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Interview Preparation – Knowing your Strengths & Weaknesses
When it comes to preparing for the interview we have quite a few things already covered for you:
All the way down to preparing for specific interview questions depending on the industry you are interviewing for.
Now with some feedback from some of our lovely followers via social media – we hear you are looking for some specifics when it comes down to the nitty gritty of talking about your strengths and weaknesses.
When job seekers are asked this particular interview question, many think that they can bluff their way through, especially when it comes to reciting strengths. However, when they are asked for 1 or 2 weaknesses – they truly are stuck – Why? Mainly because the only weaknesses that are rushing through their heads are ones that could lose them the job. Now when it comes to talking about your strengths you should know these already - all you need to do is work up sme good examples that prove you've got the skills.
When it comes to weaknesses, they are a little bit trikier– you will want to play the field a little – they may sound like a weakness but you will stress that it is just an opportunity to grow and that it won’t get in your way. This way you come across well prepared and confident. You may feel like these questions should be thrown out of the interview process altogether but the secret is the Interviewer doesn’t really want to know your weakness – they want to see how you can answer such a question.
They look for your answer and how you go about it. Once you have answered it could be followed up with ‘’How does that affect you in work?’’ or possibly ‘’How do you plan on conquering this weakness?’’.
Best advice we can give would be to go into the interview with a few answers already prepared – Not learned line by line but just enough so that the conversation flows.
How to come up with a Weakness or 2:
Cast your mid back…. A little further…. There you go, think way back when to things that may have gotten you in trouble in previous jobs or even in college if you are only starting off.
- Could you have been told that your time management needs work? – Do you like to stick with a task until it is 100% done?
- Have you been told that you are a tad blunt when talking to fellow colleagues? – maybe you like to make sure others understand what you are saying and it doesn’t always come out right?
- Is constructive criticism your weakness? Do you feel personally attacked by a friendly word? – Maybe you feel it’s a little tit for tat when it comes to criticism?
- Are you shy, do you get impatient at times – Could this be something that needs working on?
Think of things that you may feel are holding you back in your career or things you may have been said to you that needed fixing.
These are just a few ideas for you to think over during your preparation – you will need to make them more personal to yourself that way there will be no slip ups and you breeze right through the interview.
There you have it; we’ve given you the tools to make a great interview so go on create a masterpiece & let us know how you get on.
For more on Interview Tips and looking for work abroad click now.