Strengths and weaknesses' in an interview! (Contd)

Here are notes and examples of weaknesses:

You should answer with things you "are improving upon". Example: I believe I should always be improving upon myself, good or bad. You are answering the dreaded question without looking like an egotistical maniac, and showing the interviewer that you see yourself as a work in progress, trying to better all of your qualities.

Don't try to use a cliche or try to present a strength as a weakness by saying your weakness is that you are a workaholic. No one will believe that answer. Being too emotional will make the recruiter wonder if your interpersonal skills are lacking. Give a true weakness but one of modest size. Shows that you have taken steps to correct the weakness. For example you want to improve your MS Excel skills so you are taking a course on that now.


* A weakness of mine would be the fact that I get nervous when speaking in front of groups. I haven't had a lot of experience with this over the past several years. Although I did join Toastmasters International to help overcome this anxiety -- and feel much more confident today when I need to speak in front of groups and give presentations.


Other are;
* I'm little egoistic when it comes to winning things and get a little ruthless too.

* Lose patience sometimes when I am not in a position to complete the assigned job in time.

* I have to work on having more patience and giving myself a break because I always want everything done at once.

* Tend to go to any limits while helping my friends.

* I am too focused on my work and I need to find more time to relax.

* I'm too focused on work and need to develop some after hours hobbies.

Oh -- and don't *ever* list as a weakness that "I take on too many things and work to hard, and just don't know where to stop." It's a cliche, completely transparent, and I can tell you that it rarely makes the desired impression.


PRACTICAL EXAMPLE

'My strengths are my ability to be flexible I've seen companies go through changes in structure and management philosophy. I've had to adjust my style to the new environment several times. My weakness is my tendency to overwork so I pace myself now.

The key is to turn the weakness- a negative character trait into something positive.



Reference; Wiki.