All of us have strong and weak points because we are all humans. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it and every reputable employer is aware of this fact. Some job seekers are trying to show themselves as perfect employees without any drawbacks, but everyone knows the opposite. The question then is how you view your own weaknesses and how you use them in your career. It might sound weird but some of the weaknesses can actually be used for your favor if you do everything right. This is what this article is about - how to turn your own weaknesses into new opportunities...
Reframing Weak Points Into Advantages
One of the most widespread weaknesses of applicants is lack of experience. Job seekers often feel not confident when applying for jobs or even talking to HRs because they think that professional experience is the only things that matter. Wrong! If you haven't had much experience before it is your chance to emphasize that you are moldable, that is you are willing to learn new things and you didn't have a chance to develop bad habits along the way (remember it is always more difficult to re-mold something than to start from scratch). Focusing on your passion and commitment to learning new stuff can be a good characteristic, which sometimes is even more important for employers than a long list of past jobs.
Another weakness (which is often associated with or is the result of the first one) we would like to address is a generalistic approach. Being a generalist isn't necessarily a disadvantage; there are many ways in which you can bring value to your employer by being who you are. Generalists usually can always bring a unique perspective to the table because they are about a big picture. It is very valuable for leading projects, building teams, and reaching out to a broad audience. The importance of these things cannot be overstated. If you know what your advantage is it is worth focusing on it in your resume as well as during an interview.
Lastly, if you are not confident or too fearful it is not a good reason to think that you've got no chances on a job in reputable companies. All of us have fears and sometimes face a lack of confidence when doing some things. However, if this is something that defines you choose to focus on the positive effects of it. For example, show your potential employer that it means you will be double-checking every important step to prevent making a deadly mistake that can cost the company money or reputation. Being fearful often assumes a candidate can analyze and foresee problems, which is a great foundation for preventing them at all.
