Formed from birth. It is influenced by various factors, but mainly the child’s environment. The way peers and parents communicate with him. He learns by looking at the relationships of other people, emphasizing for himself significant moments that are deposited in his consciousness. And in the end it is formed into character traits. The formation of a person as an individual occurs until approximately 18 years of age. Afterwards, it is unlikely that the character will change unless you put enough effort into it.
Weaknesses and strengths of character
It happens that we think about our character. Some traits interfere with life, preventing you from developing and being realized in life. In such a situation, it is useful to sit down with a notepad and write down the strengths and weaknesses of your character in a column. This technique helps to sort things out life problems and understand ways to solve them.
Which traits are considered strong and which are weak? Let's figure it out!
Strengths help you move forward with your head held high, despite the current circumstances. These include:
Determination. We constantly set goals for ourselves: someone wants to achieve success at work (promotion in career ladder), another sets financial goals, others dream of losing weight and set the goal of getting the desired number on the scale. But not everyone reaches the final point; they lack the moral and perhaps physical strength to implement their plans. But if you have such a trait in your character, then don’t even doubt the success of completing your tasks.
Perseverance. To fulfill a desire, dream or goal, sometimes only determination is not enough; it happens that a little is missing, which helps a person reach the end, complete the intended tasks and proudly say that it is time to conquer new heights.
Strength of will. This quality usually manifests itself in situations where self-overcoming occurs. A person quits smoking, loses many kilograms, gets rid of addictions and addictions. allows you to cope with desires that do not lead to a positive result.
Organized. Sometimes it's difficult to organize your own day. Either children are distracting, or problems at work and at home. Everything gets in the way of resolving complex issues and disputes. It’s easy to develop organization in yourself by planning for a day or a week at once. Write down in the organizer by the hour what, when, at what time, how much time will be spent on performing each action, and follow the plan strictly. Over time, you will feel that you no longer need notes, and you can cope on your own, getting used to a regular daily routine.
Responsibility. This is one of the important and main traits in a person’s character. Without it you won’t be able to create a harmonious family, get settled and work long time in a prestigious and highly paid job. Responsibility should be instilled with mother's milk, and the well-known saying “we are responsible for those we have tamed” perfectly explains the need for this quality.
Sociability, sociability. These qualities enable a person to develop, find useful contacts, negotiate, and resolve conflict situations.
The combination of all these qualities indicates that a person has a strong character. Each of them needs to be developed and improved every day. Self-improvement never hurt anyone. Therefore, if you want to achieve everything you have in mind, you want to have a reliable rear (family, friends, children), then think about improving yourself.
Weak character traits
Pessimistic. Being in a pessimistic mood, a person perceives everything in gray color. This prevents him from implementing plans, hoping for the best, solving problems, and in general life becomes boring, dull, uninteresting and insipid. It seems that there is no way out of the situation, but all you have to do is change your glasses to pink ones. How quickly a solution is found. Look at the world with a bright eye, and then it will seem much more attractive.
Emotionality. interferes with communication between people. This applies not only family relations, but also business. How often do we shout in the boss’s office, forgetting about ethics. Such behavior should under no circumstances be allowed, otherwise the manager will harbor a grudge against you. Ultimately, you will receive a reprimand for any small violation of labor regulations, and there will always be a reason to fire you. Therefore, it is undesirable to show this quality anywhere, even with relatives.
Envy. Envy is a harmful, destructive feeling that negatively affects the psyche and emotional condition. We have noticed more than once how negatively we speak about people who have achieved something in life. A woman bought an expensive car, we believe that she received it as a gift. But few people know that she earned it herself, spending years of effort to make her dream come true. A rich man married a simpleton - she is with him only for money, there is no talk of any love. A happy family hides the real thing behind insincere smiles. And there are a lot of such situations. consciousness, it is like a worm that eats an apple from the inside.
Wastefulness, inability to accumulate. Such people are wasters of life, they don’t know what it means to not have money in their pocket, they spend it on entertainment, drinking, going to clubs, women, etc. This quality is unlikely to help one day build their capital, their own fortress, a reliable family. Ultimately, everything can end in disaster.
Weak sides make a person vulnerable, unable to withstand negative circumstances, so it is important to develop your thoughts, skills, and qualities.
How to develop a strong character
Character is a set of qualities that we acquire in the process of life from the very beginning. early age. It does not originate genetically, it is not passed on from father to son and from mother to daughter. Qualities develop, improve or deteriorate until a person becomes an adult. Of course, this age is relative; in some developed individuals, character manifests itself already at the age of 15-16. Much depends on upbringing, mental development, education.
