The Best Responses to “What Areas Need Improvement?”

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An in-depth guide to answer “what areas need improvement?”
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In a job interview, the interviewer is likely to ask you about an area that you can improve in at some point. This question may momentarily put you in the hot seat, but responding is not as tricky as it seems! In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to successfully answer the question, “what areas need improvement?” We’ll also provide several example responses so you can answer with ease and leave a lasting impression on your interviewer.

This article is based on an interview with our professional life coach, career coach, and executive coach, Amber Rosenberg, owner of Pacific Life Coach. Check out the full interview here.

Things You Should Know

  • Reflect on past work experiences when you failed or didn’t perform as well as you expected, then make a list of skills or traits that you want to improve on.
  • Reread the job description before crafting an answer to come up with an area of improvement that is non-essential to the job’s core responsibilities.
  • Include the tangible steps you’re taking to improve your skills, such as taking courses, reading self-help books, or attending seminars.
Section 1 of 4:

Best Strategies to Answer “What Areas Need Improvement?”

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  1. Think about the times when you failed or didn’t perform as well as you expected. Maybe you submitted a project late because you couldn’t manage your time efficiently or maybe you missed a small detail that created more work for your team. Make a list of the skills and qualities that you want to work on so you can develop a concrete example for your interview. [1]
    • Employers are looking for honest answers that demonstrate self-awareness, so avoid mentioning clichés, such as saying you’re a workaholic or a perfectionist. [2]
    • If you don’t have work experience, reflect on your personal or academic memories. Extracurricular activities, academic programs, and side projects are valuable experiences that can help you develop an answer.
    • Think of areas where you’re just “average” if you can’t come up with a major weakness. For instance, you might mention that you can speak up during meetings, but you want to improve your communication skills further to lead a project.
  2. To appear as qualified as possible, choose a skill or quality that isn’t core to the job’s responsibility. Employers know that certain skills can be fixed through training and commitment, but others are essential for performance success. Before crafting a response, reread the job description so you know which hard or soft skills to avoid mentioning. [3]
    • For example, if you’re a copywriter, you might mention having some difficulty with data and analytics—instead of a weakness like brainstorming ideas or creating copy.
    • Or, if you’re applying for a web designer role, you might mention having some trouble speaking up at meetings—instead of technical skills like HTML or Javascript.
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  3. After providing a specific area of improvement, quickly follow up by explaining how you’re trying to improve your skills. Mention any courses or certifications that you’re working on (or have completed) to demonstrate accountability and determination. Employers seek candidates who are self-starting, so mentioning these tangible steps may increase your chances of getting a job offer. [4]
    • For example, if you’re trying to improve your leadership skills, you might mention that you’re enrolled in an online leadership program, attending seminars every month, and reading self-help books.
    • If you’re not taking classes to improve your skills, state specific techniques or strategies that you’re implementing instead. For instance, you could say that you’re practicing active listening to improve your communication skills in the workplace.
  4. As a general rule, keep your response under 2 minutes and hit the most relevant points to stay on track. If you tend to ramble, break up the question into 4 parts to help you manage your time: state the area of improvement, how it has affected you in the past, how you have learned to address it, and how you are currently working on it. [5]
    • Try to tie your actions back to key performance indicators (KPIs), such as improving customer retention, boosting sales by a specific percentage, or increasing overall efficiency.
    • For instance, you might say that you struggle with time management and that has previously caused you to turn in assignments late. Then, you could describe how you worked with your former supervisor to come up with a solution, and you now plan out your schedule every morning to manage your time efficiently.
    • Set up a mock interview with a friend, family member, or career counselor to practice answering concisely and confidently.
  5. While it might seem like the answer to this question has to be negative, it’s actually the perfect opportunity to highlight your potential. Interviewers are looking for a willingness to improve, so focus on transforming your “negative” trait into a positive. Highlight the steps you are taking to advance in your career, and express excitement about the results you hope to see (or have already seen). [6]
    • If you haven’t seen any results from your efforts, express excitement for what you hope to learn in the position and try to tie it back to your personal career goals.
    • For instance, you might say, “One of my career goals is to take a leadership position in my organization, so I want to improve my skills in this area. Although I haven’t gotten to lead large groups before, I am excited to learn effective ways to motivate people in my team with this position.”
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Section 2 of 4:

“What Areas Need Improvement?” Example Answers

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  1. I believe I can improve my organization skills. When I’m handling multiple tasks at the same time, I find that I can get a little overwhelmed and scatter-brained, which can lead to other projects falling behind schedule. To address this, I have learned to organize my schedule by taking meticulous notes and constantly updating my agenda. I have also been working on setting more specific goals and working on them in order of importance.
  2. One area I would like to improve on is my public speaking skills. In the past, my colleagues would do the majority of speaking during presentations, but they would sometimes forget to include details that were imperative to the project. Because of this, I am currently enrolled in a speech class at my local community college, and I am performing 2-3 speeches every week in front of a packed auditorium. I’ve already seen an improvement in the clarity of my speech, but I am hoping to improve my cadence and volume.
  3. In the past, I have lacked confidence in my decision-making skills, so I would often ask multiple friends and co-workers for their opinions before making a decision. While I believe asking for a second opinion can give you a fresh perspective and spark creative ideas, my behavior did cause me to turn in some of my assignments late. As a result, I try to spend substantial time on research to make sure my work is supported, and I only ask 2 people for their advice when it comes to making super important decisions.
  4. I would love to improve my leadership skills and formally lead a team. In my previous position, I received an opportunity to head a small project of interns, and I noticed my feedback was not helpful to the majority of the team. Since then, I have taken courses on how to give constructive criticism and approach problems with empathy. I have noticed improvements, but I believe I still have more I can work on before I’m ready to take on a larger team.
  5. While I am confident in my writing ability, I do struggle with editing my own work sometimes, especially if there’s an upcoming deadline. Now, I ask a colleague to proofread before I submit anything to avoid mistakes, but I’m looking at taking writing classes to improve my editing skills and work more efficiently.
  6. Although my career revolves around research, I believe it’s even more important to communicate my findings to the public. If I can’t explain what I’ve discovered in the lab to a general audience, my work provides very little purpose. A few months ago, I took a science communication course so I could learn how to express scientific concepts in simpler terms. Within weeks of completing the course, I raised double the amount of funding than prior years, so I am always looking for ways to improve my communication skills. Currently, I am focused on audience engagement, and I plan to attend a seminar for this skill next month.
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Section 3 of 4:

Why do employers ask about areas of improvement?

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  1. In job interviews, hiring managers want to know if you’re self-aware, accountable, and easy to train. Your answer to the question, “What areas need improvement?” is an easy way for them to see if you are a good fit for the company and if you can excel in the role. Hiring managers are often seeking responses that show a willingness in terms of professional growth to ensure success. [7]
    • Some employers may change up the phrasing or ask a similar question like, “What’s your greatest weakness?”
Section 4 of 4:

Preparing for the Interview

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  1. Doing your homework before the interview can help you craft interview responses that match what the company is looking for. Review the company’s website and social media pages to understand their current goals, projects, and future plans. Then, carefully read over the job description to identify core skills and abilities to highlight why you’re the perfect fit.
    • For instance, if the company is looking for someone who thrives in a team environment, you could provide stories about your successes on team projects.
    • Tip: Look on Glassdoor to see if there are any questions from previous interviews that other people have uploaded.
  2. Ask a trusted friend, family member, or career counselor to sit down with you and ask common interview questions . Craft answers based on the company, the job description, and your work and education history, then practice delivering your answers with confidence. Some common questions include: [8]
    • Can you tell me about yourself?
    • Can you walk me through your resume?
    • Why do you want to work for this company?
    • Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In 10 years?
    • What is your greatest strength?
    • How do you deal with conflict?
    • How did you hear about this position?
    • Reader Poll: We asked 135 wikiHow readers which job interview question is the most important to prepare for, and 58% of them said tell me about yourself. [Take Poll] So, make sure you're ready for it!
  3. When you look polished and professional, your employer is more likely to see you as the perfect candidate for the position. Always shower before you head to your interview, and trim your nails to maintain good hygiene. To dress appropriately for the work culture , check out the company website beforehand to see how the employees are dressed: [9]
    • For industries like business or finance: Men can wear a dark-colored suit, long-sleeved shirt, formal shoes, and a briefcase. Women can wear a suit with a skirt, pantyhose, and kitten heels.
    • For other office jobs: Men can wear business trousers, a long-sleeve button up, and formal shoes or loafers. Women can wear pants or a knee-length skirt, a blouse, cardigan, and kitten heels or loafers.
    • For casual or unconventional jobs: Men can wear a pair of khakis, a button-down short sleeved shirt, and whatever closed-toe shoes they like. Women can wear a simple top and skirt or a knee-length shift dress paired with boots, loafers, or kitten heels.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/2mc2B8NZhvY?t=187
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/2mc2B8NZhvY?t=81
      3. ↑ https://hbr.org/2023/05/how-to-answer-what-are-your-strengths-and-weaknesses
      4. ↑ https://hbr.org/2023/05/how-to-answer-what-are-your-strengths-and-weaknesses
      5. ↑ https://hbr.org/2023/05/how-to-answer-what-are-your-strengths-and-weaknesses
      6. ↑ https://hbr.org/2023/05/how-to-answer-what-are-your-strengths-and-weaknesses
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/hf-FmBFmEi0?t=74
      8. ↑ https://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/jobs-and-careers/job-interviews/preparing-for-a-job-interview/how-to-practise-for-a-job-interview
      9. ↑ https://www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/careers/how-to-dress-job-interview

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