What weaknesses to write in a resume. positive qualities in a resume for a secretary

Getting a first job is a troublesome and incomprehensible matter. In college, they don’t teach you how to fill out forms, and if they talk about it, it’s in a general sense, without specifics. That’s why young people get stupefied when they need to name a person’s weaknesses. What to write? How, in general, should we approach such points? How are the strengths and weaknesses of a person determined in the context of professional activity? Let's figure it out.

Self-knowledge

Let's start with the fact that a person, one way or another, evaluates his character, inclinations, and abilities. He knows more about this than anyone else. A person’s weaknesses are an obstacle that hinders his realization. We usually consider these to be laziness, absent-mindedness, gluttony, love of sleep, desire to have fun rather than work. But this has an indirect relation to the place of service. And is it worth telling your employer that you like to eat cakes three times a day? This does not particularly affect the performance of work duties.

When you need to talk about yourself, you need to focus on the conditions in which you will have to work. That is, analyze your qualities, identify those that will help you work, and those that will hinder you. Pay special attention to the point “person’s weaknesses”. Say too much and they will refuse to hire you. If you hide what is relevant, you will be fired in a few days. The moment is very subtle. It should be approached in a balanced, thoughtful, careful, but honest manner. Below we will try to fill out this item in practice in such a way as to avoid negative consequences. But first, take a piece of paper and write down what you consider to be your weaknesses. Don't think about work yet. Record everything that comes to mind. We'll sift out the excess later.

How to analyze your abilities

To describe a person’s weaknesses for a questionnaire, it is necessary to carefully understand the character, habits, and internal attitudes. Would you say that only a specialist can do this? You'll be wrong! Now you will see everything for yourself. Sit comfortably, armed with a pen, and make lists. Enter in the hotel columns the following:

• works well;
• likes to perform;
• It doesn’t work out at all;
• still needs to be mastered;
• causes disgust;
• it is done, but with a creak, without enthusiasm.

If you approach this process thoroughly, you will get the basis for identifying a person’s weaknesses for the questionnaire. This is, in principle, what specialists do. They extract this information during conversation, observation, and testing. But you know yourself, and therefore things will go faster. And to make your work easier, here is a list of what are considered weaknesses. Focus on this data, but try not to copy it. Use your own brains!

Human weaknesses: examples

The employer needs you to keep things moving and not stand still. A person is given a range of responsibilities that must be strictly fulfilled. His personality traits may interfere with his work. To identify such inconsistencies, a column is filled in that identifies a person’s weaknesses. Believe me, there is nothing shameful in this. We are all different, different from each other. One can command, the other is better at executing. Both individuals will find a place that will bring them satisfaction and profit, and benefit the common cause. Weaknesses can be as follows (for the employee):

• lack of inclination to communicate, low sociability;
• isolation;
• little experience;
• excessive emotionality;
• lack of specialized education;
• poor skills;
• conflict;
• lenient attitude towards lies.

The list is very approximate in order to guide those who are faced with the problem for the first time. Here you can add, for example, fear of public speaking (if necessary), inability to count money (if necessary), and so on. It should be based on the job responsibilities for which you are applying.

Strengths

By analogy, you can praise yourself in a questionnaire. Indicate all your talents, abilities, skills, experience. Eg:

• strength of will;
• endurance;
• durability;
• determination;
• calm;
• organization;
• clarity of mind;
• determination;
• communication skills;
• initiative;
• patience;
• love of truth;
• justice;
• thrift;
• business abilities;
• financial skills;
• tolerance;
• spirituality;
• analytics;
• ability to compromise;
• artistry;
• accuracy;
• respectful attitude towards leaders.

The list is also very approximate. It will be easier to correct it if they explain to you what you will need to do at work. Be sure to inquire. And from the responsibilities, highlight the skills that are necessary for their successful implementation.

What is desirable to hide

It is not recommended to lie when filling out the form. But there are moments that are better not to talk about. For example, you lack willpower. That is, there were no moments in life when it needed to be demonstrated. So you think that it doesn’t exist. Then just don't include this item. There's nothing wrong with that. Believe me, this quality, called positive by society, is questionable for an employer. If a worker is stubborn, having all the inclinations to achieve the goal, it is difficult to deal with him. Such people complain to the courts and can write a statement to the authorities. Why do management need these problems?

