Your weaknesses in the summary. What weaknesses can you list on your resume?

14.10.2019

It so happened that some employers, when surveying, and sometimes in the job description, ask you to indicate your shortcomings and weaknesses in your resume. Thus, they want to simplify the selection of personnel, weed out unnecessary candidates, etc. In a word, HR managers solve their problems in a way that suits them.

Let's get to the point

For quite a long time I have been helping people write resumes and look for work, and I want to say that the topic of shortcomings in a resume rarely pops up. But if it pops up, I tell everyone the same thing.

Weaknesses in the resume do not need to be indicated. Not at all. Under no circumstances. Even if it is written in a vacancy or a special questionnaire that you describe your shortcomings, it is still not. No no and one more time no. Never write bad things about yourself!

There are several reasons for this.

  • Pointing out the weaknesses of the character in the resume increases the likelihood that your resume will be thrown into the trash. Someone will definitely understand your words “wrong” and decide that such a candidate is not needed. Let them first invite you to an interview, and there you will answer the questions of the employer and tell about yourself in all details.
  • Second moment - don't judge yourself. You may be biased and most likely you will. Many people are demanding of themselves and self-critical, they make an elephant out of a fly and scold themselves out of the blue. Let others judge you. Let the employer look at you, talk to you and draw your own conclusions. For him, your minuses can be pluses (and vice versa).

    For example, shyness can be highly valued. She can be seen as a calm disposition and accommodating. Similarly, an active and energetic person can be called an upstart and a troublemaker.

  • If you indicate weaknesses and shortcomings in your resume, this show your low self-esteem. Low self-esteem = low salary. Therefore, you do not need to be extremely honest in your resume, show yourself from the best side.

If you still need to write something?

If you have a questionnaire or a form on the site where there is a special column “your shortcomings”, write a neutral phrase.

Examples of indicating weaknesses in a resume:

- "Ready to answer your questions in person"
“I prefer to talk about it in person.”
- Just put a dash

No disadvantages - only advantages

I want to say a few words about the other side of the coin. If it is not necessary to indicate the weaknesses in the resume, then the strengths are necessary. This is really important. Focus on your strengths, strengths and skills. This will help the employer make the “right” choice.

Not everyone requires your resume to show your weaknesses. But if there is such an item in the form, then putting a dash will be a mistake. It is better to look at an example of the weaknesses of the character in the summary.

Please consider your answer before completing the deficiencies box. In no case do not skip it, because ideal people do not exist. As a rule, managers want to see how adequately you evaluate yourself. If you do not know what to write, look at the suggested options and choose something that suits you best.

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

You can write the following weaknesses:

  • excessive directness, the habit of telling the truth in the eye;
  • difficulty in establishing contact with strangers;
  • inability to be flexible in labor matters;
  • reliability;
  • increased anxiety;
  • excessive emotionality, irascibility;
  • love for formalism;
  • restlessness;
  • slowness;
  • hyperactivity;
  • fear of air travel.

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

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

  • incredulity;
  • excessive scrupulousness;
  • increased anxiety;
  • excessive demands on oneself;
  • straightness;
  • pedantry;
  • modesty;
  • inability to lie;
  • difficulty establishing contact with strangers;
  • pride;
  • lack of flexibility in labor matters;
  • adherence to principles;
  • overestimated sense of responsibility;
  • lack of diplomacy.
  • hyperactivity;
  • self-confidence;
  • restlessness;
  • impulsiveness;
  • the need for external motivation;
  • incredulity, 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:

  • straightness;
  • workaholism;
  • excessive love for communication.

Applicants for the position of manager need to prepare before filling out the specified column. It is better to think in advance what weaknesses to indicate in the resume. They can write about such character traits:

  • excessive emotionality;
  • pedantry;
  • love for little things;
  • thoughts about work, planning take up most of the free time;
  • increased demands on others.

A good example is the following:

  • inability to respond with rudeness to rudeness;
  • the tendency to make decisions based on one's own opinion;
  • mistrust of people and a love of confirmation of facts.

Some applicants choose to indicate that they:

  • overly trusting;
  • can raise their voice to subordinates;
  • straightforward, express their opinion without veiled embellishments;
  • quick-tempered;
  • always looking for confirmation of words;
  • have a hypertrophied sense of responsibility;
  • prone to formalism and pay too much attention to detail;
  • irritated by disorder;
  • slow;
  • do not like to do things for the sake of others.

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

  • 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 for shopping
  • sweet love.

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

The following shortcomings can be stated:

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

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

Regardless of the position for which you are applying, you can write such 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 a boorish appeal;
  • I constantly pass all situations through myself;
  • let people get too close;
  • I can't swear;
  • I noticeably worry when I have to lie.

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

  • like to be lazy;
  • afraid to take responsibility;
  • do not like to make decisions;
  • not punctual;
  • are often distracted;
  • think only about salary;
  • love office romances.

