

This is one of the common mistakes made. In this article you will see what other mistakes are made by candidates who do not get a job after the interview:

“5 types of candidates who do not get a job after the interview “(read)

4. Choose a weak side that can be easily eliminated!

Some faults are easy to fix, others very hard. Tell the employer about a defect that is easy to change, e.g. through work. Don’t lie though, as an experienced recruiter will detect a lie right away.

Strengths and Weaknesses Examples:

Good:

“I get nervous when I speak in public”.

This is a common weakness. However, it can be easily eliminated with training and exercise. Your employer will not disqualify you on this weakness.

Wrong:

“I’m very shy and have trouble speaking at meetings”.

Shyness hard is to fight. It’s an element of character. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being shy.

However, the employer may assume that a shy candidate will not fit into the department in who work with strong personalities.

Or maybe your shyness comes from the lack of confidence in your level of English?

See how to prepare for an interview in English:

“Interview qualification in English – questions and answers, phrases and examples “(read)

5. Don’t think of a question about a weakness as a police investigation!

Don’t tell a story about your weak side in detail. For example, if you have trouble getting up, just say that you were sometimes late. Don’t tell your employer details like:

• which time you set the alarm clock for and how many times you snooze
• that you were in such a hurry to work that you didn’t even brush your teeth
• that you were driving through the city 100km / h

Remember that storytelling around your weaknesses makes your employer remember them for longer. Focus on describing your strengths in detail. Just mention the weaknesses.

Summary

You now know how to effectively answer the Strengths and Weaknesses questions in an interview. Below you will find the most important rules for talking about your pros and cons. If you keep them in mind, you will increase your chances of employment:

Good:

• be prepared to answer strengths and weaknesses before the interview
• select strengths that match the requirements in the job advertisement
• support each strength with an example
• present the weak side to show the strengths

l e :

• talking about strengths not related to work at all
• employee strengths without giving examples
• saying you have no weaknesses
• telling long stories about weaknesses

Free ebook. Want to prepare for an interview and get more job offers? Download the free ebook: “Top 50 Interview Questions” (download the ebook)

Check out the complete knowledge book if you are looking for information on how to answer other questions during an interview:

“Questions during an interview – a compendium of knowledge” (read)

Do you also need to write a cover letter? In our wizard you will find modern patterns to fill in and practical advice. Create a cover letter in 5 minutes here .

See other templates, create a cover letter and download the PDF document here .

Do you have your proven weaknesses that you tell employers about? Do you think the question of weaknesses makes any sense? Have your say in the comment.