When filling out the questionnaire, focus more on business characteristics. This is where you have to be extremely sincere. Each item indicated in the questionnaire will be checked in practice. It will be awkward and embarrassing if you are caught in a lie. If you don’t know how to talk to a client, point it out. This is a profitable business - they will teach you. And for honesty you will receive bonuses, albeit intangible ones.

You know, interviews are usually conducted by people who know how to identify a person’s strengths and weaknesses. Examples constantly pass before their eyes. Involuntarily, you will learn to notice the subtleties and nuances of behavior and project them onto characters. When you come across such a form, fill it out and read what you write twice. It is necessary to take a look at your data as if from the outside. You have two lists. Look at the list ratio. It is desirable that there be three times more positive, strong qualities than weak ones. Judge for yourself, who needs a worker who can’t do anything and doesn’t want to? It is foolish to give such an individual a chance to grow. And what do you think?

Not everyone requires your weaknesses to be listed 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.

What to write

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.

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.

Linking weaknesses to the characteristics of professions

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

For all occasions

Many people are afraid to write about shortcomings, believing that the employer will immediately send their resume to the trash bin. 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 of 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.

Important nuances

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.

82 960 0 Hello! In this article we want to tell you about the strengths and weaknesses of a person. After all, everyone has to face this question when writing a resume or during an interview for a job.

Strengths and weaknesses of a person

The strengths and weaknesses of a person are closely related and should not contradict each other. Each person has their own disadvantages and advantages. As a rule, we are used to talking about strengths, but we are often silent about weaknesses.

An independent, goal-oriented and self-critical person always recognizes that there are many weaknesses in his character. And there's nothing wrong with that. We are all humans. But every purposeful person can turn his shortcomings into advantages through painstaking work on himself.

So, what are a person's strengths and how to find them? To do this, first of all, pay attention to your talents and skills. This is where you will find your strengths. When you have found your advantages, pursue them and develop them. This will allow you to open up to your fullest potential.

If you cannot independently determine your strengths for the questionnaire, ask your acquaintances and friends for help. Thanks to their opinions, you may discover advantages in yourself that you were not aware of before. And in some ways your opinion will agree with the opinion of your friends.

In addition to the strengths on your resume, there is often a question about your weaknesses. There is no need to be ashamed of them. If you claim that you have no negative character traits, this will become a sign to the recruiter of an undeveloped personality. Which is unlikely to help you get the desired position in the future.

Table 1 - Strengths and weaknesses

Your strengths if you:	Your weaknesses may include:
Results-oriented	Inability to remain silent in time
Tenacious	Excessive emotionality
Hardworking	Lack of willpower
Strong-willed personality
Confident	Inability to speak in public
Sociable	Excessive irritability and aggressiveness
Organized and independent person
You perceive information well	Formalism
Learn quickly	Hyperactivity
Responsible for their own actions and the actions of their subordinates	Fear of traveling by air and sea
Disciplined	Inability to lie
Love your profession and work	Integrity
Active and energetic person	Lack of flexibility
Patient	Modesty
Honest and don’t like to lie	Excessive self-criticism
You have organizational skills	Straightforwardness
	Love for formalism
Punctual	Pedantry
Are you a good performer?	Self-love
Scrupulous	Impulsiveness

Exceptions to the rules

When applying for a job, indicate in your resume those strengths that will help you get the desired position. After all, some of your strengths for a certain position may turn out to be weaknesses that an applicant should not have.

Here are the most common examples. To get a manager position, you shouldn’t talk about your ability to sing. This is unlikely to help you get a job. But if you tell a hiring manager that you are a good cook, this will indicate your discipline, creativity, perseverance and accuracy. After all, to prepare a new dish you need to spend a lot of effort and time on choosing products and on the direct cooking process. In addition, a good cook is always creative in creating a new masterpiece, but always follows it exactly in accordance with the culinary recipe.

Below we will give several examples of what qualities must be specified when applying for a particular position.

