my weak point essay

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How to Structure An Essay: Avoiding Six Weaknesses In Papers

TIP Sheet HOW TO STRUCTURE AN ESSAY: AVOIDING SIX MAJOR WEAKNESSES IN PAPERS

Writing a paper is a lot like painting your house: the bulk of the work is in the preparation–scraping, sanding, cleaning, applying primer. If you fail in the prep work, the finished product will be less than excellent. Similarly, it is the quality of prep work-the brainstorming, prewriting, drafting, revising-that makes some papers stand out as excellent.

It is a common mistake for students to want to start editing their papers before they have substantially revised them. Before you start to stress over individual words and punctuation marks, give your paper a critical read. Does your claim hang together in such a way that an educated reader can follow it? Elegant phrasing and multi-syllable words will not make up for weakness in the development of your argument.

Identifying six major weaknesses Six major weaknesses can doom your paper to mediocrity or worse:

A too-broad thesis statement A poorly formulated thesis Inadequate or unfocused topic sentences Writing off-subject Failing to anticipate objections An inadequate conclusion

The checklist below can help you discover whether your paper suffers from any of these errors. Ask yourself whether all of the following statements are true of your paper.

My subject is limited enough for adequate treatment for this length of paper. My thesis statement is a discussable point and is in the form of a declarative sentence. I have used specific, focused topic sentences to support my thesis statement. All my sentences directly or indirectly support my thesis statement-I have not digressed or written "off the subject." I have not contradicted my thesis statement. I have anticipated the major objections to my thesis and have tried to address and overcome them. My closing paragraph restates the thesis (if necessary) and draws conclusions based on the points I have already discussed in my paper.

If any of these statements are not true, read ahead to find explanations and suggestions that may help.

1. The too-broad thesis statement Many papers fail largely because the writer attempts to write on a subject so broad that he simply cannot adequately address it. Narrow down the topic to one that interests you, and for which source information is available, and that you can discuss adequately in the length assigned. The following sentence might have a legitimate place in a paper (as part of an introduction, perhaps), but it would fail as a thesis statement because it is too broad for a typical three- to four-page paper:

In American schools, there are many kinds of acceptable dress codes and classroom behaviors.

The phrase "American schools" includes pre-, elementary, intermediate, and high schools; public and private colleges; technical schools; adult schools; schools with and without uniform requirements; schools in conservative Midwestern towns and those in diverse urban areas; religious schools; progressive schools–too many schools, too many populations of students to discuss all at once.

Many urban-area public schools are weighing the advantages and disadvantages of requiring students to wear uniforms, and quite a few are deciding that uniforms are the way to go for several reasons.

2. The poorly formulated thesis A thesis should treat a discussable point-that is, a topic that merits discussion because more than one point of view is sane and plausible. While it is possible, for example, to support the following statements, the resulting paper would likely not be very interesting because the points are not discussable:

A dog is a four-legged domestic mammal. A friend is someone who is always there for you. Humans need oxygen to live.

Reformulated, these statements can become more discussable and interesting:

Dogs are smelly, dumb, destructive eating machines, and I couldn't live without mine. My friend Brad uses humor to encourage me to set high standards for myself. In the absence of free oxygen, very different life forms might have emerged on earth.

Even a discussable thesis can fail to make its point clear. This is frustrating to the reader, who at the very least is entitled to a clear statement of your claim (unless it is obviously implied–a technique not recommended for beginners!). Compare the following vague theses with the stronger examples given above:

What do most people think about dogs? Are they man's best friend or worst enemy? In my estimation, a sense of humor is a valuable thing. Oxygen is especially vital for animal life forms.

Try the following to help sharpen a vague thesis statement:

Avoid questions, which are useful as attention-getting devices, but are difficult to use as a thesis statement. For example, avoid "Why should students be given more freedom to choose elective subjects?" Instead use "Students should be given more freedom to choose elective subjects," or even "Students should not be given more freedom to choose elective subjects."
Avoid "I think," "I believe," "In my opinion," or "To me." Such expressions are overly subjective and unnecessary; remember that you are presenting evidence to support your thesis statement, even if you are writing a narrative or descriptive paper. Besides, a simple declarative statement is a much stronger way to say what you think.
Contrary to what you might think, absolute statements do not strengthen a thesis. Avoid them unless you are certain you can support them. Few statements (other than known facts–like the nondiscussable points above) can be proven completely to everyone's satisfaction. If you overstate your case with an absolute statement, and then fail to support it, you lose credibility. Use words like "seems," "seldom," "maybe," "probably," "possibly," and "almost." Avoid "certainly," "absolutely," "always," or "never."

3. Inadequate or unfocused topic sentences Do not, out of enthusiasm, haste, or laziness, abandon the basics of paragraph structure for paragraphs subsequent to your thesis statement. From start to finish the paper should follow a consistent progression leading coherently to a reasonable, well thought out conclusion. Therefore, make sure every single paragraph in your paper contains its own clearly stated topic sentence as well as the specific details to support each, though not necessarily in that order–the following example, for instance, starts with an illustration and concludes with a topic sentence:

At George Washington Junior High School, after students had been wearing uniforms only five months, groups of students who formerly occupied separate areas of the lunch yard began sitting closer to each other and talking to each other more. School administrators concluded that the wearing of school uniforms had obscured the socioeconomic differences between students and resulted in more social mixing between the groups.

Compare the above example with the following too-general claim:

Wearing school uniforms is socially good for junior high school students.

In short, fuzziness in topic sentences suggests fuzziness in thinking. If you settle for vagueness in your topic sentences, you will be more likely to write off-topic or jump around from topic to topic. Clarifying your topic sentence–clarifying your thinking–will go a long way toward producing an organized and convincing paper.

4. Writing off-subject Your thesis statement is a promise to your reader about what you will cover in your paper. Don't write "off" this subject; don't include sentences that do not support or elaborate on this main idea. For instance, if your thesis statement for an expository "process" paper is "Making a set of bookshelves requires precise skills," don't include sentences describing your favorite author or the kinds of books you plan to place in the bookshelves. If your thesis statement for a descriptive paper is "My room is a place of refuge," don't include more than incidental references to the other parts of the house or to your neighborhood.

A narrative sometimes seems particularly difficult to contain within the confines of a thesis statement. Consider, for example, a narrative paper about the biggest fish you ever caught. "The biggest fish I ever caught at Bass Lake hit on my spare house key at the very end of a long day of fishing." A common mistake is to tell the story of the entire fishing trip: when you left home, where you stopped for gas and bait, a description of the scenery, and so on. Remember that what you have promised to tell your reader is about catching the biggest fish ever; every sentence and paragraph should relate to this.

5. Failing to anticipate objections Especially for an argumentative or persuasive paper, you must acknowledge and attempt to overcome objections to your thesis. For example, consider the following thesis statement: "Courses in Western Civilization should not be required of American college students. If they prefer Asian, African, or Native American Studies, for example, these should be acceptable alternatives to Western Studies." Here are two plausible objections to the preceding statement:

Western civilization represents the core culture of American students; to be successful in this culture, they must understand it.

The study of Western culture should be required in addition to Asian, African, or other cultures, in order to foster understanding of the modern global community.

Objections like these can be merely acknowledged-"Although some people insist that all students in American should study Western culture..."–or broken down and discussed in detail, point by point. Decide whether your topic–or the objection itself–is strong enough to warrant detailed discussion of opposing viewpoints.

6. An inadequate conclusion Usually, student writers should write a concluding paragraph that summarizes the topic sentence (in words different from those used earlier) and restates the thesis (again, in different words). The conclusion should include the most important idea from your paper, the one you most want readers to remember. (Some papers may differ; the conclusion to a narrative essay, for example, may not follow this pattern.)

