Strengths and weaknesses of a person for the questionnaire: an overview, description and examples. What weaknesses to indicate in the resume

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

Do I need to indicate my shortcomings in an arbitrary 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 application. However, if such a question is in the questionnaire, then ignoring it would be a big mistake.

If you fill 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 the next paragraph. But if you really want to impress, it's best to be thorough in filling out each item on your resume. If in the dialogue we can rephrase the phrase, focusing on the behavior of the HR manager, then in the summary each sentence should only speak in your favor.

By including the question of weaknesses in the questionnaire, the employer certainly does not rely on your absolute honesty. Rather, he wants to test the candidate's ability to answer difficult questions, not to ignore the instructions of the leader, just his adequacy. After all, if a person has nothing to tell about himself, then is he such a good employee and is it worth spending time on an interview.

What answers should be avoided

So, how to answer the tricky question about your shortcomings? To begin with, let's analyze what is better not to write:

Do not put a dash or completely ignore this item. For a recruiter, such an act is a signal of the candidate’s inattention, a lack of desire to follow complex or unpleasant instructions from superiors, and an inability to properly evaluate oneself.
Write a list of 10 or more flaws. For most companies, it is enough to indicate 2-3 qualities.
Describe those aspects of character that can really interfere with the chosen work. For example, laziness, conflict, lack of punctuality, etc. will definitely not decorate your appearance in the eyes of your future boss.
Frankly lie. Even if the quality you indicated in the paragraph on 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 boast of deceit.

A well-written resume is the key to a successful job search. Many do not know what to write about personal qualities, how to stand out among applicants, to show up for potential employers from the best side. The resume must indicate both professional skills and valuable personal qualities.

Positive Qualities for a Resume

Showing strengths, highlight 5-7 characteristics that clearly reflect your character. When choosing from the list of suitable personal qualities, it is important not to overestimate or underestimate self-esteem. Evaluate yourself well and determine what character traits are needed for a particular position:

activity;
Analytical mind;
ambition;
quick adaptation to change;
attentiveness;
politeness;
discipline;
friendliness;
initiative;
sociability;
reliability;
focus on results;
optimism;
responsiveness;
decency;
punctuality;
independence;
ability to make quick decisions;
stress resistance;
striving for self-improvement, development;
creative approach to the tasks;
the ability to get along with the team;
the ability to convince;
purposefulness;
honesty.

Negative qualities

All people have flaws, and if you openly show your weaknesses to the employer, he will understand that you adequately assess your character.

Some negative qualities can be ideal for one type of work and categorically interfere with another activity.

The ability to recognize one's own negative character traits is always appreciated by the employer.

Honestly choose a few characteristics from the list below:

trust only confirmed facts;
gullibility to people, naivety;
excessive demands on oneself and others;
isolation, desire for solitude;
slowness;
inability to perform monotonous work;
non-standard approach to solving problems, creativity;
lack of skills and experience in certain activities;
pedantry, scrupulousness;
increased sense of responsibility;
straightness;
self-confidence;
modesty;
excessive activity.

Examples of personal qualities in a resume

Personal characteristics of a person are conditionally divided into groups and directions, which are applied depending on the position and vacancy. This:

Attitude to work. Personal characteristics for a resume:
- conscientiousness;
- initiative;
- interest in studying the intricacies of the profession;
- diligence;
- creativity;
- persistence;
- responsible attitude to assignments;
- diligence;
- perseverance.
Attitude towards people. Personal qualities for a resume:
- politeness;
- flexibility in communication;
- goodwill;
- friendliness;
- sociability;
- responsiveness;
- the ability to quickly find a way out of stressful situations;
- ability to convince;
- justice;
- tolerance, respect for people;
- ability to work in a team;
- clear diction, literate speech.
Character trait, attitude towards oneself. Personal characteristics for a resume:
- active;
- attentive;
- disciplined;
- cheerful;
- decent;
- punctual;
- punctual;
- self-critical;
- stress resistant;
- confident;
- plodding;
- honest.
Attitude towards own and work things. Personal qualities of a person:
- careful;
- I always maintain order in the workplace;
- neat;
- neat.

Depending on the position for which the applicant is applying, suitable character traits are indicated. For example, for an analyst, an economist, the following qualities are suitable:

pedantry;
attentiveness;
perseverance;
responsibility;
accuracy;
performance.

In an engineer's resume

In addition to professional skills, knowledge and abilities, indicate several personal options from the list:

attentive;
disciplined;
result oriented;
responsible;
self-organized;
independent;
ability to concentrate;
technical mindset;
balanced;
plodding;
purposeful.

Strengths in a lawyer resume

This profession is associated with defending the interests of people and helping to solve problems, so applicants must meet strict requirements. List of suitable qualities:

attention to detail;
friendly attitude towards people;
logical thinking;
defending a certain point of view;
the ability to quickly win over an interlocutor;
the ability to consciously conduct a dialogue;
justice;
desire for development;
self confidence;
the ability to find a way out of difficult situations;
the ability to clearly convey one's point of view;
resistance to conflict situations.