Table 2 - Strengths and weaknesses by specialty: examples

Strengths	Weak sides
If you are applying for the position of accountant, then you:
Assiduous	You don't know how to lie
Attentive to details	Always straightforward
Disciplined	Scrupulous
Punctual	Principled
Hardworking	Distrustful
Honest and decent person	Modest
If you are applying for a leadership position, you:
Initiative	Hyperactive
Active	A person with high demands
Goal oriented	Scrupulous
Assertive	Principled
Have leadership qualities	Pedantic
Love to develop and learn new things
Confident
If you are an applicant for creative vacancies, you:
Have a creative mind	Hyperactive
You know how to work for results	Modest
You know how to soberly evaluate your work	Emotional
Initiative
If you are applying for a manager or office employee position, you:
Sociable	Are you afraid of flying?
Results-oriented	You don't know how to lie
Can you listen?	Principled
Confident	Hyperactive
Speak competently
Punctual
You know how to find a way out of difficult situations
Attentive and polite
Responsive
Have a creative mind

The table shows that not all positive aspects should be indicated in the resume, since some are simply not needed to obtain the desired position or can be “harmful.” For an employment application, we recommend that you select such weaknesses that will help characterize you as a responsible person and worthy of holding this position. The negative qualities of your character should help you perform the functions assigned to you.

What else should you pay attention to in your application or resume?

• Be sure to indicate in your resume that you you always set goals for yourself and achieve them, that is, you are a goal-oriented person. At the same time, you show persistence and always follow the pre-drawn plan.
• It is also worth pointing out that if unforeseen circumstances arise, you will be able to find a way out of the current situation - you have creative thinking.
• Another important component of any successful applicant is self confidence. This will characterize you as a confident person who is not afraid to take a step forward. You are not inclined to panic due to unforeseen circumstances; you are calm and confident in your abilities.
• It is also very important ability to communicate with people. Let it be clients, colleagues, subordinates, suppliers. You just need to be able to find a “common language” with them, accept their point of view and correctly present your opinion.
• Another positive character trait that must be indicated in the employment application is responsibility. Whatever position you apply for, you must always be responsible for your actions. Otherwise, you will become a burden to the company, which will ultimately lead to your termination.

Also, when applying for a new position, indicate that you are highly trainable. You can give examples from your past work or university practice. When you come to a new company, at first you will need to study: learn about the company, the features of its activities and learn how to fulfill your direct responsibilities.

Exercises to identify strengths and weaknesses

Sometimes it is very difficult to determine your personal qualities on your own. Especially if you are nervous or writing a resume for the first time. To eliminate worries and unpleasant moments, make a list of your qualities before the interview. And we will help you how to do this. So:

1. Conduct an analysis of your character. To do this, remember what you do well and what you do poorly. And also, what qualities are needed to complete these tasks. Write everything down so you don't forget.
2. If you cannot independently assess your qualities, ask your loved ones and friends whom you trust to do so. They will help you find your strengths and point out your weaknesses.
3. Assess your surroundings. Determine what positive and negative character traits your friends have. Compare with yourself: what you have and what you don’t have. Write it down.
4. Next, evaluate the qualities you indicated. You need to select which of this list are your strengths and which are your weaknesses. Let’s say at university you couldn’t give a presentation in front of an audience. So your weakness is your fear of the public. But you made this report, which means you are a diligent, attentive, responsible and hardworking person.
5. Next, from the selected qualities, you need to choose your personal and professional qualities.
6. Determine what qualities an applicant for your vacancy should have. Write them down.
7. Now make a selection of your personal and professional qualities in accordance with the qualities that an applicant for the desired position should have. Write it down.
8. After the work has been done, identify your shortcomings and how you can overcome them.

Useful articles:

A person's weaknesses on a resume show how objective he is about himself. Rarely does anyone include such a clause on their own initiative. But if the employer himself provides a questionnaire to fill out, such a question may well appear there. We will tell you what weaknesses to indicate in your resume in order to both fulfill the requirement and not spoil your impression of yourself. We will also teach you how to turn them into advantages.

What shortcomings should be included in a resume: example

You shouldn’t write that they don’t exist at all. Ideal people do not exist, and people who are overly narcissistic are reluctant to be hired. But it is not at all necessary to list all the weak qualities of a person. Your job is to demonstrate that you are critical of yourself, not to reveal your vulnerability.

Win-win negative character traits for a resume:

• excessive demands on oneself and others;
• increased responsibility;
• pedantry;
• hyperactivity;
• shyness;
• incredulity.

All this is not very good for everyday life, but for work it gives significant advantages.

Sample

Weaknesses in a resume: examples of transformation into strengths

Identifying your weaknesses is half the battle. Next you need to use them to your advantage. If there are free spaces where you can fill in the details, do so. Indicate why your shortcomings are good in your resume: for example, a distrustful person will not cooperate with dubious suppliers.