My room is one of the quietest, most beautiful, and most spacious rooms I have seen. Within the confines of my room, I can work, I can think, I can rest. It is, indeed, a place of refuge in a noisy, crowded, and often ugly world.

An effective conclusion "returns" to the material in the introduction–the imagery, metaphor, or analogy found there, for instance. A satisfying conclusion may also contain one last anecdote to illustrate the thesis. Choose a technique that seems appropriate to your subject matter and the tone of your paper.

Although beginners should stick to the techniques outlined above, experienced writers often do one more thing-they draw a conclusion beyond the points already made.

I would not be where I am today if I had not been forced to view my life in an honest manner. Alcohol almost killed me many times, and I am still only one drink away from a life of hell. I have been sober for almost two years, and I have never felt happier or more serene. With God's grace, I will stay sober today. Tomorrow will take care of itself.

While not introducing new material, this kind of conclusion both summarizes and points out more far-reaching consequences, gives a warning, or offers an alternative suggested by or based on the ideas already put forth.

Minor Weaknesses In addition to the major weaknesses above, minor errors can diminish the apparent strength of your argument and result in a paper that is merely adequate. After correcting major problems, check for some of the errors below:

Weak, vague or poorly developed introduction Sentence errors including Unintentional fragmentary sentences Run-on sentences, especially the "comma splice"–using a comma to separate two sentences Short, choppy sentences or lack of sentence variety Poor or nonexistent transitions Awkward sentences due to lack of parallel structure or due to dangling or misplaced modifiers Word errors such as Use of the wrong word or phrase, for example, its or it's Nonstandard English–"they was," "he don't,"-use of double negatives, and so on Trite expressions such as "hit the hay," "gave me a turn," "acid test" Monotonous or ineffective repetition Wrong word choice for the style, tone, or content: formal language in an informal paper, for example, or informal language in a formal paper. Verb tense disagreement Wrong use of subjunctive verb forms, such as in conditional statements Subject/verb non-agreement Errors in pronoun reference "Padding"–using words simply to fill space Plagiarizing, that is, failing to cite source material

Finally, proofread adequately to correct punctuation, spelling, and typing errors

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Essay on My Strengths And Weaknesses

Students are often asked to write an essay on My Strengths And Weaknesses in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on My Strengths And Weaknesses

My strengths.

Everyone has things they are good at. My strengths are being kind, working hard, and learning quickly. I like to help friends and always do my best in school. When I get new lessons, I understand them fast. This helps me do well in class.

My Weaknesses

But, I also have things I’m not so good at. I sometimes worry too much, which can make me feel stressed. Also, I get shy around people I don’t know, making it hard to make new friends. I’m working to get better at these things.

250 Words Essay on My Strengths And Weaknesses

Introduction to my strengths and weaknesses.

Everyone has things they are good at and things they are not so good at. These are called strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what these are can help us get better and feel proud of what we can do.

My Good Points

I have a few strong points that help me in school and with friends. One of my best strengths is being kind to everyone. I like to share and make sure no one feels left out. I am also really good at reading. I can understand stories and learn new words quickly. Being organized is another strength. I keep my things tidy, so I don’t lose them, and it helps me do my homework on time.

Things I’m Working On

Just like everyone, I have some weak points too. I find math hard sometimes. Numbers and formulas can be confusing, and I need more practice to get better. Another weakness is that I am shy. Speaking in front of the class makes me nervous, and I am quiet when I meet new people. I am also not very good at sports. I am not as fast as the other kids, and I don’t catch the ball very well.

In the end, knowing my strengths and weaknesses is important. It shows me what I am good at, like being kind and organized. It also shows me what I need to work on, like math and speaking up. By understanding these things, I can try to become better every day.

500 Words Essay on My Strengths And Weaknesses

Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. It’s like having a bag of tools that we use to handle different situations in life. My strengths are the tools I use the most, and they help me do things well. My weaknesses are like the tools I don’t use often because I might not be very good at using them. Let’s talk about what some of these are for me.

One of my big strengths is being a good listener. When my friends talk to me, I pay close attention to what they are saying. This makes them feel important and cared for. Another strength I have is being organized. I keep my school work and toys in order, so I know where everything is when I need it. This helps me save time and stay calm because I’m not looking for things at the last minute.

I’m also pretty good at learning new things. When I get interested in a topic, I read a lot about it and try to understand as much as I can. This curiosity makes school more fun because I like finding out new facts and ideas. Lastly, I’m kind to others. I believe that being nice to people is important, and it makes me happy to see others smile when I help them.

Now, for my weaknesses. Sometimes, I can be shy, especially around new people. It takes me a while to feel comfortable enough to talk a lot with someone I just met. This can make it hard for me to make new friends quickly. I’m also not very good at sports. I can be clumsy, and I don’t catch or throw balls very well, which makes team games a bit tough for me.

Another weakness is that I get frustrated when things don’t go the way I planned. If I’m working on a puzzle and can’t find the right piece, I might feel like giving up. This is something I need to work on because not everything will always be easy. Lastly, I sometimes rush through my homework and make silly mistakes because I want to go play. This means I have to do it again, which takes even more time.

Working on My Weaknesses

I know that it’s okay to have weaknesses because everyone does. The important part is that I try to get better at them. For example, to help with my shyness, I practice talking to my family about my day, so I get used to sharing more with others. For sports, I keep playing and having fun, even if I’m not the best at it. I learn from my mistakes, and slowly, I get a little better each time.

When I get frustrated, I take deep breaths and remind myself to be patient. I tell myself that it’s fine to take breaks and come back to a tough puzzle later. And to stop rushing through my homework, I set a timer to make sure I spend enough time on each question.

In the end, knowing my strengths and weaknesses helps me understand myself better. It shows me what I’m good at and what I can improve. By working on my weaknesses, I can turn them into new strengths one day. And by using my strengths, I can help others and do my best in school and life. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, and that’s what makes each of us special.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Essay on My Plans For Next Weekend
Essay on My Plans For My Family
Essay on My Plans After Graduation

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Strengths and Weaknesses in Writing

Sarah Oakley

5 writing strengths you need to have, 4 writing weaknesses to overcome, how prowritingaid can help you become a better writer, conclusion on writing strengths and weaknesses.

Even the best writers have strengths and weaknesses in writing. Being aware of your strengths and weaknesses is vital if you want to be a good writer.

If you develop your writing skills, you’ll be able to ensure all your writing is of high quality. This applies to creative writing, academic writing, and business writing.

In this article, we’ll explore five strengths you need and four weaknesses to work on. You’ll also learn how ProWritingAid can help you become a better writer.

A writing strength is a characteristic of great writing and it gives your reader the impression you know exactly what you’re doing. You can learn and develop writing skills so you don’t need to worry about being naturally gifted.

You can build your writing strengths before you write so your first draft has solid foundations, or you can gain them over time as you write. Don’t exhaust yourself trying to make the first draft perfect; it’ll need editing later on.

We’ve picked five strengths we think are the most important when writing any document. These skills are imperative for those who want a writing career.

Strength 1: A Rich Vocabulary

One of the best things you can do as a writer is to develop the number of words you know. Therefore, you’ll have a diverse word choice to pick from when you’re writing.

You can achieve this strength through reading. Read everything you can get your hands on. It’s not enough to read within your chosen genre, business area, or subject area.

By learning new things and opening your mind to other writing categories, you’ll develop a vivid imagination, and you’ll have an excellent vocabulary to work with.