For example, by writing about your laziness in your resume, you risk: the employer will decide that you do not 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 the analysis of the environment is carried out by certain persons who can evaluate events and phenomena in different ways, develop various approaches regarding the behavior of an enterprise in certain conditions. There is still a basic rule: you need to analyze the external and internal environment in their relationship and dependence.

Strategic balance is a certain combination of negatively and positively affecting the factors (threats and opportunities) that affect the activity of an enterprise, which objectively exist in the external environment of the enterprise and are subjectively changed by managers, with relatively strong and weak sides in functional enterprises. 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 the external environment, a positive process or phenomenon in which the enterprise has the opportunity to show its strengths. It is necessary to identify threats in a timely manner in order to prevent the crisis of the enterprise, and knowledge of potential opportunities makes it possible to write in advance to use them most effectively.

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

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

Potential Intrinsic Benefits

Potential Internal Drawbacks

competitive advantages (uniqueness)

the most important features in the competence in relation to a certain activity

strong position in specific market segments, well-known leader

tough competitor in the market (use of aggressive initiative)

offensive strategy or other specific strategy, justified "strategy set"

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

above average market awareness

knowledge of the most important strategic groups, the ability to protect against competitors

concentration on fast-growing market segments

lack of real competitive

constant attacks from key competitors (competitive position is deteriorating)

loss of competitive position, as a result.

below average growth rates

lack of some key skills to compete effectively

lack of financial resources, insufficient profitability

loss of reputation with consumers

"grazing the back" in product development, narrow specialization or unreasonable diversification

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

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

product differentiation, sound diversification

cost-cutting competition

higher average profit and

sufficient financial resources

above average marketing skills

above average technological and innovation skills

creative, entrepreneurial management

well-studied market, needs

the ability to realize the possibilities of competitive skills of personnel

image of a reliable partner

lack of action to mitigate competitive pressures

weak distribution system

high cost production, aging capacity

the size of production is too small to influence the market situation or too large - the "disease of large companies" begins

lack of real special skills in the field of management, lack of talent

"Newcomer" to the business whose reputation has yet to be proven

poorly chosen and insufficiently substantiated strategic actions (including moving in the market), 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 TO THE ENTERPRISE ARE USED IN THE SWOT ANALYSIS

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

The need to process large amounts of information predetermines the use of various statistical methods for data analysis: one- and multi-factorial, descriptive and inductive methods, methods of dependency analysis and methods of analysis of relationships. In many enterprises, when applying SWOT analysis, regression, variation, discriminant, factor and cluster analysis are widely used. The application of one method or another 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 performed analysis ensures the reliability of forecasts based on it (see Section 2.7).

MAIN STAGES OF SWOT ANALYSIS APPLICATION

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)?

Good day, dear friend!

If you value concise answers, then the question “What flaws can be indicated in a resume?” - you will get it.I will answer right away, and you decide whether to read this article to the end or not.

The answer is as simple as five kopecks: in - no shortcomings should be indicated. I hope I didn't disappoint too much.

I can assume that you argue like this: there are no ideal people and everyone has flaws. And you're absolutely right, but...

What is the purpose of writing about the shortcomings in the resume?A resume should be written in such a way as to answer the question: Who are you and why do you need to be invited to?

How will your weaknesses help answer this question? That's right - none.

However, I would not put an end to this. We will need shortcomings very soon, namely, at the next interview. If not by phone, then in person, for sure.

Why do we have disadvantages?

1. The employer needs them

Everything is very prosaic. The employer needs shortcomings so that there is something to point out. A person who tries to hide his shortcomings does not inspire confidence. You will still find flaws, you can be sure.

2. You need them

Understanding your problems is the first step towards solving them. Your flaws are just as distinctive as your virtues. The desire to seem like a superman with a stone chin can not buy anyone now. Rather the opposite.

What not to talk about

  1. About the shortcomings, critical for work. If you are an accountant, but confuse debit with credit, this is not the case that you need to tell everyone about)
  2. Never use worn templates. For example: "I'm a workaholic and don't notice how quickly time flies." Such memorized phrases cause nothing but irritation.

“I tried to sell memorized bullshit” - your obedient servant saw such a record in the interview report of one of his employees. I guess comments are unnecessary here...

Your flaws should be as unique as you are.


Failure is also a plus

It's quite normal to have some sort of failure. For example, he began to accept delivery drivers without taking into account subsequent loading. Rather, he made a too superficial forecast. As a result, he recruited people, but they give few orders. Accordingly, the salary is low, people leave and you have to recruit again.

The most important thing in failure - what conclusions did you draw? Your obedient servant has learned to force his colleagues to make the correct forecast of customer orders and give me as an order for the selection of people. And everyone is fine.

By talking about failures and shortcomings, you show that you are a person with adequate self-esteem.

How do we make up for shortcomings?

Everyone has flaws and that's okay. The problem is if you do not compensate them in any way. That's right, not so much how you fight it, but how you compensate.


Example: I have a bad memory. I can easily forget some important things.

I can fight this as much as I want, and a year or two or more.

But I installed reminder programs on my smartphone. They do not forget anything and compensate for my forgetfulness. It’s even convenient, I write down everything I need, what I don’t need - I forget and free my brain for more important things.