In an accountant's resume

The applicant for this position must have financial literacy, be able to manage the company's money. Choose a few personal, suitable options from the list:

careful;
attentive to detail;
executive;
loyal;
non-conflict;
responsible;
organized;
punctual;
scrupulous;
capable of learning;
stress resistant;
plodding;
vigorous.

sales manager

In order to get this job, you must have the following personal qualities:

adequate self-esteem;
politeness;
high responsibility;
competent speech, clear diction;
initiative;
communication skills;
loyalty;
multitasking;
non-standard approach to solving tasks;
sociability;
result orientation;
positive thinking;
presentable appearance;
punctuality;
the ability to learn and memorize large amounts of information;
stress resistance;
diligence;
self confidence;

For executive resume

To get a leadership position, you must highlight the following qualities:

fast analysis;
building communications;
flexibility of thinking;
interest;
multitasking;
observation;
persistence;
organizational skills;
focus on getting the desired result;
entrepreneurial skills;
exactingness;
the ability to inspire and lead;
energy;
independent decision making.

Positive qualities for a driver

Key personal qualities of the candidate:

polite;
attentive to the details;
flexible in communication;
communicable;
loyal;
responsible;
decent;
prudent;
punctual;
stress resistant;
tolerant.

administrator

An energetic warehouse of character is suitable for this position. Employers pay attention to applicants with the following qualities:

quick adaptation in non-standard situations;
high performance;
competent speech;
bringing to a result;
love of life;
initiative;
sociability;
learnability;
organization;
responsibility;
positive attitude;
stress resistance;
ability to work in a team;
purposefulness.

Seller

For the employer for this position, applicants with the following characteristics are valuable:

ambitious;
polite;
diplomatic;
having a presentable appearance;
initiative;
having the ability to listen and hear;
communicative;
team oriented;
responsible;
positive attitude;
independent;
striving for professional and personal development;
stress resistant;
patient;
hardworking;
confident;
purposeful;
vigorous.

Common mistakes

When compiling a list of positive and negative qualities in a resume, be extremely careful. The choice of characteristics is determined by the desired position and the internal culture of the company.

It is important that these personality traits are perceived in a positive aspect, and not as shortcomings.

For example, leadership abilities and charisma are undesirable for an accountant, and in a creative team, pedantry and modesty will be a “minus”.

To avoid mistakes in describing personal qualities, follow the recommendations of experienced personnel officers:

Do not use only template phrases. Convey in your own words, in a restrained manner, personal traits of character. Exclusively for creative professions, humor and creativity can be used in a resume.
Do not specify more than 5 characteristics. Try to avoid vague, generalized phrases, such as talented, responsible. It is better to choose an individual character trait that is exactly suitable for you and the desired position.
Draw the attention of the employer to personal qualities that are easy to immediately check, for example, energetic, sociable.
Giving a characteristic of negative qualities, you should not evade the answer. It is better to name several options and indicate how you work on them, how you improve your character.

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Examples of unwanted shortcomings in a resume

There are disadvantages that are undesirable to point out, as they can scare off the recruiter. Examples of such shortcomings:

the habit of being late;
love of gambling;
bad habits (cigarettes).

There are also such disadvantages that are not so bad in themselves, but mentioning them can also play out in your favor. The undesirable list of disadvantages may include:

excessive demands (you are not loyal and capable of provoking a scandal);
the habit of expressing your opinion (you do not know how to listen to the opinions of others);
painstaking, desire to finish the work, despite the late time (you do not know how to plan time).

To understand what shortcomings can be indicated in a resume, study all the requirements indicated in the vacancy and try to imagine a psychological portrait of the person whom the employer wants to see in this position.

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What flaws to indicate in a resume: a list of examples

Psychologists and experienced recruiters advise, when listing shortcomings, to select such weaknesses that may turn out to be strong for future work. Examples of your shortcomings in your resume include the following:

hyperactivity;
pedantry;
thoroughness.

Pointing out your own shortcomings, try to turn them into advantages. Here are some shortcomings that can be indicated in a manager's resume:

exactingness to oneself and others;
perfectionism;
emotionality.

All of these qualities can be turned to your advantage, because they all, ultimately, indicate that you are responsible for the work.

You can do otherwise and reformulate your shortcomings, softening their meaning. For example, the same pedantry can be masked by the words: "I love to get to the bottom of the essence and bring the work to perfection."

Finally, you can list such shortcomings in the resume, which will practically not affect your future work in any way. You can report your fear of airplanes and spiders. If your work is not connected with frequent flights, and you are not going to get a job as a manager, for example, in a pet store, then all these shortcomings will not compromise you in any way. So, they can be safely indicated.

Irina Davydova

Reading time: 4 minutes

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How to please the future boss if his profile contains an insidious item - weaknesses of character? In a summary, unlike a normal conversation, every word has weight, so it's better to prepare in advance for uncomfortable questions, and weak qualities in you must be presented as very useful for business.