Learning new words and concepts can also help you reduce writer’s block, which is a bonus strength that will help you achieve your goal of finishing writing projects more often.

It’s said that only 3% of novel writers actually finish writing their novel. Arming yourself with a rich vocabulary will help you become one of those 3%.

If you don’t have time for reading as widely, or you’re not sure you’ll be able to remember so many words, some writing apps have built-in thesaurus features you can use.

Strength 2: Use of Literary Devices

There are many literary devices writers can use to keep their readers engaged. You might be familiar with a few of them, but if you develop your knowledge of all of them, you’ll create variety in your writing by having more to choose from.

We can’t go over every single literary device you could use in this article. However, we have picked three important ones you can use to strengthen your writing straight away.

Foreshadowing is the technique of revealing details and clues for your reader to give them an idea of what is coming. You can use this in fiction writing to create suspense, excitement, or apprehension. In business and academic writing, you can mention something briefly that you will go into detail about later.

Metaphors and similes are ways to describe things as though they are something else or compared to something else. They are great devices to use in poetry and fiction writing. You can engage your reader with metaphors and similes by making their mind work harder to imagine the things you’re describing.

The opposite of using metaphors to describe something figuratively is using concrete imagery in your descriptions. This is where the “show, don’t tell” rule comes into play. You need to show your readers what you’re writing about through sensory details.

Strength 3: Varying Sentence Lengths

Sentence lengths are important as they help the flow of your writing and contribute to its pacing. Long sentences take longer to read but can include a lot of information. Shorter sentences can have more impact.

If you want to give the reader a sense of urgency in the pacing of your writing, use shorter, snappier sentences. They can be as short as one word.

Be careful when writing short sentences for pacing. You don’t want to write an entire scene in short sentences because your reader might rush through without picking up any details.

Longer sentences can comprise several clauses and even feature additional information in brackets or between em dashes. They take a while to read, so do your reader a favor and remember to add punctuation for pauses.

Strength 4: Target Reader Awareness

When you know who you are writing for and what they expect, you can focus on achieving and exceeding those expectations. This works for creative, business, and academic writing. The ability to tailor your content to the intended audience is a mark of a great writer.

If you’re working on a creative writing project, such as a novel, you need to be aware of the basic requirements of a novel and any specific elements of your chosen genre. This could include story length, number of characters, and the amount of exposition.

For business writing, such as sales emails and internal company documents, it’s important to use the correct professional tone and vocabulary for your intended reader. You need to ensure your writing is clear and doesn’t use too much business jargon that could make your reader lose interest.

When writing an academic essay or thesis, your reader is likely to be an examiner or a peer in your academic field, so they should understand the subject you’re writing about. This means you can use more technical language and statistics to back up your points. You’ll also need to use formal language.

Strength 5: A Strong Writing Voice

Your writing voice makes anything you write sound uniquely yours. So it’s important to work on achieving a strong, authoritative voice to make readers pay attention to what you’re writing about.

Developing your writing voice is something that takes time and a lot of practice. Most writers start off by emulating other writers to learn how to write things effectively. Once you know how to write well, you can start developing your own way of doing it.

You should adhere to the objective elements of good writing, such as grammar and spelling, to avoid making mistakes. You might even have to follow style guides for business or academic writing. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t break stylistic or optional writing rules, such as using the Oxford comma, to develop your personal writing style.

When you’re writing with confidence, the reader will hear it. You’ll use phrases and details only experts and enthusiasts would know. Your writing will sound natural, like you’re talking to your reader directly. A strong writing voice is one of the most engaging parts of writing.

Producing great writing is tough, and there are several weaknesses you’ll need to overcome if you want to create amazing pieces of writing. Luckily, most weaknesses only require practice and some studying to resolve them.

I’ve highlighted the four most common weaknesses writers should work on.

Weakness 1: Your Writing Lacks Substance

If you are trying to convince your readers you know what you’re talking about, you need to include details that will give them the right impression.

For a fiction writer, it’s not enough to just add extra details to your descriptions. You need to create unique characters and worlds your reader will want to invest their time in. Even genre fiction readers want to see a new spin on tried and tested plot structures.

You can always improve business and academic writing with some facts and statistics. If you’ve got research findings, add them where appropriate.

In essay writing, don’t use vague statements or general ideas. Your reader will believe your points if you can prove there’s weight to what you’re writing. Make strong points and back them up with evidence. Don’t forget to check your references and citations.

Weakness 2: Poor Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation

A sure-fire way to lose a reader’s attention is poor grammar, misspelled words, and punctuation that skews the meaning of your sentence. Mistakes make the reader focus on the quality of the writing rather than what you are writing about.

There are many books and online courses available for improving your knowledge of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If you’re uncertain about a rule, you can simply Google it to find out more. Writing style guides are also great places to find grammar rules.

Alternatively, you can use an editing software to tighten up your writing after you’ve finished your first draft. ProWritingAid is an editing software that includes helpful tips and information about the rules you need to brush up on. You’ll learn by doing if you edit your writing with ProWritingAid.

Never make another grammar mistake

ProWritingAid's AI-powered spelling and grammar checker will help you sound professional every time.

Weakness 3: Disorganized Writing

There are structures and templates for literally any piece of writing these days. So there’s no excuse for writing that meanders from one point to another with no apparent connection between each one. Organized writing is a must for all writers.

Before you write anything, you need to plan what you’re going to write. This plan doesn’t need to be very detailed, but it needs to have a logical flow from one point to the next.

For academic writers, you’ll need to include transition words to join points and ideas together. Connecting your points with transition words will keep your reader engaged.

Weakness 4: Lack of Focus on Writing Projects

One of the biggest weaknesses writers face is a lack of focus. If you allow distractions to overwhelm you when you’re trying to write, it will affect your writing.

Writers need to create a suitable environment that will encourage creativity. This is different for each person, but most writers agree that a quiet room with a desk and a comfy chair are the minimum requirements.

Another factor to consider is whether you’re getting enough sleep. Tired writers don’t make amazing literature. First drafts might be safe to complete when you’re sleepy, but editing is something you should do when you’re alert and able to check your work for imperfections.

As I mentioned earlier, ProWritingAid is a piece of editing software that will coach you through your strengths and weaknesses as you make edits to your writing. One of the best things about ProWritingAid is that you can use it at any stage of your writing process.

When you use a ProWritingAid integration, you can check for grammatical errors as you type with the Realtime checker. If you hover your cursor over an underlined word or phrase, you’ll see a pop-up that will tell you what improvement needs to be made, and it’ll give you an option to apply a pre-generated improvement.

The Realtime checker gives you suggestions to improve your grammar, spelling, punctuation, readability, and passive voice. If you want to edit your writing further, you can run any of the 20+ reports that will explore specific things, such as your average sentence length and the use of sensory details.

While there are many strengths that great writers possess, the five strengths and four weaknesses we’ve highlighted in this article are some of the most important ones to focus your efforts on to begin with.

Remember, weaknesses will undermine your hard work to become a better writer. You’ll need to make sure you’re not letting yourself down by making the mistakes we’ve mentioned above.

ProWritingAid is here to help you with strengths and weaknesses in writing so you can ensure your own writing is perfect every time. Though it won’t tell you how much sleep to get or how to rearrange your writing environment. That’s all down to you.

If you want to become a skilled writer, give ProWritingAid a try today.

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How to Answer “What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?”

Joel Schwartzberg

Advice and examples to help you craft an authentic answer to this common interview question.

Don’t take common interview questions lightly just because they’re predictable. Underpreparing for them can make the difference between moving ahead and moving on. One question that often comes up: What are your strengths and weaknesses? In this article, the author outlines clear steps for how to describe your strengths and weaknesses along with sample language to use as a guide.