Sometimes a disadvantage can even be presented in a positive light. For example, the same forgetfulness. I get quite a lot of confidential information from the people I talk to, but I forget it, which means I don't salt it to anyone.

My old friend, a colleague in the shop, is a person who is difficult to motivate with a carrot ahead. He is motivated to action by the f@pa in which he finds himself. He doesn't hide it.


Most importantly, he understands his motivation for avoidance and knows how to generate the energy that allows him, as a Baron Munchausen, to pull himself out of the quagmire in which he finds himself by the hair. And in the end - to solve the challenges.

Not every recruiter will understand you. Someone will measure with stamps. But an experienced and thoughtful recruiter will understand. Competent - will always understand.

Take responsibility

What is really valued at? Your adequacy and responsibility.

Show that you are willing to take responsibility for your successes and failures.

Talk about yourself as a person who is the only reason for everything that happens to him.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize once again

  1. We do not write any shortcomings in the summary.
  2. For the interview: We adequately evaluate ourselves. We find our shortcomings, which are clearly there. We talk about how these shortcomings are compensated.

Thank you for your interest in the article. I would appreciate a comment (at the bottom of the page).

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Have a nice day and good mood!

There are no perfect people, and employers are well aware of this. A person's recognition of his weaknesses speaks of the harmonious development of the personality and adequate self-perception. A self-confident candidate will easily name a few of his less prominent traits.

If you cannot be attributed to very confident people, then the answer to the question about the shortcomings should be worked out in advance, and it is best to reflect it in the resume. Experts do not advise to indicate more than three weaknesses. And they must be related to work. Don't point out that you don't like playing with kids when applying for an engineer job.

Examples for filling in the "disadvantages" column:

  • excessive emotionality;
  • workaholism;
  • restlessness;
  • pedantry;
  • modesty;
  • adherence to principles;
  • excessive initiative;
  • lack of activity, etc.

Please note that many shortcomings in certain circumstances can be considered advantages. Depending on the field of activity, different personality traits may be required. For example, for a secretary, pedantry will be more of a plus, and emotionality will not interfere with an applicant for the position of a salesperson.

Weaknesses for a resume that are not worth mentioning

There are character flaws that should not be listed on a resume or mentioned in an interview. They most often relate to those aspects of the personality that are poorly connected with work activity or characterize you as a bad employee.

Examples of negative characteristics to avoid:

  • non-punctuality;
  • tendency to procrastinate;
  • laziness;
  • inability to keep promises;
  • frivolity in personal life;
  • irresponsibility, etc.

These are not weaknesses of character in the resume, but a real recognition that such an employee of the organization is not needed. However, if you came for an interview, but realized that you don’t want to work here, then you can voice at least all the points at once.

Writing a resume is a painstaking and difficult process. Figure out what negatives to include in the appropriate section. This will make your job search much easier.

After all, it is after reading it that the first stage of screening out candidates for the position follows. This means that the applicant must first of all interest an HR specialist in order to qualify for the first interview.

The resume should be short enough, no more than 1-2 pages. It is necessary to try to place in this format not only information about professional skills and education received, but also briefly identify the applicant. Indicating personal information, weigh each phrase, because this is how your weaknesses are revealed in the resume. For example, if you're worried about being rejected because of your age category, list your work experience first, and write your date of birth at the end. and the presence of children in each case also affects the assessment of the resume. If the work involves business trips, be sure to indicate that one of the family members or a nanny is with the children, that you can leave them without any problems during business trips. This applies to women to a greater extent, especially if the children are small. It is better to indicate information about babies at the very end of the resume so that it is not perceived negatively. The presence of a woman with children of preschool age for almost any employer is your weaknesses in the resume. Try to spend as much time as possible with

to my strengths - education, professional experience, acquired skills. It may happen that you are asked to fill out a resume form developed by the employer. Surely there will be a lot of questions about your personal qualities. No need to pretend to be someone you are not, because during the work it will all be revealed.

Yours in resume

If you are required to describe your strengths and weaknesses on your resume, don't be too outspoken. No need to describe the weaknesses of the character. In your resume, be concise and weigh the features. Indeed, depending on the position for which you are applying, the same quality can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. For example, the work of an analyst does not require communication skills; other qualities are more appropriate here - scrupulousness, concentration, etc. To work with visitors, an employee with a calm, sometimes even phlegmatic character is required. There is absolutely no need for leadership inclinations here.

When describing your weaknesses in your resume, for example, not knowing a foreign language, focus on your desire for development and desire to learn. If you are required to talk about your shortcomings, indicate no more than 2-3 qualities. It is better to avoid vague language and do not indicate qualities that go against the requirements for a vacant position. Describe in the simplest terms, without complex verbal turns, your weaknesses in your resume. Example: impulsiveness, straightforwardness, isolation, etc. Do not write statements such as restlessness, irascibility, slowness, etc., that frighten a potential employer. Do not share your pain, it has nothing to do with your plans to get a job.



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