{"id":2272,"date":"2019-05-18T20:43:32","date_gmt":"2019-05-18T20:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hr4free.web-romandie.ch\/?p=2272"},"modified":"2019-05-18T20:43:32","modified_gmt":"2019-05-18T20:43:32","slug":"job-application-advice-how-to-turn-your-weaknesses-into-assets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hr4free.com\/en\/Job-Application-Advice\/Strengths-Weaknesses-Candidate-Main-Assets-Recruitment-Well-Being","title":{"rendered":"Job Application Advice: How to Turn Your “Weaknesses” into Assets"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an economic context in which the demand for performance and competitiveness is constantly put forward,\u00a0recruiters may be tempted to seek the “perfect” candidate<\/strong>. This person may simultaneously have to display\u00a0cutting-edge know-how\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0excellent personal skills<\/em>, be creative and spontaneous as well as methodically rigorous, dispose of both a strong autonomy and great teamwork skills, etc.\u00a0As a consequence, candidates may feel the need to show a perfect image of themselves in which no weakness is apparent<\/strong>. This, however, increases the pressure of the interview and makes the assessment\u2019s results unreliable.<\/p>\n

And yet, we know for a fact that we all have both strengths and weaknesses.\u00a0<\/strong>Thinking that certain people would only display strengths while avoiding any imperfection reflects a an\u00a0Hollywoodian imagery<\/em>\u00a0that tends to idealize the merits of beautiful (and often surgically-enhanced) individuals.<\/p>\n

It is thus necessary to become aware of the fact that some weaknesses can actually be considered as assets<\/strong>\u00a0depending on the\u00a0professional context<\/em>. It is even possible to say that each job has requirements both in terms of strong skills and of skills that should remain at an average or low level.<\/p>\n

The first reason for this is that\u00a0the presence of weak job skills may actually be necessary for the well-being of both employees and their superiors<\/strong>. Let\u2019s take the example of a highly technical job that requires the employee to work alone for a good part of the day; a person who displays\u00a0very strong social skills\u00a0<\/em>would certainly feel quite unhappy in that position, while someone with less taste for social interactions might feel perfectly at ease there. Similarly, an Advisor to the CEO who disposes of strong competencies, yet displays\u00a0limited ambitions<\/em>, will certainly prove a real blessing to his\/her boss.<\/p>\n

A second reason is that\u00a0strong competencies that are not put to use in a given position can represent a significant source of stress<\/strong>\u00a0for the concerned employees, although this consideration is often left out of the equation. Imagine a person who disposes of a\u00a0strong sense of initiative<\/em>, yet whose position requires him\/her to complete very repetitive tasks; this individual is clearly at risk of undergoing a significant stress due to the lack of room to maneuver!<\/p>\n

Finally, we should stress that the presence of certain\u00a0limitations<\/em>\u00a0may sometimes be required in order to ease the\u00a0integration of a newcomer into the organization (guidelines)<\/a><\/strong>, or to foster\u00a0complementarity\u00a0<\/em>within a team.<\/p>\n

In the course of a\u00a0recruitment or selection process (guidelines)<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0the candidate who displays the strongest and most diversified competencies may thus not necessarily represent the best fit<\/strong>\u00a0for a given position. It is thus important that candidates present themselves with as much\u00a0authenticity\u00a0<\/em>as possible and that recruiters avoid setting higher standards than necessary!<\/p>\n

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