Some questions come up again and again in job interviews . At the top of the list: “ Tell me about yourself ,” “ Why do you want to work here? ” and “What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?”

JS Joel Schwartzberg oversees executive communications for a major national nonprofit, is a professional presentation coach, and is the author of Get to the Point! Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter and The Language of Leadership: How to Engage and Inspire Your Team . You can find him on LinkedIn and X. TheJoelTruth

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Editing: analyzing your writing strengths and weaknesses.

You’ve hopefully integrated many of the principles covered in the Fundamentals of Writing for Researchers module in writing several drafts of your manuscript. It’s now time to put the finishing touches on your work.

By reflecting on these summary principles and checking your work based on the questions presented here, you’ll ensure your research is both easily accessible and understandable, therefore persuading your reader that your problem, approach, and findings are valid.

Editing for Content

Is your purpose immediately clear? Or will readers have to wade through six or eight paragraphs before understanding the purpose of each of the sections or the paper as a whole? Get to the point right away. Be explicit. Don’t write in a mystery-story fashion.

Have you limited your subject in each of your sections sufficiently? Or did you cover items that don’t relate to the main theme or purpose of each?

Did you leave out major points that could help readers gain a better understanding of your purpose or point?

Are your supporting details adequate? Have you developed each topic fully enough?

Did you include too many supporting details? Are your paragraphs or sections weighed down with more facts than your readers need or want to know?

Is your organization easy to follow? Did you move from beginning to end in a logical way? Or does your flow of ideas ramble and confuse readers? Did you use headings and subheadings consistently to guide the reader?

Does your copy answer the following questions as they relate to the main theme: “Who, What, When, Where, Why and How”?

Does your writing also answer the question, “So what”? In other words, do you tell readers the implications of your research; that is, how your research adds to the literature?

Editing for Paragraph Strength

Does each paragraph contain a topic sentence and deal with only that topic.

Including more than one will confuse your readers. In the example below, each sentence supports or elaborates upon the topic sentence, “Whales are the most intelligent creatures ever to inhabit the earth.” Each subsequent sentence tells the reader why. The logic of the paragraph would have suffered had the writer included a sentence such as, “Whales continually need to search for food in order to survive” because searching for food has nothing to do with intelligence. Amoebas search for food.

Well written: “Whales are among the most intelligent creatures ever to inhabit the earth. Scientists studying whales rate their intelligence on a level with higher primates because of their complex group behavior. For example, these huge and impressive mammals have been seen teaching and disciplining their young, helping wounded fellow whales, engaging in elaborate sexual foreplay, and playing in definite game-like patterns. They are able to coordinate complex group activities because of their apparently effective communications system of sonar clicks and pings. All in all, scientific evidence shows that whales have a higher order of social organization. Unfortunately, the whales&rquo; intelligence is ignored by an industry that threatens them with extinction.”

Does each sentence in the paragraph contribute to the main idea in the paragraph?

Have you supported your main idea with one or more of the following: facts, examples, incidents, arguments, and reasons?

Well written: “Employees in both business and industry should receive pay raises to cope with the rising cost of necessities. Food, for example, costs almost twice as much as it did five to ten years ago. Not too long ago a family of four had an adequate supply of food for about forty dollars a week, but today the same items cost eighty dollars or more. For example, ground beef that had sold for one dollar a pound now costs two dollars a pound. A loaf of bread now costs two dollars instead of eighty to ninety cents. Unless wages match rising prices, people will have difficulty buying necessities such as food.”

The above example illustrates excellent supporting statements for the main idea (topic sentence). The writer moves from a general statement or claim to increasingly more detailed examples as to why the claim is made; that is, why employees pay raises should align with cost of living increases. This can best be illustrated by the following paragraph breakdown:

Employees in both business and industry should receive pay raises to cope with the rising cost of necessities.

For example, ground beef that had sold for one dollar a pound now costs two dollars a pound.
A loaf of bread now costs two dollars instead of eighty to ninety cents.

Unless wages match rising prices, people will have difficulty buying necessities such as food.

Is each paragraph developed in a logical way? Will your readers be able to follow your thoughts?

Both of the example paragraphs above contain a naturally logical progression of thought and are easy to read because of it. It doesn’t matter if the first draft of your paragraph makes sense to you; you must ensure that the progression makes sense to your reader.

Are your thoughts in each paragraph linked where necessary by:

Transitional words, such as “however,” “also,” “yet,” “although,” and so on?
Repetition of a word or idea (sometimes in form of synonym) from the preceding sentence?

The following paragraph includes highlighted words and phrases to show how they increase readability; they link the writer’s thoughts and help with the flow of the paragraph, despite a rather boring topic. The last sentence also serves as a transition because it prepares the reader for the topic in the succeeding paragraph.

Excellent use of transitions: “We do not read textbooks for amusement. Therefore, we should not use the same method for studying them that we use when reading novels. For one thing, much of the pleasure of reading fiction comes from our continuing surprise as the story unfolds, but we are usually confused by surprises in textbooks. For another, a good piece of fiction keeps us interested, awake, actively involved. However, textbooks often put us to sleep because there is no “action.” And finally, it is not very important if we miss or forget some of the details or events in a novel. But that is surely not the case when dealing with a textbook.”

Have you varied the lengths of your paragraphs?

When you look at each of your pages, check to see if your paragraphs vary in length. And length here refers to the “visual height” of the paragraphs. You need to vary the lengths of your paragraphs. Otherwise, readability is compromised by visually predictable blocks of text.

Editing for Brevity and Clarity

Have you purged each sentence of extraneous words.

Weed out every word that adds nothing to meaning and understanding. Examples: Change “during the course of” to “during” and “few in number” to “few.”

Example: “The end result of the report is that it presents a full and complete account of the project’s final outcome.”

Revised: “The report presents a full account of the project’s outcome.”

Did you choose concrete words and terms instead of abstract ones whenever possible?

Example: “The research group structured the report in a functional manner.”

Revised: “The research group put the conclusions first and then explained how they arrived at them.”

Have you avoided technical terms your readers might not understand?

If you had to use them, did you briefly explain or define them? Did you use acronyms without first explaining their meaning? For example, did you write, Institutional Review Board (IRB)” on first mention? Did you use vague adjectives when specifics are called for?

Example: “We received numerous inquiries.”

Revised: “We received 84 inquiries.”

Is your meaning clear to the reader?

Did you write to impress or communicate clearly? It doesn’t matter whether your writing is clear to you; it must be clear to the reader.

Unclear: “Our models worked well when compared with the calculated values, which is evidenced by the percent errors.”

Revised: “As the percent errors indicate, our models worked well when compared with the calculated values.”

Unclear: “Isotopes, which were discovered in 1853, are radioactive.”

Accurate: “The isotopes that were discovered in 1853 are radioactive.”

Is your average sentence length about 17–20 words?

Unusually long sentences contain too many ideas and force readers to work harder to understand your message.

Exhausting: “In a smoke-filled room, teary eyes and runny noses occur, and auditory discrimination and visual perception are altered, which is irritating but not associated with any serious disease, except for people with heart and lung diseases who are threatened with major problems from smoke.”

Revised: “A smoke-filled room does not only cause teary eyes and runny noses. The smoke also can alter auditory and visual perception. Although the smoke itself does not produce disease, it does pose a threat to people with heart and lung ailments.”

Editing for Vigor and Pace

You used some dynamic verbs, such as “determined,” “examined,” “synthesized,” “identified,” etc. They energize your sentences.
Example: Change, “The experiment was productive” to “The experiment generated significant data.”

