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The question every job applicant dreads is “what are your weaknesses?” If you’re uncomfortable answering this question, join the club. We all have our own personal weaknesses. For some of us, these weaknesses are caused by the lack of a skill or certain knowledge. Other weaknesses come down to our personalities. Some people are shy, overconfident or temperamental.
Growth begins when we begin to accept our weaknesses. ~Jean Vanier
Asses yourself.
Look into yourself. Check yourself. What are your strong points? These refer to some tasks that you are good at. What are your weak points? This refers to some aspects where you think you haven’t mastered or some tasks where you need more practice. Doing this, you will be able to determine both your strengths and weaknesses.
Throw away the “weaknesses” that are really just strengths in disguise.
Potential employers are not stupid, and can see right through this. They interview sometimes hundreds of people for a position, and everyone’s first instinct is to use a strength and spin it as a weakness.
Focus on your strength
Doing more of what you already do well will only lead to incremental improvement.
Think positively about yourself
Positive thinking is needed to achieve your goals. This means that you have to change your way of thinking and have more confidence in yourself. Each person has different talents and abilities … use them!
Determine what you need to develop.
Ask yourself regarding what you really need. It could be something for yourself or for your career.
Can Your Weakness Be Exploited?
Ask yourself: “Is this a weakness that can be changed?” If not, then can you exploit it, in order to stand out among the crowd?
Overcome your fear of failure.
Fear is a weakness that limits us and our ability to succeed in the areas we may desire most. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes along the way when you are trying to better yourself because this is a part of the process of improvement.
Look for support.
Get advice from friends and close relatives. Let them know what you need and how they can help you.
Our strength grows out of our weaknesses. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Seek for inspiration.
Whenever something goes wrong or you find yourself at a disadvantage, often the best way to handle it is to turn a negative into a positive. I learned this early on. Richard Branson
Check the story below and convert your Weaknesses in to your Strengths …..Weakness or Strength?
Sometimes your biggest weakness can become your biggest strength…
A 10-year-old boy decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm . The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was
doing well, so he couldn’t understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move.
“Sensei,” the boy finally said, “Shouldn’t I be learning more moves?”. “This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you’ll ever need to know,” the sensei replied.
Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training . Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament.
Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches.
The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.
This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt,
the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.
“No,” the sensei insisted, “Let him continue.”
Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.
On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind.
“Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?”
“You won for two reasons,” the sensei answered.
“First, you’ve almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo and second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm.”
The boy’s biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.!!! ” Winners Never Quit….”
Now it’s your turn. Take a moment to think about your strengths and your weaknesses, and perhaps you will view them quite differently.
What are your weaknesses and how can they be turned into strengths? What is a weakness that you have that can be viewed as a strength? Share in the comments!