To develop strong character traits, you need to work hard. This is the same as getting rid of something that has ingrained itself deep into the brain. I want to continue doing what I did before, but I need to do it differently. So is there a clear instruction on how to develop strong character? 
First, understand what specific qualities you would like to change in yourself to become stronger, so that your mind and body work more productively. Write down the pros and cons of your character, what hinders and what helps, analyze some situations in life in which, in your opinion, you did not behave as you would like. This will help gather information together and draw conclusions.
Why having a strong character is important for you and the people around you. First of all, this allows you to achieve all your goals. But if, nevertheless, this did not happen, a failure occurred, then you should not despair, you need to continue moving in the right direction.
Empathize. Having a strong character does not mean that you go over your head, transgress through anyone who gets in your way. It's the other way around. You empathize with the weak, help them achieve their goals, love the people around you. But help unselfishly, don’t wait for a response from those you helped.
Naked facts. A strong character means a sober head. Do not start from emotions, experiences, hints and other relative feelings and qualities. Follow the pure facts, analyze, take concrete actions in your head, not vague assumptions.
Take the lead. Don't become, be someone who will adapt to conditions and lead, that is. 
Appreciate what you have. Do you know the saying “it’s good where we are not”? She is unfaithful. Everything you imagine about other people, situations, places is subjective. Appreciate what is present in your life. If something doesn’t suit you, then don’t look away, don’t envy other people (neighbors, friends, celebrities), but improve and correct situations within yourself, at home, at work, etc.
No cowardice! Take risks, don't be a coward. But the risk must be carefully considered; do not rush into the pool headlong. Without battle there will be no victories, no gifts that victory should bring.
Don't follow other people's advice. Most likely in some important issue You have already subconsciously made conclusions for yourself, decided what to do, but you still ask for advice from loved ones. Don't be fooled by other people's opinions that are opposed to your own, follow the first answer that pops into your head.
There is no need to argue, stay with your opinion and silently retreat, this is what strong personalities do.
Do good. There is enough evil, violence, and pain in our world. Make it a little better, just notice best moments that are happening around, do, do good yourself, help the weak: the elderly, children, animals. Only a strong-willed person is capable of such actions.
Control your mind, thoughts, emotions. To do this, you don’t have to be, look at each situation from the outside and reconsider your behavior. Excessive emotionality will never be a supporter of a strong person; it is a manifestation of the weakest. By being rude, we defend ourselves, which means we are weak.
Patience. Achieving your goals takes time, and waiting the right amount of time will require a lot of patience.
Eliminate weak thoughts. We, like gardeners removing weeds from the garden, clear our heads of harmful, weak, unnecessary thoughts to clear your mind of unnecessary things. Tune in.
The truth and only the truth. Liars are weak, to become strong, tell only the truth. If you lie to someone close to you, you are lying, first of all, to yourself.
Work hard. “You can’t catch a fish out of a pond without effort.” Work hard, improve yourself, improve yourself. But don’t forget about rest; without it, quality work on mistakes will not be possible.
Strong character is not a panacea for all problems, but it will help you cope with many. life situations, from which there seemed to be no way out. Learn, develop, become better, and then life will seem like a fairy tale.
March 15, 2014If, after being asked about your professional achievements, life flashes before your eyes faster than the characters in action-packed films, you definitely need to prepare for the interview in advance. We have selected 3 questions that an employer will definitely ask, and found out how to answer them without panic or irritation.
"Tell me a little about yourself"
Such a seemingly simple request can make many applicants quite nervous. What exactly to tell? How long to talk? What can and cannot be talked about? What should you focus on? How to avoid appearing too modest or immodest?
A story about yourself is very important point self-presentation at an interview. It doesn't have to be a long story about your life or a list of the highlights of your resume. Telling about yourself is the first and probably best chance to let the recruiter know that you are the one worth hiring for this position.
If you don't know where to start, use the simple and popular "present-past-future" formula. First, talk about who you are at the moment, what you do, what you can do. Then talk about what brought you to your current position: your combination of skills and experience. At the end, you talk about your plans and prospects, paying attention to Special attention the opportunities that open up to you with this job. Also tell us about what you will do to develop the company in this position.
Remember to focus your story heavily on the job skills required for the position. You can say a few words about your interests and hobbies, but a couple of words is 1-2 minutes of your time for the interview, no more. As for the duration of the entire story about yourself, everything is very individual, but try to keep it to 7-8 minutes, after which invite the recruiter to ask your questions.