Determine if you used long nouns or phrases that can be changed to simple verbs.

Change “give consideration” to “consider” and “arrived at an agreement” to “agreed.” Look especially for nouns ending in “-tion,” “-tive,” “-ability,” “-ment,” “-able,” “-ness,” and “-ance.” Don’t overuse these.

Example: “The manager made a recommendation that new employees should be given an invitation to join the credit union.”

Revision: “The manager recommended that new employees be invited to join the credit union.”

Eliminate pesky prepositions (e.g., overusing to, of, in, on, by, with).

Example: “The decrease in profit margins is of great concern to leaders of business.”

Revision: Decreasing profit margins greatly concern business leaders.”

Did you vary the length of your sentences?

Even though your sentences should average about 17–20 words, your writing should contain some short, some medium-length, and some longer sentences to add rhythm and pace. Read your paragraphs aloud; you’ll quickly hear whether or not you’ve varied the length of your sentences and helped with readability.

Overly simple sentences: There are some drawbacks about diesel engines. Diesel engines are much noisier than standard engines. They are difficult to start in cold weather. They tend to cause considerable vibrations. They also give off an unpleasant odor. For these reasons, many car manufacturers are limiting their diesel models to light trucks only.

Revised: Diesel engines have some drawbacks. Most obvious are their noisiness, cold-weather starting difficulties, vibrations, and unpleasant odor. Therefore, many manufacturers are limiting their diesel models to light trucks.

Did you vary the beginnings of your sentences or do most of your sentences begin with the same part of speech?

Some writers, for example, start most sentences with nouns or noun phrases. Don’t. Variety adds spark. Caution: Don’t try to start each sentence with a different part of speech. Just strive for a moderate amount of variety.

Did you use the same word repeatedly throughout a paragraph?

Use synonyms to avoid repetitiveness unless reader understanding requires it.

Editing for Tone and Style

Instead of writing, “We utilized UV light to induce Arabidopsis for mutations,” write, “We used UV light to . . . for mutations.”
Tip: Apply the conversational test: Ask yourself if you would use the same words if you were speaking to your reader.

The Final Editing

Remember, it doesn’t matter if what you’ve written is clear to you; it must be clear to the reader.

When You Write

Strengths and Weaknesses in Writing

As a writer, I always strive to be better—and in some categories, the best. I believe that understanding my writing strengths and weaknesses helps me improve my writing skills and become a master of this art.

If one doesn’t understand their strengths and weaknesses in writing, it means they can’t genuinely edit their work and cannot pinpoint areas that need improvement and those that are their strengths.

Constant self-evaluation is the passe-partout of any practice or line of work, but to accurately evaluate yourself you have to know what you’re looking for.

Every writer has strengths and weaknesses. For example, you might have a rich vocabulary—which you efficiently use—or showcase good usage of literary devices. Those two would be called strengths in your writing.

You might also have weaknesses in your writing such as lack of coherence, long-winded sentences, and organization.

Let us delve further into writing strengths and weaknesses and understand how you can use your strengths and overcome your weaknesses!

8 Must-Have Strengths for a Writer

It is also important to know and have some particular strengths as a writer to be more than an ordinary writer.

Here are some of those essential strengths:

Focus is essential in almost everything you do. Without focus, you could have the best skill set and still produce average work dues to errors and complacency.

Every writer wants to stay focused, but it’s not easy. You have to teach yourself to stay focused, whether it involves conditioning your body or tricking your mind.

Do whatever is necessary and within healthy limits. When you start writing and reading routinely, your body and mind start responding to them as the normal order of your day.

Enough sleep and a cup of coffee also help you maintain focus during your writing sessions .

And, get rid of distractions! Put down your phone, turn off your Wi-Fi, and get away from your Tele.

2. A Rich, Diverse Vocabulary

We are not talking about having a rich vocabulary only, but also using the words expeditiously.

This diverse vocabulary should make you write pieces that are not readable and make your readers slave through their reading.

So, you should always make sure that you choose (from this excellent vocabulary and diverse word choice) the right and unique choice of words that would look appealing to your readers.

You have to keep learning new words and the correct usage of those words.

3. A Burning Passion for Reading

I hear a lot of writers—self-published writers to be specific—say that they don’t like reading. For them, writing is a natural talent that doesn’t need to be nourished by reading.

One thing they are oblivious of is that without reading, they can’t understand what they are doing wrong, what they’re doing right, and other things that made other writers successful.

These types of writers put themselves in a “box.”

By reading other people’s works, you get to see writing from different perspectives and you can analyze your writing, a vantage point that helps you perfect your writing skills.

You don’t even have to buy these reading resources because they’re gazillions of blogs, eBooks, novels, and others online.

4. Organized Writing that Follows a Logical Flow

If whatever you’re writing doesn’t flow and therefore isn’t coherent, it is nothing but utter rubbish!

Your writing needs to show a naturally logical progression of thought and must be easy to read for the intended audience. If the progression doesn’t make sense to your reader, then who are you writing for?

Your thoughts should be linked within and between paragraphs. The use of transitional words facilitates this purpose. Words such as “however,” “also,” “yet,” and “although,” among others help you show these transitions.

You should aim at making it easy for your readers to navigate and read through your content.

Organized writing is an essential strength for a writer. The way you present your ideas in sentences and paragraphs impacts the readability and navigability of your content.

Make sure your sentences are short and your paragraphs just meaty enough for the ideas presented in them—and avoid run-on sentences.

Your content needs to have enough signposts and breaks. Be efficient with headings and subheadings, and have so many if the information keeps changing from paragraph to paragraph to make it easy for your readers to find the right information in your content.

5. Creativity

For professional writers, creativity is of the greatest essence. It is even more indispensable for fiction writers.

Our goal as writers is not to bore our readers to death. We always have to think out of the box to craft pieces that will win the hearts of the readers and make them want more of our content.

A good and wonderworking—and sometimes libertine—imagination is necessary to craft unique, stirring pieces.

Sometimes, you have to let your imagination wander off and come back with crazy and wild ideas. If you’re a fiction writer, let your imagination help you create a unique world, with unique characters, using your own nomenclature!

Remember, there’s no single rule on what kind of imagination is bad or good in creative writing.

There are various ways of increasing one’s creativity, but I have discovered that I’m more creative when I take time to appreciate other pieces of art before I start writing. Before I write I listen to some music, read poetry, or just look at a painting.

It’s not for everyone, but it works for me!

Your writing should be as clear as a summer day, as lucid as you can make it.

This element goes hand in hand with the organized writing I discussed in strength number 4, your writing should be clear enough for your readers to grasp and appreciate the ideas in your content quickly.

For blogs, newspaper articles, and magazine pieces, writing chunky paragraphs is—for lack of a word—taboo. You should always be conservative with the size of your paragraph and be straightforward with your explanations.

Just make your writing simple but comprehensible.

7. A Unique Writing Style

One thing all successful writers have in common is a unique style. For example, when you read anything by Dr. Seuss, you understand that his style involved the use of mirthful new words. The best writers write using a distinguished voice or style.

You have to discover your writing style—and for many, it just happens naturally and in some cases, it’s the readers or critics that notice the uniqueness of the writer.

8. Understanding Your Audience

We write because it’s our passion, but if we think about it, that is rarely the sole reason for writing and publishing our work.

We want our audience to love our content or appreciate the message in it. So, it’s all about our interests, but also the needs of our audience.

If you want to make your audience happy, you have to know what they like first. Dr. Seuss understood what kids want to read and what characters would work well with a young audience. If you’re writing on a tech-related topic, tech experts and geeks like; likewise, if you’re about MLS, know what soccer fans like.

