5 Good Negative Qualities To Talk About During A Job Interview

As Indians, most of us have the notion that anything negative is outright bad and uttering those words will make others hold a very bad impression about us. However, that is far from being true. Some qualities that are otherwise negative may be beneficial for you in a particular role. As for example, a particular attribute of a person may make them a bad child and sibling, but the same thing may make them a more efficient employee. In such a situation, stating this particular negative quality in a job interview will help them land a job. Thus, since your main focus in a job interview is to impress the other person, it should be your endeavour to let the other person know of all such qualities of yours.

Understand that every person is an amalgamation of positive and negative qualities and if you are able to project your human shortcomings in such a fashion that they appear to be of aid to your prospective employer, then the ball is in your court and chances are that you will bag the job.

Also, if you are someone who has improved on your past flaws or are currently doing so, the same will work in your favour in a job interview. To help you with how to go about portraying the same, this article talks about 5 good negative qualities that you can mention during your job interview.

1. Lack Of Focus

Some people find it difficult to focus on one thing for a long span at a time. If you are one of those people, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Be frank and do not hesitate to tell your interviewer about the same. After that, you can talk about the steps you are taking to improve the same.

This would include things like better sleep habits, meditation and yoga that you have taken up to tackle your shortcoming.

2. Shyness

There was a time when being shy and an introvert was looked upon as a highly desirable quality. This was true in the decades that succeeded that of the Indian independence. However, these days, times have changed and workplaces now require employees to interact with each other. In such a situation, shyness is a quality that is taken to be negative.

If this is indeed a quality that you possess, do not try to mask the same. Since this is a personality attribute, even if you do try to hide it, an experienced recruiter will be able to see through it. Thus, the best thing that you can do is to come out in the open about it and tell your prospective employer about the steps that you are taking to deal with it.

This would include personality development classes, spoken English classes, etc.

3. Getting Stressed Around Deadlines

Irrespective of your age, designation or duties, it is understandable that when deadlines are around the corner, you will be a little more stressed. This is because at times like this your skills will be put to test and you will be judged on the same. However, getting too stressed about this is often seen as a negative.

However, it is a safe bait to mention this particular point in the course of a job interview. If you are questioned on the measures that you are taking in order to combat the same, you can frankly talk about how with experience you are learning to set reasonable goals for yourself.

You can even explain how being less ambitious and more realistic has worked in your favour and the improvements that you have observed in yourself.

4. Being Over Critical About Your Abilities

Indeed, overconfidence is one of the gravest harms that you can do to yourself. A person who refuses to look at their shortcomings often tends to think too highly of themselves and ends up committing flaws. Being critical of yourself saves you from such narcissism.

However, being over critical is often seen as a flaw as it restricts one's growth. This is particularly true in the context of people who are at the beginning of their professional career. If you are someone who has this particular attribute, you do not have to hide it from the interviewer.

You may tell this while stating how your attitude is rapidly changing and how actively pausing and celebrating your accomplishments has helped in boosting your self-esteem. Stating a few real-life examples at this point will do you a world of good.

5. Time Management Skills

We understand that you might not be an expert in managing time. This might often lead to you not being able to complete all the tasks allotted to you. In extreme cases, multitasking might also become a challenge for you.

However, there is nothing to be scared about and you must realise that this is something that is absolutely humane and that you do not have to shy away from admitting the same in front of the interviewer.

It will be wise on your part to speak about how you are trying to tackle this by setting reminders and alarms or other things like that. If you have some innovative and creative means of dealing with this situation that you are trying out on yourself, make sure that you mention the same in the interview.

Now that you know how to project your shortcomings, there is no need for you to try to behave like you are the most perfect human being on earth.

The interviewer is well aware that, just like everyone else, you will also have your own share of flaws and the fact that you had the courage to admit the same in front of them even before being hired will earn you brownie points as this speaks volumes about your integrity as a human being.