Laid off 101

Nobody can be great at everything. Most of us are good at several things, great at a few, and lousy at a few. But with a little thought and effort, you can turn some of your “lousies” into “goods”—just in time for your next job interview.

There’s nothing wrong with shoring up a lagging skill set, but in the short run, the trick to turning a weakness into a strength is not hammering away at the weakness with classes, seminars, and tutorials. Instead, look at the mirror image of your weakness and see if it doesn’t identify a strength. Then the next time an interviewer asks, “What would you say are some of your weaknesses? Some of your strengths?” you’ll know exactly how to answer—and how to explain the value you’ll add to the company.

It’s hard to admit our own weak points, but managers seem to have no trouble pinpointing them. So grit your teeth and read through past performance reviews to learn what bosses are looking for.

Small pictures, private speaking

Here are a few examples to get you started. All but one of them came from my own job reviews. Can you guess which one didn’t?

Weakness: You’re not a big-picture planner.
Strength: Become the master of the small picture. Break a project down into smaller tasks and execute them efficiently.

Weakness: You’re not a morning person.
Strength: If possible, arrange to start work a little later in the day. Schedule simpler tasks for the morning and move important meetings and projects to the afternoon or evening, when you’re at your peak. For me, this means going to the gym (which perks up my brain), answering correspondence, and setting up my work files in the earlier part of the morning. I start the serious business of editing and making calls around 10:00 a.m., and I really get rolling in the afternoon.

Weakness: You freeze up when faced with public speaking.
Strength: Become a great private speaker instead. Address small groups; hold good one-on-one conversations; send clear, concise e-mail and voice messages.

Weakness: You’re not a team player.
Strength: Become a standout soloist. It’s OK to be a loner—really. If you’re self-directed and skilled in your field, consider working as a consultant or a freelancer.

Weakness: You’re impatient.
Strength: Recast impatience as decisiveness. Be the person who’s willing to choose a direction and get things started, and who keeps the project moving once it’s underway.

Weakness: You’re a nitpicker.
Strength: Call yourself a quality assurance expert instead. Turn your particularity to tasks like correcting grammar, debugging code, checking figures, drawing up blueprints—anything that requires precision.

Weakness: You get bored silly during long meetings, and it shows.
Strength: For me, “long” means more than about 10 minutes, so I’ve become something of a meeting ninja. I ask to receive a summary of the meeting minutes in lieu of attending. If I must go, I find out when the topic most relevant to my work will be addressed, arrive just in time for it, and slip out quietly when it’s finished. Less time doodling; more time producing.

With a little self-reflection and some honest feedback from friends, you can identify your own faults, but don’t let them stand as your defining features. Instead, flip them around and turn those liabilities into assets—for yourself and for your future employer.

Image by: Michael Foley