“What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
Talking about yours strengths oh, don’t get carried away with general phrases like “I can easily integrate into any team” or “I don’t have conflicts.” List specific character traits and skills that are needed specifically for this position: “I know how to manage people,” “I have experience successful organization the labor of ten people”, “took first place in a regional marketing competition” and so on.
When talking about your achievements, focus on how exactly they affected the success of your organization. If you can brag about achievements that are not related to work - for example, social initiatives - try to connect them with your work activities. When listing your strengths, don’t be too modest: if you don’t tell the interviewer about your strengths, no one will do it for you at the interview. However, do not go to extremes: you should not give a half-hour presentation on the topic of your conceivable and inconceivable advantages. It’s better to talk briefly about your main strengths and be prepared to describe each in detail if asked.
With shortcomings, everything is also not so difficult. Don't try to seem ideal. Recruiters value sincerity and the ability to adequately assess themselves and their shortcomings in applicants. Don't try to embellish or hide your weaknesses: if you get this job, sooner or later everything secret will become clear.
However there is little trick. When talking about any shortcoming, you can talk about how you successfully combat it. For example, at school you had a fear of public speaking. It was a huge problem back then. You couldn’t even calmly go out to answer the board. However, at university seminars you gave presentations as often as possible and participated in amateur performances. The fear of performing began to recede. Today, although you feel very nervous, you are quite capable of speaking in front of an audience of a hundred people. In addition, you continue to work on yourself - attend trainings, read special literature. The main thing is for the employer to see: you not only recognize your own shortcomings, but also actively fight against them.
There are also weaknesses that will play into your hands. For example, at your last job you were considered a meticulous bore with a lack of creative thinking, but at this job you will be valued for your attentiveness and responsibility, especially if creativity is generated by other employees.
Remember that the worst answer to a question about weaknesses is a joking “I’m too perfect” or “I’m struggling unsuccessfully with my perfectionism.” This way the recruiter will have more time negative impression about your self-esteem and sense of humor.
"Your greatest professional achievement"
The best argument in your favor at an interview is a list of impressive ones. The recruiter’s logic is simple: if the candidate has achieved a lot in previous place work, then we can expect achievements from him in the future. Therefore, before the interview, take a piece of paper and a pen and make a list of your brightest and most impressive victories on the work front. These could be examples of success completed projects, increasing profits and reducing costs or increasing sales. Try to rank achievements according to their importance to the enterprise. The more important the victory was, the higher its rating. When you can identify the most significant achievement, dwell on it in more detail. First, tell us why you chose it. Secondly, explain what your success has meant for the company and what it has given you personally. Thirdly, share how you managed to achieve success, what technologies and techniques you used in your work.
Don't forget about your colleagues. Tell us about who helped you achieve results, who was your partner, who inspired you to win. Tell us about the difficulties you encountered and ways to overcome them.
Lastly, be sure to make connections between your past job and your desired future location. Share how the techniques you used can help you achieve results in the present. The recruiter must understand that you are not going to stop there and intend to move on, benefiting the company where you will work.
It so happens that some employers, when surveying, and sometimes in the job description, ask you to indicate your shortcomings and weaknesses in your resume. Thus, they want to simplify the selection of personnel, weed out unnecessary candidates, etc. In a word, HR managers solve their problems in a way that suits them.
Let's get to the point
For quite a long time I have been helping people write resumes and look for jobs, and I want to say that the topic of shortcomings in resumes rarely comes up. But if it comes up, I tell everyone the same thing.
Weaknesses do not need to be listed on your resume.. Not necessary at all. Under no circumstances. Even if a vacancy or a special questionnaire asks you to describe your shortcomings, it’s still not. No no and one more time no. Never write bad things about yourself!
There are several reasons for this.
- Indicating character weaknesses in a resume increases the likelihood that your resume will be thrown into the trash. Someone will definitely understand your words “wrong” and decide that such a candidate is not needed. Let them first invite you to an interview, and there you will answer the employer’s questions and tell about yourself in all details.
- Second point - don't judge yourself. You may be biased and most likely you will. Many people are demanding of themselves and self-critical, they make mountains out of molehills and scold themselves out of the blue. Let others evaluate you. Let the employer look at you, talk to you and draw his own conclusions. For him, your disadvantages can be advantages (and vice versa).
For example, shyness may be rated very highly. She may be seen as having a calm disposition and easy-going personality. Likewise, an active and energetic person may be called an upstart and a troublemaker.
- If you indicate weaknesses and shortcomings in your resume, this will show your low self-esteem. Low self-esteem = low salary. Therefore, there is no need to be completely honest in your resume, show yourself from your advantage.
What if you still need to write something?
