How to sell your shortcomings, and other tips for job seekers

Hello, job seekers! Welcome to my newsletter focused on helping you land your next job. Whether your background is in communications or hospitality, there are tips and insights that can make every job search more successful. Be sure to join the conversation with the hashtag #GetHired.

Explaining your weaknesses

A person may not want to focus on his or her weaknesses during a job hunt, but they’re bound to come up. Even if you meet all the qualifications for a position, it’s standard for prospective employers to ask applicants about their greatest weaknesses. I talked to two experts about the best ways to address shortcomings during a job search. They said... 

Discussing weaknesses during an interview 

During an interview, job seekers should keep the conversation focused on what they can achieve for the company, said Vicki Lind, a career counselor and founder of Vicki Lind & Associates.

“The conversation should always be on what you can achieve for the company,” she told me. “It’s your interview, you should know your competitive strengths. Bring the conversation back to those strengths and move away from those weaker points.”

What’s your greatest weakness?

Most job interviews will likely touch on an applicant’s greatest weakness. The simple question can be a minefield for job seekers. “It can spiral you into really negative territory if you’re not careful,” said Chrissy Scivicque, a career coach and corporate trainer who founded Eat Your Career.

“The way I always recommend people answer this is to be authentic,” she told me, avoiding the boilerplate answers such as being a perfectionist or working too hard. Instead, job seekers should mention a trait they’ve worked on and improved upon.

Addressing your weaknesses 

While job seekers may not be able to learn a new language in a few months or address all required qualifications, Lind said they should be working to address their skill gaps. “If you’re unemployed, there is no excuse not to be working on it,” she told me.

One way to start is for people to analyze the requirements that keep appearing in relevant job posts.

Applying to a job without having all the qualifications?

Job seekers who don’t meet all the qualifications of a posted position may want to rethink their strategy before submitting an application, said Lind. She told me that the resumes of people applying to large employers will likely get sorted out by applicant tracking systems, which we discussed in a previous edition of Get Hired.

Still, Scivicque said lacking one or two qualifications doesn’t mean you won’t be considered for the job. “The qualifications list is typically a wishlist,” she said.

Instead, Scivicque told me that job seekers should use their network to get their foot in a company’s door. “I think there is more wiggle room if you have a warm introduction from people in your network."

Not sure how to do a self-assessment? Michaela Greer explores the best methods.

The follow-up:

In the last edition of #GetHired, we discussed the art of the post-interview thank-you note. Hundreds of you chimed in with your own thoughts on how to follow-up with prospective employers. Some said email thank-you notes are better than handwritten messages. “They get [it] right away and they will remember that,” wrote Lee G. Louis Harrell said a handwritten note is a must, however. “It’s just common courtesy,” they wrote. Join the conversation.

Other news to help you #GetHired:

Disclosing disabilities. Since we’re on the topic of disclosing information to prospective employers, I want to draw your attention to this New York Times’ piece about disclosing seen or unseen disabilities. When it comes to the job hunt, people have different strategies, such as waiting for an in-person interview offer before telling prospective employers they are in a wheelchair. Experts say timing is key. Being upfront at the start may cost people jobs but waiting too long can hurt trust. Here’s what people are saying.

Is the U.S. unemployment rate too good to be true? The rate, which is reported the first Friday of every month, currently shows it hanging near a 50-year low. Yet, a piece in The New York Times suggests the government’s unemployment rate can be misleading since it ignores the growing number of people who are no longer looking for work, which currently totals about 63% — the lowest level since 1977. The standard unemployment rate was 3.9% for 2018 but would have been 7.7% if the other factors were taken into account, according to Investopedia. How should the U.S. report its unemployment figures? Join the conversation.

Cash isn’t always king. Job seekers want more than money from their next employers, according to a survey of 5,000 adults in the U.S. and across Europe. The responses showed 56% of people said that strong workplace culture is more important than salary, reports CNBC. Here’s what people are saying.

Up next:

The time after submitting an application or after an interview is among the most stressful of a job search. Do you followup with a call or email? Do you keep checking to see if the job post is still online? In the next edition of #GetHired, we’ll talk about what you should do during those times and how to deal with the related anxiety. What do you when you’re waiting to hear back from a prospective employer? Tell us in the comments below.

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to add your own thoughts, tips, ideas and questions in the comments below. Also, be sure to keep the conversation going on LinkedIn with the hashtag #GetHired!