A job interview can be nerve-wracking. Sometimes an interviewer will even intentionally try to trip you up verbally so that he or she can see how you respond under pressure. However, most of the questions are simply meant to help assess your professionalism, work ethic, and likelihood to fit in with the team of people at the company.
Almost every job interview will have the question “What is your greatest weakness?” Sometimes this is followed or replaced by “how can you improve your work performance?’ Here are some tips on how to answer question how to improve your work performance.
Three Tips to Answering Questions on How to Improve Your Work Performance
Tip #1: Never bring up a serious character or personality flaw. If you bring up something that will greatly affect your ability to perform the job, there is no way they will hire you. A better idea is to admit to a smaller weakness, then state a method you have developed to work on improving this problem.
A sample of how to answer questions on how to improve your work performance might be: I believe that like a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so a person is only as strong as his (or her) weakness. I try to search for those weaknesses and find ways to improve.
For instance, I have a tendency to be single-minded when starting a new task that I am excited about. To combat this, I break down every project into goals and deadlines, putting reminders in the calendar on my phone. This keeps all my responsibilities being completed on time and with quality.
Sample Question and Answer on Improving Your Work Performance
Tip #2: Use this opportunity to tell about goals for furthering your education within the field. Employers are usually looking for ambitious and self-motivated employees. Think of the goals you have and the ways for continuing education (that you can do while in the position) to improve your performance.
A sample of how to answer question how to improve your work performance in this case is: I see so much opportunity in this field. I am planning to learn and grow as a (insert vocation) by taking courses online and reading through the industry literature. Right now, I am reading (insert title).
Note: make sure you really are reading that book or article because the interviewer might also have read it and engage you in conversation about it.
Tip #3: Bring your answer back to basic work skills and your specific approaches to doing those well.
An idea of how to answer question how to improve your work performance this way is: High levels of work performance are based on the ability to organize, manage time, and work well with others. I use a color-coded filing system to help increase accuracy and speed when working on projects.
I also use a computer calendar with reminder notifications that alert me of approaching deadlines to improve my time management skills. I also recently read an article communicating effectively with colleagues and clients using email and other technology and am implementing the suggestions in my communications.
Note: Always consider your own experiences when figuring out how to answer question how to improve your work performance.
