Strengths and Weaknesses in a CV

“What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?” is a classic job interview question, so common that it’s almost become a cliché. However, before you can impress a prospective employer by answering this question in person, you need to know how to express strength and weakness in a CV.

While you may think that a professional CV is simply a place to list your past job experience and abilities, there are subtle ways that you can indicate your strengths in a CV that are important to be aware of so you can make the best possible impression on a recruiter.

Additionally, listing your weakness in a CV should never be your top priority. As you may well know, the space on this document is limited (most experts advise to keep a CV between 1 to 2 pages) and should be used wisely. Nevertheless, there may be instances where admitting you still have things to learn could be the right move.

With this in mind, our team at OnlineCV have compiled a complete guide to key strengths for a resume and how and where to include them, and advice about whether including a weakness on a CV would be to your benefit.

How to assess your strengths to put on a CV

Most people start writing a CV by thinking about what they’re good at. There are different types of strengths that you may divide your skillset into:

• Technical and job-specific skills. These are the ones you have accumulated during years of education, training, and work experience in your field. They are important for the position you’re applying for and may include specific tools ad software.
• Transferable skills. These are skills that you can transfer from past job positions and experience , although they are not directly related to your current field.
• Personal skills. Some qualities are innate: you may be a natural communicator and public speaker even if you haven’t been formally trained as such, or you may have a keen eye for detail. 

Although job seekers are tempted to include all of the above, this may work against them. Keeping the resume relevant should be amongst the top priorities of all candidates and this may mean having to leave some skills out.

What are the key strengths in a CV employers look for?

When tailoring your CV to a specific opening, you should always look at the job ad closely. From the set of skills required, you should then identify your particular strengths that are most relevant to the job posting.

If job hunting was a Venn diagram, the point where your strengths and the employer’s needs intersect is the one you should focus most of your attention on. It’s OK to exclude things you can do or have been praised for in the past if they are not applicable in your new occupation, as these will just distract the recruiter’s eye from what will really convince them to hire you.

It’s clear that for every open position and organisation out there, there will be a different list of abilities you should highlight. However, there are some skills that most companies are interested in.

Common key strengths to put on a resume include:

• Reliability. It doesn’t matter the department they’ll work in, all employees must be dependable, professional, and dedicated.
• Communication. You will need to use your communication skills daily in virtually all jobs, from writing emails to participating in meetings and training new team members.
• Critical thinking. If employers are unable to collect and analyse data, draw conclusions, and suggest improvements, it’s unlikely that an organisation will progress and increase their productivity. Critical thinking is typical of individuals who are proactive, decision-makers, and problem-solvers.

How to add strengths on a CV

Once you have identified what the key strengths for a resume you should include on your document, it’s time to find the best way to convey the message.

Simply listing your skills won’t work. It may be true that the recruiter is after a ‘team player’, but writing that description won’t add value to your CV. Including reviews or awards that you have been granted, on the other hand, will make an impression. So will showcasing guides and training materials you have developed independently to help your team.

In order to give evidence of your strengths, you will have to turn the attention to impact and results. Can you give a number or percentage that supports your claims? Can the reader see the details of the positive effect your work had on your company and colleagues?

Make sure to keep it concise and not discursive. Try to make your sentences as short as possible and use bullet points to guide your reader.

Should you add weaknesses in a CV?

In general, your CV is not the place to discuss weaknesses. Remember that CVs are useful tools for HR professionals to get an idea of a candidate’s profile. On average, they are only able to dedicate seconds to each document.

Recruiters generally won’t have the time to make a detailed assessment of your strengths and weaknesses in a CV — that is what the job interview and technical tests are about.

You should also keep in mind that the lack of a specific ability or skill in your resume that is necessary for the job will already work against you. It’s not the case to highlight it yourself.

This doesn’t mean that you should actively hide weaknesses in your CV or, even worse, lie (this is one of the most serious CV mistakes applicants can make).

You can subtly hint at weakness in a CV by using words such as ‘junior’ or ‘trainee’ in front of previous roles, or ‘basic level of’ or in front of skills and abilities.

 It’s still important to prepare to address your gaps and weak spots should the need arise at a later stage in the recruitment process. However, your resume should be the space where you make the strongest possible case for yourself as a future employee.

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