Armed with that knowledge, you can craft pieces that strike a chord with your target audience, leading to the success of those pieces.

Weaknesses in Writing and Ways to Overcome Them

1. lack of substance.

You might be a yeasty writer with much-needed experience, but if your writing lacks substance, it’s bound to run into negative reviews, and hence it is going to be less impactful!

This is especially crucial for nonfiction content, if your writing straggles and wanders all over the place, your content will be shallow.

For your content to have depth, you have to concentrate on one particular argument at a time.

And, to give your argument more depth, give supporting points and sprinkle some stats here and there.

How do you deal with the lack of substance in your writing?

Here are some tips:

Focus on the depth of your arguments rather than the length of your article (you could have a cherry-sized paragraph that is more insightful than a chunky paragraph).
Use literary devices to make your arguments more perspicuous.
Use stats, case studies, or research findings to further exemplify your key arguments (use infographics where necessary).
Your content should answer questions relevant to the topic.
Offer tips to readers.

2. Your Writing Is Too Draggy for Your Readers

Among the 8 strengths that I explained in the previous section was understanding your audience.

If you don’t understand your audience or ignore them when writing, you end up communicating with nobody.

It’s like you’re speaking to yourself, in a big hall!

As said in the previous section, we write to touch our audience in some way; whether we want them to laugh, inspire them, inform them, or educate them.

It is a terrible idea to think that you write for yourself! If that’s the case, why don’t you just hang your content on your wall?

Here are some tips for polishing draggy content:

Understand who you’re writing for and write for them. It doesn’t matter who (it could be you, your imaginary friends, anybody!).
Write to solve the audience’s problems. Your writing should be a solution to your reader’s pain, personal struggles, and it should also improve their lives in some way.

3. Lack of Rhythm

Ignore the importance of rhythm at your peril. In truth, writing cannot entertain without rhythm, especially creative writing.

Just like in music, rhythm steers writing and acts as a guide for the reader.

Readers can feel your writing’s rhythm and that alone can be stimulating (that is if your writing has rhythm).

If your content lacks rhythm the pace seems invariable, it neither speeds up nor slows down.

The content also seems to lack a lot of natural pauses.

This is how you can improve it:

While paying attention to context, mix up your sentence lengths; a long one here, a short there.
Use transition words to maneuver the passage from sentence to sentence and paragraph to paragraph.

4. Chaotic Flow

Imagine listening to a 5-year-old talk about all the wonderful things she experienced during the day: school, her cousin’s weird laughter, the dog’s thievery.

Unloading all that without any logical arrangement of information. None, at all!

I’d have said that that’s how your readers feel, but they are not listening to an adorable 5-year-old, are they?

They’re looking at a piece of writing—written by a supposedly mature individual—that’s full of hiccups and abrupt endings.

Your writing needs to be structured to unload information step by step. Your readers need to know that from A, they go to B. They need to know this is because of that, and this and that are related.

Your content has to answer your readers’ questions, give tips the reader would care about, and have contextual solutions.

Here are a few tips on improving flow in your writing:

Go through your main points and ascertain whether they feel logical. If they aren’t, re-organize them in a logical order or start all over again.
Look at the questions your content is answering and For every section, write down which question the content answers (or summarize in one bullet point)
When editing , slowly survey the content for inconsistencies. There are little details you could miss if you read fast.

How to Turn Your Writing Weaknesses into Strengths

Nobody is perfect. We all have weaknesses. But, some of these writing weaknesses can be turned into strengths.

As a writer, how can you improve your writing?

Ask for help . You can strengthen your writing skills on your own (no doubt about it), but it’s a lot less tedious when you reach out to other writers to help identify your weak areas and offer other insights.
Read . Not only will you get an education from books and publications, but you’ll also find inspiration.
Persevere . Perseverance can help you deal with problems such as writer’s block. It is also perseverance that will see you through periods during which you’re suffering from imposter syndrome.

Final Words on Strengths and Weaknesses in Writing

To be a better writer, you’ve got to know which areas to strengthen and which weaknesses to overcome.

You’ll—in abundance—focus, perseverance, creativity, and a lot of humility. It will be laborious work but worth every joule expended and every second used.

You have got to believe in yourself as a writer, but don’t let your confidence blind you—there will always be something that your writing is missing.

Exploring Personal Strengths and Weaknesses for Self-improvement

Categories: Personal Strengths Struggle Weakness

About this sample

Words: 865 |

Published: May 14, 2021

Words: 865 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

My strengths, my weaknesses, works cited, fostering organization as a strength, the strength of observation, confronting the weakness of confidence, resisting change: a challenge to overcome, striving for academic excellence despite intelligence challenges.

Buckingham, M., & Clifton, D. O. (2001). Now, discover your strengths. Simon and Schuster.
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books.
Grant, A. M., & Dweck, C. S. (2003). Clarifying achievement goals and their impact. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(3), 541-553.
Linley, P. A., Willars, J., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). The strengths book: Be confident, be successful, and enjoy better relationships by recognizing where you're strong. CAPP Press.
Lopez, S. J., & Snyder, C. R. (Eds.). (2009). Oxford handbook of positive psychology. Oxford University Press.
Marsh, H. W., & Yeung, A. S. (1997). Causal effects of academic self-concept on academic achievement : Structural equation models of longitudinal data. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(1), 41-54.
Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-compassion: Stop beating yourself up and leave insecurity behind. HarperCollins.
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Oxford University Press.
Rothwell, W. J. (2015). In mixed company: Communicating in small groups and teams (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Stajkovic, A. D., & Luthans, F. (1998). Self-efficacy and work-related performance: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 240-261.

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Accepted Admissions Blog

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February 4, 2019

6 Tips for Talking About Your Weaknesses

How do you react when you read/hear the weakness question? With this question, schools are assessing how well you self evaluate. Like a business problem, they want to hear your plan of action, your implementation, and your success rate.

Here are some tips to help you a) think about and evaluate your weaknesses, and b) be prepared to write about them in an essay or discuss them in an interview .

1. Prepare answers in advance.

When an interviewer asks, “So Natalie, tell me about your weaknesses and what you did to overcome them?” you don’t want to be left silent drawing a blank, or worse – caught off guard and say something crazy like, “Gosh, there are so many, I don’t even know where to begin.” Ding!

2. Be honest.

If you have been let go from a position, you need to discuss the lessons learned from this negative experience and how you overcame the situation. If you have a procrastination problem, you need to talk about ways in which you’re working on boosting your time management skills.

3. Remain professionally focused.

Don’t discuss your addiction to video games or your weakness for chocolate. It’s also certainly not the time to talk about anything inappropriate. We’re talking about work-related, professional weaknesses.

4. Focus on your own weaknesses.

Don’t talk about your cousin’s attraction to arson or your mother-in-law’s conspiratorial behavior. Don’t discuss how your boss is a jerk or how you can’t stand your coworker’s habit of nail biting or how your desk is unorganized because the guy you share your cubicle with always throws his garbage your way. This question is about YOU and your weaknesses – don’t shift the attention or blame onto someone else.

5. Proactively address the issues.

If you have a quantitative weakness , take courses that address the weakness (accounting, statistics). Don’t wait for the admissions committee to ask you to take a course. If you are uncomfortably shy, getting involved with an organization like Toastmasters can help you and show the committee that you’re taking steps to overcome that challenge.

6. Avoid clichés.

“Gee, I guess I just work too hard sometimes” is a copout – the adcom/interviewer will know that deep down you’re proud of your intense work ethic. It is the life of a student to work hard – don’t use that as your “weakness . ”

If you need help drafting your essay or framing your answer for your interview , Accepted is here to help you. Contact us for assistance.

