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What would you say if you have applied for an Administrative Position and you have been asked, what are your Strengths & Weaknesses?

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Question added by Alex Al Yazouri , General Manager , Al Mushref Cooperative Society
Date Posted: 2015/04/06
AAMIR MAHMOOD
by AAMIR MAHMOOD , TECHNICAL OFFICER , PTCL

I am very professional and always stuck to my targets , I always guide and supervise my staff under me very friendly manner in order to complete the task .I think my weakness is my friendly attitude towards my lower staff , My strength is my honesty towards my organization /company .

Verlina Rodriguez
by Verlina Rodriguez , Technical Support , GENPACT

In Administrative Position, we deal more on people, functions and different responsibilities, like, managing calendars for events and meeting arrangements, preparing reports and requires internet research skills, so we need more time quality in this job.

I can say that my strengths are, I can adjust to any time and day of work schedule, creative thinking with fresh ideas and focus. One of my weaknesses is, I am easily disappointed with lazy and unproductive people in my work area.

Wolf Klaas Kinsbergen
by Wolf Klaas Kinsbergen , Managing Director, Designer , ingenieursbureau KB International NV

In an interview they usually ask for this. Just be honest about how you work an who you are. If I apply right I don't have any weaknesses, the only weakness can be short of experience in a certain area.

Elke Woofter
by Elke Woofter , Project Assistant , American Technical Associates

I have been told to say by a recruiter that you have no weaknesses ...

My answer to this one is .. My strength is my biggest weakness ...

When I work on a project I try to get it done as soon as possible ... at times I am getting so involved in it and can not stop working, just to wrap up an issue; 

Emad Mohammed said abdalla
by Emad Mohammed said abdalla , ERP & IT Software, operation general manager . , AL DOHA Company

Weaknesses do not exist, just challenges and solutions: Try to tailor your responses to your specific job or task. You should always turn your weakness into a positive attribute. The trick is to talk about your weaknesses so that they can also appear to be a strength. Focus on your strengths, but have an answer regarding a challenge you have met and overcome. Think of any trait or skill you have that pertains to the job you are applying for. Think of instances when you have shown a lot of skill in that area. It is important to answer the question without making it look like you have a weakness that might prevent you from getting hired. At the same time, you don't want to mention a weakness that isn't really a weakness but confidently answer the question by telling how you want to improve yourself by constantly learning from your own self-analysis. Create an honest list of what you think are your strengths or weaknesses and then select a few of them you can remember. Practice your responses so that they sound natural and you are prepared for the question. Don't come up with statements such as I am a perfectionist or I have no weaknesses. Keep your answers career-related and precise. So, don't try to portray yourself as Mr/Miss perfect, as we all have some flaws. Just be careful, and state your weak point by adding that you are working towards overcoming it. The best way to answer would be to choose something that can be turned around to look like a strength. The key is to turn the weakness - a negative character trait - into something positive. Examples: "One of my weaknesses is that I do not quit until I get the job done. I want to make sure that everything I do is my best and in the right order". "My computer skills were lacking a little, but I got trained and got my skills up-to-date." Or, you can say that your written communication skills are not amazing, but you are currently (or planning to register) for a course in creative writing, or business communication, or professional writing, etc... Weaknesses that can also be strengths: Tell about your weaknesses that are also strengths.

  • I am a hard-worker and sometimes I work too hard
  • I am a perfectionist and want everything to be done right the first time
  • I'm too helpful. A good helper towards those who need it. Tend to go to any limits while helping someone in trouble.
  • I do not care for paperwork, so you try to get it all done by10AM so I can go on to other things.

Strengths:

  • Your communication skills- you communicate well with others: "One of my biggest strengths is my communication skills. I work very well with all kinds of people, and understand that everyone has different perspectives about projects and work tasks - so when I work with others I realize that everyone comes to the table with different priorities and objectives. I keep this in mind when I communicate tasks that need to be accomplished with positive reinforcement and awareness of what others are working on".
  • You are a people person. "I like to work in team and have been an active participant and organizer at several places".
  • You are a quick learner and love to learn new things. "I have the ability to cope with failures and try to learn from my mistakes". "I am a quick learner. I have great problem-solving skills and am willing to learn new things to get the job done".
  • You are always punctual
  • You are a team player. "I am a team player and work well with others. My strength is my flexibility to handle change. As customer service manager at my last job, I was able to turn around a negative working environment and develop a very supportive team".
  • Good attitude is expected of every employee. You should back up what you say with an example. For example, don't just say you have good customer service skills, you have to prove it by also telling how you won a company award or received positive customer comment letters for your good service.
  • Determined
  • Able to prioritize
  • Self-confidence, "I believe in myself"
  • One of my greatest strengths I've acquired during my education is good analytical and planning skills. This has always benefited me to set goals and try to achieve them. But at the same time, I'm driven by the thoughts of success.
  • Full commitment to my work
  • Highly energetic
  • Having good interpersonal skills
  • I'm well organized and like to be neat with all of my work
  • I have great communication skills.

