In the interview, HR managers often ask specifically about weaknesses. Now it is a matter of being able to name likable weaknesses – after all, you do not want to block your chance at the position. But what are sympathetic weaknesses? We will give you numerous examples of typical human weaknesses and show you how to best present them.
Why do recruiters ask about weaknesses?
It is not for nothing that questions about personal weaknesses are the most feared part of an interview, for example:
- Which trait would you change in yourself?
- Please list three weaknesses.
- What was your biggest mistake?
- How would your colleagues describe you?
As can be seen from the examples, HR managers do not always ask directly about weaknesses. Often such a question is hidden in formulations that reveal the character traits of the candidate. The problem: weaknesses reveal an applicant’s personal limits. In the worst case, this can destroy the chance of a job.
HR managers need to know who to get on board. It may be found in the interview that the applicant would not fit into the team. Or enormous technical deficits can be identified. However, it is not about embarrassing applicants, because sympathetic weaknesses are not per se a knockout criterion. You must come across as sympathetic. For HR professionals, such questions provide information about how honest and reflective an applicant is and how well he can deal with frustration.
Behavior-in-personnel-queries
You should avoid this:
- Denial
Most applicants realize that an interview requires a confident demeanor. However, you shouldn’t deduce from this that having no weaknesses is a sensible tactic. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Anyone who simply denies weaknesses appears implausible. - Relabelling
A formerly popular trick: applicants name an alleged weakness, but reinterpret it as a strength. A typical example is a perfectionism. The applicant wants to appear particularly careful and hungry for performance. But firstly, HR professionals have long since seen this approach. Second, excessive perfectionism can be an indication that people get bogged down and apply extremely high standards where very good results would also be achieved with less effort. - Fooling around
Another strategy that used to be popular was humor. The answer to the question about the weaknesses could then be “chocolate”, “shoes” or “kittens”. But even these are not suitable as sympathetic weaknesses, since they have no work context.
How should applicants react instead? The trick is to name sympathetic weaknesses that nonetheless reveal the applicant’s potential. There are three things to consider:
- Honest answer
You don’t just make up an alleged weakness, you stick to the truth. - Appropriate example
You choose a weakness that you know may come to the fore in everyday working life, but that is by no means an elementary hiring criterion. - Constructive handling
Then make it clear that you are aware of this weakness and that you are working on it. If you succeed in emphasizing the solution-oriented approach, you convert weaknesses into sympathetic weaknesses.
List: typical human-weaknesses
First of all, the most important thing: In a professional context, there can be no general answer to which sympathetic weaknesses are. Rather, it depends individually: Because what at first glance may be considered a sympathetic weakness may still go through for an employee but would be completely out of place with a manager. Example: To say “I have trouble making my voice heard” as a weakness when applying for an executive position would be counterproductive.
The same applies depending on the industry: When applying as a secretary, stating that you have problems with spelling means the end. With a production assistant on the assembly line, on the other hand, spelling errors would be seen as a sympathetic weakness. The following list with examples of sympathetic weaknesses must therefore always be individually adapted to the position and the job description.
12 examples of low skills
- Basic foreign language skills
- Poor spelling skills
- Poor rhetorical skills
- Low security for presentations
- Poor numeracy skills
- Little technical understanding
- Inexperienced in software ABC
- No spatial imagination
- Awkward wording
- Poor organizational skills
- Limited creativity
- Low fine motor skills
20 adjectives that reflect attitude and personality
- Waiting
- Sensitive to noise
- Sensitive to stress
- Chaotic
- Inflexible
- Passive
- Introverted
- Unspontaneous
- Weak assertion
- Undecided
- Sensitive to criticism
- Doubtful
- Skeptical
- Nervous
- Impatient
- Weak decision-making
- In need of rest
- Shy
- Disorganized
- Impulsive
Examples of sympathetic-weaknesses
The above examples represent typical human weaknesses. So that your counterpart perceives them as sympathetic weaknesses, you can proceed as follows:
Examples of low skill
- “I only have a rudimentary knowledge of French. My pronunciation is therefore a bit bumpy. Fortunately, there are now various language apps that provide the correct pronunciation right away, so that I am constantly improving my skills. “
- “My rhetorical skills are not that well developed. I started reading more again. I am also following the debating club with great interest, from which I have already learned a lot. “
Examples of character traits
- “I have recognized that I have a pronounced need for rest. This means that I like to spend my lunch break on my own. I refuel there so that I can interact well with my colleagues and customers again during working hours. “
- “I used to be much more impulsive. That made me say the first thing that crossed my mind. In the meantime, I’ve got used to taking a step back and looking at things from different perspectives. That had a positive effect on the team spirit. ”
Define sympathetic weaknesses
The above lists are not exhaustive and may not apply to your situation. How can you define sympathetic weaknesses? You can do this as follows:
- Self-reflection
Reflect on the situations in which you noticed behaviors that you do not like or with which you are “infected” in others. Also, ask friends and family for their honest opinion and make a list. - Analysis
Deal with the specific job advertisement. The soft skills mentioned there make it clear which strengths an applicant should bring. And conversely, which weaknesses are rather NOT sympathetic – at least not for this position. - Adjustment
Take your list now: What is congruent with the desired soft skills does not fall under sympathetic weaknesses. Therefore, you shouldn’t mention these weaknesses. What is left over is suitable if you demonstrate a constructive use of it at the same time.