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Related Resources:

• 5 Fatal Flaws To Avoid In Your Grad School Statement of Purpose , a free guide • 5 A’s for Your Low GPA , a podcast episode • How Personal is Too Personal?

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Reflective Essay: My Greatest Weakness

Every one of us has weaknesses, and so do I – quite many, in fact. But out of them all, I believe the greatest one is my lack of self-confidence. I don’t know how I came to have this low self-esteem, but I do know it is a problem I absolutely have to fix. Upon reflecting quite a while on this matter, I understand it is a flaw in my personality that is needlessly complicating my life on many levels and often hinders my development, both personally and professionally.

First of all, my lack of self-confidence too often leads to a lack of trust in others. Many times, I found myself suspecting others of having hidden agendas when offering their friendship or help, or making a kind gesture. “Why would they want to help me?” “Why would they want to have a coffee with me? They must be after something!” I know I not only missed many opportunities this way, but, most importantly, that I may have hurt good people because of this way of thinking.

Paradoxically, even though my self-confidence issues make me not trust others, when I do let people in, I start relying on them too much. Since I don’t believe in myself to find my own happiness, I tend to turn to others to fulfill that role for me. Thinking about this objectively, I understand I sometimes put too much pressure on others or burden them excessively, because I don’t trust my interior strength and my own judgment.

Mix the two above-mentioned ingredients together, add some spices, and you get a nice dish of troubles in your romantic relationships. Because of my trust issues, low self-esteem and emotional dependence on my partner, I constantly needed reassurance and I started many unnecessary fights. Luckily, I have an understanding partner and he still puts up with me, in spite of all this. I, too, have been doing my best to overcome these issues since I became aware of them, and I now try to view our relationship more objectively, more trustfully. However, sometimes, that crazy little leprechaun in my had still comes out to play.

Now, my self-doubt doesn’t affect only my relationship with others – it affects me, individually, as well. Because of this weakness of mine, I often give up on my self-development goals, thinking that I’m never going to accomplish them anyway. For instance, I started a 30-day home yoga challenge to get into shape and lose some weight. It’s been 3 months, and I’m on day 10 with the program. I think the facts speak for themselves.

Likewise, I’ve lost many job opportunities because I simply didn’t have the motivation or the courage to take action at the right moment – or even to complete a job application. “I’m going to fail anyway. Why put myself through this?”; “I’m not good enough.”; “I do have the skills, but the competition is much better than me. I don’t have a chance.” – and so on and so forth. It’s not laziness, as many might imagine. It’s just fear – most of the times silly, but still fear.

All in all, after extensive soul-searching, I realize that my self-doubt is my greatest weakness of them all, because it is a brick wall I keep hitting in all aspects of my life, be them personal or professional. Lack of self-confidence makes one suspicious of others, it hurts relationships, it hurts people, it hinders one’s development, and it simply complicates everything. Acknowledging the existence of a problem is a huge step towards solving it, and I will keep working on it until I demolish that brick wall – or banish the crazy little leprechaun in my head, if the metaphor feels more appropriate.

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Writing advice for small business

How to Spot 8 Weaknesses in Your Writing (and Fix Them)

by Henneke | 68 enchanting opinions, add yours? :)

U nderstand the strengths and weaknesses in your writing, and you can become your own teacher and improve your writing skills .

This article discusses how to spot and fix the following 8 writing weaknesses:

Writing strengths and weaknesses

Do you ever read your content and wonder …

Why is this not better?

But then you struggle to decide what’s actually wrong?

Being your own writing teacher can feel like a tough task.

After sweating over your draft, you need to decide what’s good and what needs improving. It’s a matter of tough love for your favorite sentences and precious words. You have to scrap sections and scrub off the dirt to communicate your message with power.

But how can you spot your writing weaknesses so you can let your words shine?

Become your own writing teacher

Remember your favorite teacher from high school?

Be as kind as she was, and tell yourself what you’re doing well already. Perhaps you write fantastic openings, or your word choice is excellent, or you share super-valuable tips and have a wealth of experience to draw from. Remember to celebrate these writing strengths.

As a good teacher, you can’t be negative about your own progress. It’s your task to spot your weaknesses, but also to encourage yourself to embrace your learning and have fun.

Want to write better? Get my best writing tips for business here > > >

Understand what makes writing good—you can do this by creating your own swipe file
Learn to spot the weaknesses in your writing—I’ve listed the most common weaknesses below
Practice fixing your weaknesses—that’s how your content improves

Additional reading to become your own writing teacher:

Trying to solve all problems in one go creates a learning experience from hell.

To make learning how to write more fun, address weaknesses one by one. The list below is in order of importance.

Ready to explore?

Writing weakness #1: You’re boring your readers to tears

So, it’s easy to forget who they are, and write as if lecturing a faceless crowd.

But writing isn’t a monologue. We write to communicate with our readers. And when we write to educate, entertain and inspire, no content is boring.

How to spot whether you’re boring your readers:

If you feel bored writing your content, then this is a sign something isn’t working. Have you lost your mojo? Have you lost your connection to an (imaginary) reader?

Or perhaps you don’t know who your ideal reader is or you don’t like them?

How to turn this common weakness into a strength:

Describe the person you’re writing for—it can be a real or imaginary person
Write down in one sentence which specific problem your content solves

Remember, when our writing eases our reader’s pain, solves their struggles and improves their lives, our content can not be boring.

Writing weakness #2: Lack of focus

Lack of focus is a common weakness in writing

But, think about your readers … how many of them feel overwhelmed? And would they prefer one valuable tip to improve their life or an in-depth bible with all do’s and don’ts?

As writers, we often feel insecure. We think we’re not good enough . We wonder what we can do to make our content better, more valuable, and more extensive. We want to write THE definitive guide.

But the idea that longer content is always better is wrong. The task of a writer is not to be more comprehensive, but to communicate a message and inspire a reader to take action—to implement their advice or to buy a product if it’s right for them.

How to spot this weakness in your writing:

Can you distill the essence of your content in one sentence?

If you can’t, try this exercise:

Write down in one sentence which problem your content solves
Define in one sentence the “sunny destination” of your content: how does your content make your reader’s life better?

Remember, your content makes an impact when it makes your reader’s life better—even if the improvement is tiny.

Writing weakness #3: Lack of substance

Instead of an article sprawling out into multiple directions, focus on one specific topic and add more depth to your argument. For instance, a personal story adds depth because it can illustrate how you’ve benefited from your tips; and statistics or research results help back up your arguments.

How to spot whether your writing lacks substance:

Does your content remain abstract or superficial? Have you given examples to make your advice concrete? And if you’re writing sales copy, do you communicate both benefits and features ?

A personal story, examples or case studies to illustrate your key point
A metaphor to make your point crystal-clear
Research results to back up your story with facts
Quotes from experts or testimonials to put the spotlight on your key point
Common mistakes your readers should avoid
Answers to questions readers are dithering about
Suggestions on overcoming hurdles that may block readers from implementing your advice
Drawings or graphs to add comprehension

Remember, substance is about the depth of your arguments, not about the length of your article. It’s about the insight you offer your readers. Even an email of 100 words can have substance. A nugget of wisdom. A super-practical tip. A spark of inspiration.

To write substantial content, first find focus, then add substance.

Reader Interactions

Leave a comment and join the conversation cancel reply.

June 8, 2021 at 2:09 pm

Thanks for explaining the weaknesses so lucidly. I now have a clearcut idea of how to go ahead with improving my writing. It’s always a pleasure reading your thoughtful and well-written blog posts. Thanks a lot, Henneke!