If the questionnaire is concise, then these questions will be discussed at the interview. It is better to prepare for it properly. And our cheat sheet (table) will help you with this. But even if you don’t plan to give explanations, it’s useful to know how your manager will perceive your shortcomings.

My weaknesses

Shy	I maintain subordination. I will not conflict with colleagues. I won't fool the boss. I can't be rude to a client.
Hyperactivity	I won't sit idle. I will manage to do everything and even more. I can’t sit on the sidelines when I need to take the initiative.
Slowness	I won’t miss important details in a hurry. I won’t bring chaos into the work process. I will not tire my clients and colleagues.
Demandingness	I will not allow myself to work half-heartedly. I can organize a team. I will negotiate effectively. I will make every effort to achieve results.
Reticence	I won't waste my working time chatting. I won’t talk about company affairs where I shouldn’t. I talk less, I do more.

Obvious shortcomings in a resume: examples

Some disadvantages are better left unmentioned. Especially if they are detrimental to professional duties. For example, the mentioned laconicism is good for an accountant or programmer. But a sales manager or teacher cannot be silent, otherwise the effectiveness of his work will decrease.

Therefore, strengths and weaknesses must be compared with the specifics of the profession.

Inappropriate Character Weaknesses on a Resume (Examples)

Profession	Unacceptable cons
Supervisor	gullibility; emotionality; lack of activity; shyness; frivolity.
Customer service specialist	reticence; hot temper; slowness; penchant for formalism; straightforwardness.
Low level workers	ambition; self-confidence; stubbornness.
Representatives of creative professions	inability to show flexibility; penchant for formalism; diffidence; pedantry.

It seems that describing the advantages is a difficult task. In practice, it turns out that it is more difficult to list the shortcomings. A contradiction arises in my head: in my resume I want to show myself from the best side, but here are the disadvantages... What other disadvantages?!

Maybe this point should be omitted altogether?

Decide for yourself, but here is an argument in favor of mentioning the shortcomings.

A resume that portrays the ideal applicant is less credible than a text that conjures up a vivid picture. Common sense dictates that everyone has flaws. Do you think that you have no disadvantages? Two guesses come to mind:

• there are shortcomings, but the candidate carefully hides them,
• the applicant does not see any shortcomings in himself (few people have the desire to work with ideal people, to be honest).

Conclusion: Weaknesses are worth mentioning. This shows that:

• you are a living person with flaws,
• you know your weaknesses, which means you are improving.

As a final argument, we use a quote from Abraham Lincoln:

People who have no shortcomings have few virtues.

My shortcomings in my resume - where to describe them?

In the “Personal Qualities” section. First we describe the advantages, then we say a few words about the shortcomings.

How to describe?

In some articles you can find a recommendation: describe the disadvantages, but so that they look like advantages. That is, you can write “I am an inveterate workaholic, I don’t know how to rest,” in the hope that the employer will appreciate the tireless efficiency.

Any attempts to manipulate the opinion of an employer or HR manager are in most cases doomed to failure. HR people, as a rule, are good psychologists and see through manipulators at the moment (even if the manipulation is harmless). It makes more sense to be sincere and show yourself as the person you really are.

Describe perceived shortcomings

It’s good if you have long noticed an imperfection in yourself and are working on correcting it. Then you can safely describe this shortcoming - and be sure to add that you are improving and have achieved success in this area.

If there is no perceived deficiency, do some self-analysis. What prevents you from being more productive? Think about what your manager complains about: perhaps you lose sight of details, or do not organize your work day effectively, or are too emotional and it is difficult for colleagues to communicate with you.

Awareness of shortcomings is the first step to correcting them. So doing the work to find them is useful in any case.

Consider the scope of activity

Let’s say accountant Natalya writes that she is not diligent enough and does not like monotonous work. Agree, it’s strange if a specialist who works with numbers and tables every day, and whose work requires precision, mentions such a disadvantage.

Sincerity in a resume is useful, but not to such an extent that the applicant’s shortcomings scream: “Don’t invite him for an interview, he’ll ruin your job!”

Weaknesses in a resume - examples

A person’s weaknesses: how to describe them in a resume was last modified: June 4th, 2018 by Elena Nabatchikova