Weaknesses:

  • You are answering the dreaded question without looking like an egotistical maniac, and showing the interviewer that you see yourself as a work in progress, trying to better all of your qualities. You should answer with things you "are improving upon," e.g., "I believe I should always be improving upon myself."
  • Just pick one weakness that is not going to disqualify you from the job, and then follow up with - this is what really matters - the examples of what you are doing (or have done) to fix your weakness. The most important point here is to show that you learn from your mistakes and your weakness, and you are taking the corrective action to fix the situation - and stress that! For example, if the job does not require public speaking, you can say that your weakness is you are afraid of speaking in front of the public. Then tell the interviewers that you have joined a Toastmaster club or public speech course to overcome the problem. Remind them that when you identify a problem, you actively take actions to correct it, and that is how you do things.
  • Don't try to use a cliché or try to present a strength as a weakness by saying your weakness is that you are a workaholic. No one will believe that answer. Being too emotional will make the recruiter wonder if your interpersonal skills are lacking. Give a true weakness but one of modest size. Shows that you have taken steps to correct the weakness. For example you want to improve your MS Excel skills so you are taking a course on that now.
  • I used to have trouble with procrastinating, now I have learned to write down a list of things that I need to do, and keep a calendar to keep track of deadlines. I have found that this not only helps me to finish things on time, but it has also helped me to be more organized.
  • For my weakness, some people say I'm over-friendly. You can't go wrong with that one. Usually, the person interviewing is like "Oh, that's not a bad thing at all."
  • I'm a little egoistic when it comes to winning things and get a little ruthless too.
  • I lose patience sometimes when I am not in a position to complete the assigned job in time.
  • I have to work on having more patience and giving myself a break, because I always want everything done at once.
  • I am too focused on my work and I need to find more time to relax.
  • I'm too focused on work and need to develop some after-hours hobbies.
  • Never actually choose something that will be seen as a liability. Try to think of a weakness that can actually be seen in some sort of positive light.

Examples of combination strengths and weaknesses:

  • I'm a workaholic person and love to dedicate myself to the work I'm doing. But at the same time I forget to keep a balance between other things which I'm trying to improve on.
  • Take whatever is your best quality and also describe it as your worst. It often is, as we are all made up like two sides of a coin. Try it out with different qualities and accomplishments and see how it works.

For example: The best thing about me is that I am able to see the big picture in a situation. The worst thing about me is that I can see the big picture in a situation. This is the best thing because I can remove myself from the emotion of a decision that needs to be made and act accordingly. It is a bad thing because I often can see the conclusion quicker than the other participants in a project and that can cause frustration sometimes amongst them.

  • "My strength is my ability to be flexible; I've seen companies go through changes in structure and management philosophy. I've had to adjust my style to the new environment several times. My weakness is my tendency to over-work so I pace myself now."
  • Similarly… "My strength is my flexibility to handle change. As a software developer at my last job, I was able to turn around a negative working environment and develop a very supportive team" If you lack experience or skills, state this but also tell that you are willing to learn, or that it is an area which you would like to improve on.

Example1: "I do not have much experience with customer service, but I would like to gain experience in this area. I get along well with people, I am able to listen and am a good communicator so I feel that I would get on well in a customer based environment." Example2: "I am not too experienced with computers, but I am always willing to learn new skills. I have used computers a little in the past and this is one area which I would like to improve on. I am usually very quick at picking up new skills especially when it is something that I need to learn. 

hatem labib
by hatem labib , Quality control manager , MISER consultant

just be fair when you answer speak very friendly and very honest don't forget you are not start the work yet it just an interview and may be you can ask him the same question. 

Mohamed Sadek
by Mohamed Sadek , project manager , BITELEMEA

I would present a SWOT analysis in a professional way , also to avoid silly questions about how oriented am i with tools and techniques ;)

Sidrah Nadeem
by Sidrah Nadeem , Global Marketing Manager , Hill+Knowlton Strategies

I'm assuming excellent time management, organisational abilities, and greats follow-up!

Vinod Jetley
by Vinod Jetley , Assistant General Manager , State Bank of India

I am open minded. Nurture people.

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