Five Professional “weaknesses” You Can Rethink in Your Favor
Many disadvantages in professional life can be turned into advantages. The key element is knowing how to present your weaknesses to acquaintances and potential employers. Here are five common flaws that you can rethink and use to your advantage.
You are inexperienced: you can learn without fear
When you are a trainee in a company, you may feel like you are on the bottom rung. You can turn this into a position of power as other people may be more willing to take you under their wing.
Nobody wants to be out of date. Talented or experienced people in your company will be wary of sharing information with their peers. They can be more open to share with interns or students. Because you are in this position, people will think that you are lacking in experience. They will not see you as dangerous as a colleague, colleague, or rival on the same level or even on a different basis.
As you build relationships with these experts, imagine yourself to be nothing more than a curious learner. Don’t be too aggressive. You are not entitled to the best ideas of these people, their work and their work. Be patient and remain passionate, energetic, and consistent.
Easily distracted: you have a lot of knowledge to share
If you are addicted to information, use it as a catalyst for networking and relationship building. Find people who don’t have time to catch up with industry news or interests, and use your addiction to news and stories to learn something and share their knowledge. Send them useful or entertaining links.
In a way, you can think of yourself as the curator of other people. You can send them articles or interviews that you know will either inform them, or inspire them, or at least entertain them. As Ryan Holiday writes at 99U :
One suggestion that worked for me: Post articles, links, or news that your mentors might find useful. You are less busy than they are, so better spend your time searching and searching. In addition, having other mentors and pursuing my own interests on the side, I was able to become a source of new information, trends and opportunities. I asked a lot, but I tried to give in.
You can also forward articles or leads to people you haven’t met yet, but you want to build relationships with. It might be a little ahead, but if you’re comfortable with it, give it a try. If anything, it will be a welcome step forward from emailing them asking them to “collect their brains” or offer to buy them coffee (mmm, they can probably afford their own coffee ).
You are a versatile person: you can offer different points of view
The career opportunities that interest you may require different experience or education than the one you have. Do not despair. Remember that you can give the table a unique perspective. Explain to your contacts or interviewer that your perspective or previous skill set can fill knowledge gaps, weaknesses, or opportunities for company expansion. As marketing strategist Dory Clarke previously wrote :
Check out the writings of thinkers such as Frans Johansson, who argued in The Medici Effect that the best ideas arise from interdisciplinary intersections. You will never win the argument that you are better qualified than someone who has studied the relevant business discipline or has worked in the field for years. So don’t even try. You have different backgrounds and your unique perspective may be exactly what a company needs to move to the next level.
Bring ideas or experiences that you are familiar with and find out how you can apply them to this new environment. If you are going to a tech startup and are working in a corporate environment, see if there are any processes you can help implement for a better organization (many startups / entrepreneurs can be quite disorganized) or any mistakes you can help. to avoid.
Are you scared: you know what matters most
When you plan for the future, it’s easy to feel paralyzed. You may feel like your career has come to a standstill. On the other hand, you may just be suffering from analytical paralysis . In any case, when this situation arises, ask yourself what professional opportunities you fear the most. Then take a deep breath and examine it.
For example, if you want more professional freedom or have a vision for a product but are totally afraid of starting your own company and the risks involved, you shouldn’t let your fear be a hindrance. Author Tim Ferris says in this interview with VentureBeat : “… what we fear most is what we most need to do.” For you to grow, it’s important to continue to step out of your comfort zone.
Identify your biggest fears. Find out what the worst-case scenarios are, how likely they are, and if there are any steps you can take to prevent or get rid of them. Ferris suggests a specific exercise in this interview with Chase Jarvis LIVE :
So what I usually do when I find myself paralyzed or indecisive is to write down all the worst-case scenarios. I mean really getting high resolution in absolutely specific worst case scenarios. The second column is … everything I could do to prevent these specific items. Then, if they do occur, what can I do to reverse them or minimize the damage from each of these outcomes. Once you do this, you will find that worst-case scenarios are very rarely as bad as you imagined.
It may be much easier for you to conquer your fear when the mystery becomes clear. You may find that it’s not worth it and that the consequences are too severe at worst. Alternatively, you can find a less radical option that is less radical outside of your comfort zone. Examining your fear will keep your eyes on it.
Sometimes you are incompetent: you can prioritize
Believe it or not, you can even use a quality that is frowned upon, like incompetence. Use this as a polite way to avoid tasks or activities so you can spend time doing what you are best at (and really interested in).
Entrepreneur and venture capitalist Mark Andreessen writes :
The best way to make sure you’re never asked to do anything else again is to royally screw up the first time you are asked to do it.
Or better yet, just say you know you’re screwing up like a king – keep a strong voice and a clear gaze and you’re likely off the hook.
Of course, this assumes that there are other more important things that you are competent at.
As writer Jared Sandberg writes in The Wall Street Journal, “Strategic incompetence is not a bad strategy, but a successful failure.” And yet Andreessen’s last caveat is really important. If you even consider strategic incompetence, make sure you are extremely competent and helpful in other matters . Otherwise, without this redemptive value, you will simply be incompetent.
If you are lacking in experience, use your non-threatening amateur status to build strong relationships with experts. If you’re easily distracted, find interesting information and pass it on to people. If your skills or experience don’t fit the opportunity, highlight your transferable skills and your unique vision. Follow your fear. Use incompetence strategically to avoid tasks.