You can simply not indicate your weak professional qualities in your resume. Concentrate on your skills, experience, education, and you can talk about personal qualities at the interview. However, it is impossible to refuse that item if you fill out a resume electronically. Read also:
A dash instead of information is another mistake of future employees. If the boss decided to leave this column, it means that he is really interested in this information. And the point is not even in it, but in checking an adequate perception of oneself, the ability to learn and understand the leader. Emptiness can speak of excessively high self-esteem or, on the contrary, self-doubt. Read also:
Of course, you should not list all the shortcomings in too much detail or engage in self-flagellation. It is enough to remember that any weaknesses in the resume have a downside for the employer. And what may be a problem for one may be an advantage for another. For example, if you are an accountant, your lack of communication will be useful in your work. And if you are a manager, then this is a serious omission.
Filling in the summary of strengths and weaknesses, try to build on the position you want to occupy. For example, select deficiencies that are not related to your activity. Restlessness for a sales manager is the norm, but for an accountant it is a minus.
"Turn weaknesses into strengths" is the old approach. It works if you can think creatively. Otherwise, the efforts will be too primitive and they will figure you out. So the trick of "with a heightened sense of responsibility, workaholism and perfectionism" may not be successful.
Remember that some bosses do not look for faults in you at all. , but only evaluate the adequacy, truthfulness and self-criticism.
It is better to describe your weaknesses in a resume that can be improved. This should also be reported in the text of the questionnaire. There are some bosses who want to train employees for themselves. In this case, your frankness and willingness to work on yourself will be appreciated adequately.
Indicate not only individual characteristics, but also your properties in teamwork .
Do not use flowery phrases like "my flaws are extensions of my virtues." This will not surprise, but only show the unwillingness to conduct a dialogue with the employer.
The optimal number of flaws is 2 or 3 . Don't get carried away!

Weaknesses in the resume - examples:

Selfishness, pride, scrupulousness, inflexibility in labor matters, the habit of telling the truth directly, inability to establish contact with strangers, increased demands.
Propensity for formalism, overweight, lack of punctuality, slowness, restlessness, fear of airplanes, impulsiveness.
Reliability, high anxiety, hyperactivity, incredulity, straightforwardness, need for external motivation.
Hot temper, isolation, self-confidence, stubbornness.
Among the weaknesses, you can indicate in your resume that you do not always express your thoughts perfectly or tend to reflect . And if you are asked why this interferes, answer that you would like to spend less time analyzing the problem.

This question is asked by most job seekers when faced with the need to write a resume for the first time. . On the one hand, we understand that everyone has flaws. On the other hand, it is important to present them to the employer so as not to harm yourself. So, what are the shortcomings should be indicated in the resume?

You will probably come across this question when looking for a job. First, try to make a list of possible disadvantages. Remember what your acquaintances and friends usually say about this: “You always ...” or “In general, you tend to ...” or “Well, you are famous ...” or “It bothers you ...” You can ask relatives and colleagues to give you feedback on what you really lack in professional terms, what skills should be improved, what personal characteristics to work on. You will receive a lot of valuable information with which something can already be done.

Remember that information must be credible. At the interview, the employer may ask you to provide arguments and examples from your life and professional career, confirming both your positive aspects and shortcomings. You may be asked what this or that quality of yours manifests itself in, ask your attitude.

When listing shortcomings, try avoid formal and socially desirable responses, such as laziness, hyper-responsibility, "honest workaholic", perfectionism, honesty, decency, excessive self-criticism, excessive demands (especially for leadership positions), "too much addicted to business", "too stubborn in achieving goals", " I have my own opinion," etc. Such qualities cannot be unambiguously classified as negative or positive. Rather, they indicate that you do not want to answer the question about the shortcomings. Indicate both personal qualities and professional ones. Avoid ornate phrases like: "I consider shortcomings as a continuation of my strengths" or "There are shortcomings, but they are not related to professional activities."

Specify shortcomings specifically. Indicate 2-3 qualities, no more. It is very important that your shortcomings should not go against the key requirements of the vacancy for which you are applying. For example, "self-doubt" may be a neutral quality for jobs that do not involve constant interaction with people, but be critical for a claims manager job.

Paradoxically, but the willingness to talk about their shortcomings sooner arrange the employer. Indicate not only your professional features, but also the qualities that characterize you as member of the work team. It is better to honestly indicate characterological traits and features of temperament in order to avoid future conflicts at work.

Here are a few examples indication of shortcomings in the summary:

prone to formalism
excess weight
restlessness
not very punctual
slowness
hyperactivity
impulsiveness
fear of air travel
"it's hard to say no"
increased anxiety
straightness
irascibility
"requires extrinsic motivation"
isolation
self-confidence
mistrust of people
"I can raise my voice"

This is a conditional list. You may have your own ideas about what flaws to point out. Remember that it is better to know your shortcomings and work on them than to avoid answering both to the employer and to yourself. Good luck with your resume!