If you have a questionnaire or a form on a website where there is a special column “your shortcomings,” write a neutral phrase.
Examples of indicating weaknesses in a resume:
— “I am ready to answer your questions in personal communication”
- “I prefer to talk about it in person”
- Just put a dash
No disadvantages - only advantages
I want to say a few words about reverse side medals. If you don’t need to indicate your weaknesses in your resume, then your strengths should. This is really important. Focus on your strengths, on strong traits and skills. This will help the employer make the “right” choice.
The recruiter makes the first opinion about the applicant, and, as you know, the second chance to produce good first there will be no impression. Therefore, the point about character weaknesses often confuses the candidate.
Do I need to indicate my shortcomings in a custom resume? There is no definite answer to this question, but for most vacancies this is not necessary and will not be a significant disadvantage when considering your response. However, if such a question is in the questionnaire, then ignoring it would be a big mistake.
If you are filling out a resume on a job search site and there is this item, you should not skip it. You can limit yourself to writing the standard 2-3 characteristics and move on to the next point. But if you really want to make an impression, it's better to be thorough in filling out every item on your resume. If in a dialogue we can paraphrase a phrase, focusing on the behavior of the HR manager, then in a resume every sentence should speak only in your favor.
By including a question about weaknesses in the questionnaire, the employer certainly does not expect your absolute honesty. Rather, he wants to test the candidate’s ability to answer complex questions, not ignore the manager’s instructions, simply his adequacy. After all, if a person has nothing to tell about himself, then is he such a good worker and is it worth wasting time on an interview.
What answers should you avoid?
So, how to answer the tricky question about your shortcomings? First, let's look at what is better not to write:
- You should not put a dash or completely ignore this item. For a recruiter, such an act is a signal of the candidate’s inattention, lack of desire to carry out complex or unpleasant instructions from his superiors, and inability to correctly evaluate himself.
- Write a list of 10 or more shortcomings. For most companies, it is enough to indicate 2-3 qualities.
- Describe those aspects of character that can really interfere with the chosen job. For example, laziness, conflict, unpunctuality, etc. will definitely not brighten your appearance in the eyes of your future boss.
- Lie outright. Even if the quality you specified in the point about weaknesses will be perceived positively when evaluating the questionnaire, but in reality you do not possess it, the truth will quickly become clear and there will definitely not be any praise for deception.
The resume should reflect not only the strengths, but also the weaknesses of the person. Why mention them at all? There is a reason for this, and it is not so insignificant. The fact is that a resume is not just a way to provide the employer with some information about yourself, but a way to make a statement. At the right approach this can be done very effectively. A person's strengths and weaknesses should not just be mentioned, but described correctly and in detail. What's the point of listing them without detailed explanations? That's right, you shouldn't do that. If a person’s strengths and weaknesses are not outlined in a resume, then a potential employer may conclude that the applicant is not that eager to find a job. Why? Because he wastes time on writing his resume.
Strengths of a person in a resume
Traditionally, people write that they are neat, punctual, able to take responsibility, and so on. Should you mention such qualities? Yes, you should, because they are actually important. Write about them, but do not write in passing, but in as much detail as possible. You can even give a few simple examples from life (best related to work activities at your previous place), on the basis of which one could really conclude that you have such qualities as punctuality, responsibility, and so on. When describing your strengths, be sure to indicate how decisive, independent, and persistent you are. If you have any extraordinary human qualities, be sure to mention them. Nowadays, those people who can impress everyone around them with an idea and force them to act as circumstances require, not under duress, but of their own free will, are very well valued. Cheerfulness is an outstanding trait inherent in
only to the chosen ones. Can you say that it is inherent in you? Then don't waste your time and mention it in your resume. You shouldn’t lie, because the lie will be revealed sooner or later. The consequences that may arise as a result of the fact that you once told a lie will be very serious.
Weaknesses of a person in a resume
First, it’s worth talking about why they need to be mentioned at all. The fact is that a person’s weaknesses are something, of course, that do not cause positive emotions, however, in
In certain situations, talking about them correctly can be helpful. Not everyone puts them on their resume. Use them and instantly stand out from the crowd of competitors. Remember important rule: Weaknesses should be disclosed, but they should be immediately followed by a little accompanying information about what measures you are taking to get rid of them. Don’t write any nonsense like you are lazy, you can’t always be punctual, and so on - this is nonsense. Man's weaknesses are numerous. It’s better to write, for example, that you hope too much for results, trust people too much, are used to working too hard, as a result of which you waste yourself too much. These are both the strengths and weaknesses of a person at the same time.