Everyone has professional weaknesses that could impact their ability to land their dream job. Whether it’s a gap on your resume, the lack of a prestigious degree or the fact you got fired a few jobs ago, you probably have something in your career past you’re worried could affect your job search.
The good news is there are few obstacles that are insurmountable and few true deal breakers that will result in you being unable to land the job you’re looking for. The key to overcoming whatever weaknesses you have is to ensure you can explain them to the hiring manager in a way that puts their mind at ease. To do that:
- Identify your weaknesses: You cannot overcome your weaknesses or turn them into strengths unless you know what they are. Review your resume, consider areas where you struggled professionally or academically, and look at past performance reviews to find out what your professional weaknesses are.
- Prepare explanations for how you’re overcoming them: Weaknesses simply provide an opportunity for professional growth. If you can show a hiring manager you’ve taken steps to overcome any past problems, you’ll go a long way towards putting the manager’s mind at ease. If you think a hiring manager could be worried about a current weakness you have – like the fact you were unemployed for a long time – prepare to explain why this perceived weakness won’t hold you back or stop you from succeeding in the open position.
- Highlight your successes: When you’re asked about a weakness or a problem in your past, don’t dwell on it or make too many excuses. Provide a simple example of how you’ve overcome the issue or why it won’t be a problem, and then spin the conversation back to your strengths. If you can get the hiring manager to look past their preconceived ideas about your weaknesses and to instead focus on all that you can bring to the table, you’ll have a far better chance of being hired.
Don’t let your professional weaknesses hold you back in your job search. Working with a staffing service can help you overcome weaknesses because you can tap into the network of staffing professionals who are trusted by companies to help with hiring. The staffing professional you work with will get to know your strengths and help you land interviews with companies looking to hire someone like you.
If you’re ready to get help in your job search so you can find a job that matches your skills in Dallas, Fort Worth or surrounding areas, contact High Profile today. You can give us a call at 972-991-7900 or contact us online to find out what we can do to help with your job search efforts.