复试的时候导师问你“最大的缺点是什么”，你会怎么回答？
小白老师说：在复试中经常会问到的一个问题是“What is your greatest weakness?” 即“你最大的缺点是什么？” 这个问题很难回答，因为大家都想在面试中展现自己最好的一面。积极地描述自己的弱点很有挑战性，但是如果你能巧妙作答，就有机会脱颖而出。今天，小白老师就来给大家支支招。
回答好这个问题的关键在于找出具备交流优势的弱点，要向导师证明你足够内省，知道自己的机会所在。以下是复试中可以拿出来“炫耀”的 9 个缺点，每个点都给出了示范回答。
缺点 1
“I focus too much on the details”
我过于注重细节
注重细节是一件典型的好事，但是如果你是一个总是在细节上耗费太多时间的人，这也可能被认为是一个缺点。
小心机：告诉导师你过于注重细节的同时，其实也是在对导师说，“我可是一个非常认真细致的人喔~”。
回答示范：
“My greatest weakness is that I sometimes focus too much on the details and spend too much time analyzing the finer points. I’ve been striving to improve in this area by checking in with myself at regular intervals and giving myself a chance to re-focusing on the bigger picture. That way I can still ensure quality without getting so caught up in the details that it affects my productivity or the ability to meet the deadline.”
缺点 2
“I have a hard time letting go of a project”
项目完成时我总担心不够完美
如果你在某个项目上花费了大量的时间精力，最后让你结项的时候你可能总觉得还是做得不够完美，很难主动去画上句号。改进的空间总是有的，有人会过度批评自己的工作，或者试图在最后一刻做出改变，这会影响到工作进度。
回答示范：
“My greatest weakness is that I sometimes have a hard time letting go of a project. I’m the biggest critic of my research, and I can always find something that needs to be improved or changed. To help myself improve in this area, I give myself deadlines for revisions. This helps ensure I’m not making changes at the last minute.”
缺点 3
“I have trouble saying ‘no’. ”
我很难对别人说“不”
能在研究中上帮助他人、并合理安排自己的工作量是一种巧妙的平衡。从导师的角度来看，大包大揽的学生看似敬业、热心，但也可能是不知道自己的极限的人，而这些人往往需要额外的帮助，或需要延长期限才能完成工作。
回答示范：
“My greatest weakness is that I sometimes have trouble saying ‘no’ to requests and end up taking on more than I can handle. In the past, this has led me to feel stressed or burnt out. To help myself improve in this area, I use a project management app so I can visualize how much work I have at any given moment and know whether or not I have the bandwidth to take on more.”
缺点 4
“I get impatient when projects run beyond the deadline”
到最后期限事情还没做完，我会非常着急
因为deadline而倍感压力可能会被认为是一种缺点，但反过来看，这也是责任心和时间观念的体现。
示范回答：
“My greatest weakness is that I get impatient when projects run past the deadline. I’m a stickler for due dates and get uncomfortable when work is not completed on time. To avoid this, I’ve started being more proactive and paying attention to how I’m reacting to make sure I’m being motivational and helping foster efficiency.”
缺点 5
“I could use more experience in…”
我在......方面不是很有经验
每个人都会有需要改进的领域，你可以说一些很具体的事情，比如用Excel创建数据透视表；或者是某项技能，比如写作或公开演讲。不妨大大方方地告诉导师，你想在某个技能方面有所提升，这样导师会觉得你很有自知之明，而且喜欢挑战自己。但是，一定不要用这个专业所必备的技能作为你的弱点来回答。
常见的在复试中可以拿出来说的“需要改进的领域”有：
Verbal communication 口头交流
Written communication 书面交流
Team leadership 领导团队的能力
Delegating tasks 分配任务的能力
Providing constructive criticism 提供建设性批评
Specific programs具体的项目
i.e. “I would like to improve my PowerPoint presentation skills.”
例如：我想提高我的PPT演示技巧。
缺点 6
“I sometimes lack confidence”
我有时不够自信
“缺乏自信”是一个人畜无害的“缺点”，坦然说出来也无妨。当然，缺乏自信并不代表缺乏能力。
示范回答：
“In the past, I have sometimes struggled with confidence. It has been helpful for me to keep a running document of the impact I have made on my team and at my organization to better understand why I should be confident about the skills and unique talents I bring to the table. I have also made it a point to voice my ideas and opinions during meetings when I feel they are appropriate and will add value to the conversation. Because of this, our team ended up adopting my idea for a new financing process, which resulted in a 10% decrease in time taken to plan our annual budget.”
缺点 7
“I can have trouble asking for help”
我不太善于寻求帮助
寻求帮助是必需技能，尤其是当你在某个领域缺乏专业知识、当你感到精疲力竭、或无法完成海量工作的时候。知道何时求助、以及如何求助，可以凸显个人的自我意识，并能帮助团队在低效工作中领先。
示范回答：
“Because I am independent and enjoy working quickly, it has been difficult for me to ask for help when I need it. I have learned that it is much more beneficial both for me and the business to reach out when I do not understand something or feel burned out with my workload. I also understand that there are many experts around me that have specific knowledge and skills that can make my work better. While I am still working on it, I have been able to produce more high-quality work as a result of getting help from those around me.”
缺点 8
“It has been difficult for me to work with certain personalities”
我很难和个性太强的人共事
即使是最灵活的人也会在与个性太强的人共事时遇到困难。提一下这个“缺点”，会让导师看到你的团队意识，说明你愿意不断改进自己，更好地服务于团队。
示范回答：
“In the past, I have found it difficult to work with aggressive personality types. While I understand diversity in personalities makes a business strong, I tend to quiet my own ideas and opinions around louder colleagues. To combat this, I have made it a point to spend more time with colleagues I feel uncomfortable working with. By learning more about them, their communication style and their motivations, I am better able to collaborate with these personality types so that we both equally contribute our strengths and skills.”
缺点 9
“It can be difficult for me to maintain a healthy work/life balance”
我不太善于保持工作与生活的平衡
找到工作与生活之间的平衡点，对于保持工作动力很重要。虽然，愿意把时间和精力投入到工作上是值得尊敬的，也是强烈的职业道德的体现，但陪伴家人、培养兴趣爱好、或者适时休息也是必要的。
示范回答：
“Because I truly love my work and have ambitious career goals, it can be difficult for me to keep a healthy balance between work and my personal life. I have seen a negative impact on my motivation and focus when I ignore my personal needs. As a result, I have made it a point to focus on creating space in my schedule to focus on volunteering and spending time with my family. Taking small actions like putting my phone on silent during dinnertime is helpful. When I maintain a good work/life balance, I have found my output is better quality, I can get more work done and I feel excited about coming to work in the morning.”
点击下方蓝字学习更多▼
点击阅读原文参加冲刺课▼
喜欢就点个“在看”吧~↘