June 8, 2021 at 2:59 pm

That sounds good. Happy writing, Devi!

May 7, 2020 at 3:54 pm

Fantastic information. Thanks. I needed this because I’m constantly looking for ways to improve my writing.

I’m glad this was useful, Suzana. Happy writing!

April 29, 2020 at 9:45 am

I think that emails have become the curse of the English language. They are easy to misinterpret and often suffer from the many mistakes you have identified. Why say 100 words when 10 will suffice. I found your tips very useful and they will help me to think before I press the SEND button. Thank you

April 29, 2020 at 9:51 am

Yes, email has made us lazy. So often, we dash of a quick email rather than consider why we’re sending the email and edit our writing accordingly. I’m glad you’re enjoying my tips.

March 4, 2020 at 3:43 am

Hi Henneke Enjoyed this article…very helpful and informative. Loved the tips. Keep them coming!

March 4, 2020 at 4:06 pm

Thank you, Leena. Happy writing!

February 4, 2020 at 1:15 pm

thanks for your your great and amazing tips!!!

February 4, 2020 at 1:23 pm

Happy writing, Jaqueline!

July 28, 2019 at 1:50 pm

Hey Henneke, you are such a great writer. Your articles are very helpful and easy to digest. Every single heading has meaningful insights. You sound like a polite teacher students love to learn from.

July 28, 2019 at 3:55 pm

What a lovely compliment. Thank you, Kulsoom. Happy writing!

March 28, 2019 at 2:28 am

Hi Henneke, I enjoyed reading your blog on the 8 weaknesses in your writing and how to fix them. I always felt that less was more in writing. You need to get to the point with as few words as possible, as much as possible to eliminate boredom. I will incorporate these 8 tips to help improve my writing skills.

March 28, 2019 at 4:51 pm

Thank you, David, and yes, I agree—less is more and that can feel like a tricky skill to master.

July 10, 2017 at 7:04 pm

Hi Henneke,

Epic Post. Salute to your idea..”Becoming your own writing teacher”. I can see my writing weaknesses vividly now. 🙂

There’s magic in your writing. That enriching & grounding my writing journey. I try to re-read your every post until I grasp fully. Never get bored.

Your honesty brings clarity in your writing. And allows words to shimmer. I feel it.

Loads of thanks.

July 10, 2017 at 10:34 pm

Thank you, Mehera for your lovely comment.

Happy writing!

July 7, 2017 at 5:59 pm

While I believe that I suffer from all of these, the hardest for me to identify is whether I am boring my readers or not. I tend to be able to entertain myself in my writing as I mostly write about myself! I like the idea that you can be your own writing teacher. With a little bit of time, hard work and focus we can all take away so much from this wonderfully insightful article. Thank you for sharing your expertise!

July 7, 2017 at 7:22 pm

Even when you write about yourself, you can still address your readers and think about what’s in it for them. Usually, when we write about ourselves, our readers can learn from the processes we’ve been through and the mistakes we’ve made.

Happy writing, Patrick!

July 4, 2017 at 3:21 pm

Lack of focus is what I struggle with.

I’m the one that’s always trying to come up with the definitive guide when I can easily just write one great post on one point. I’ve even been told that when I tried to submit a guest post to a site and the person suggested to focus on one main point.

Lesson learned.

Great post once again. Have a great day.

– Andrew

July 4, 2017 at 7:13 pm

Focus can feel hard to achieve, especially when we feel under pressure to write an “epic blog post” or “skyscraper content.”

A lot of people suggest we need to be definitive and write longer posts so there’s a lot of incentive to cram as much as we can into a post. I’ve been there, too.

Happy writing, Andrew. And thank you for stopping by!

July 3, 2017 at 7:07 pm

This is a really amazing post for every writer out there. Indeed, the points mention are the big reasons for weak writing. It actually helps me a lot in identifying my style of writing. Thank You, Henneke, for sharing it with us. And yes, I liked the graphics with every point.

July 4, 2017 at 5:14 pm

Thank you for your comment, Rahul. I’m glad you like both the tips and the graphics.

June 28, 2017 at 3:48 pm

Great actionable article Henneke! Lots of information to put into practice right away.

You mentioned a concern about putting too much substance is this article. A small suggestion from Backlinko – in longer articles, a table of contents with clickable links helps both with navigation and understanding the overall structure. It’s such an excellent resource, a downloadable PDF would be fantastic.

Thanks for this incredibly helpful post!

July 4, 2017 at 4:57 pm

Yes, I can see a PDF would be useful. I guess it’s just laziness on my side. I also don’t like to ask people to sign-up so they can download a PDF, so I’d only do it as an extra service to readers. Maybe I should …

I’ve thought about creating a table of contents, but I’m not quite sure I like it as it doesn’t encourage people to read the post—the items may seem random, but they follow each other in a logical order. I have used tables of contents on my content overview pages, so people can find the most relevant content for them; in such a case, I think it’s useful.

Thank you for your suggestions, Faye. Food for thought!

June 26, 2017 at 9:39 am

Hi great article. I am just starting to write a blog and this sort of information ensures I will not write a boring piece. Thank you.

June 26, 2017 at 9:35 pm

Great! Happy writing, Roger.

June 22, 2017 at 1:19 am

Lovely tips for working around fluff. Fluff is definitely a problem that, unfortunately, muddies much of the work I do. Keep it up! 🙂

June 22, 2017 at 10:52 pm

Thank you, Barry. Keep up the fight against fluff! 🙂

June 21, 2017 at 12:00 pm

You make it sound so simple and attainable. I like the part about improving step by step, you’re an encouraging teacher. Bless you, H.

June 21, 2017 at 8:51 pm

Somehow writing is both simple and hard. The principles are simple, but implementing them can feel hard and it’s easy to feel down when content doesn’t turn out like we had originally envisioned it (it still happens to me all the time).

Take it easy on your writing journey. Good writing is definitely attainable as long as we learn step by step. Happy writing!

June 21, 2017 at 9:30 am

Henneke, you continue to be my in situ writing teacher and to run my favourite writing blog! I was glued to every sentence as I’ve been searching for just this kind of advice for some time now. While I’m, on the whole, happy with my writing, I know that it needs to improve. This will definitely help me to do that.

June 21, 2017 at 8:05 pm

You made my day, Matthew. I’m so glad this was just the advice you were looking for. Happy writing, and thank you for stopping by. I appreciate it 🙂

June 21, 2017 at 6:14 am

I love this blog! After reading it, I felt like I just had a good wholesome dinner. As a newbie writer/blogger, I am going to use your tips and helps step by step to learn and grow as a writer.

And I love your drawings too!

Thanks for all the helpful information.

June 21, 2017 at 4:28 pm

Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Meralyn. I’m glad you enjoyed this post.

June 21, 2017 at 12:32 am

You are good at what you do Henneke.

This post came at the most opportune time for me. I have been having this feeling that my writing needs something fresh to enliven it. I wasn’t feeling it anymore. I hate to submit to a client something I don’t even enjoy reading myself.

And then this article pops up in my inbox. Suddenly it’s all clear. I just need to clean up my writing. Somehow I have let a lot of bad habits build up and the quality of my writing dropped as a result.

This will definitely help.

Thanks for sharing.

June 21, 2017 at 4:21 pm

It can be extra tough when you’re writing for clients and when perhaps the topics you’re writing about aren’t the ones you’d choose yourself. When I was still writing for clients, some topics seemed utterly boring at first, but by imagining who might be interested in it, I often could get more excited about a topic (and produce better content0.

Happy writing, Patrick, and thank you for stopping by.

June 20, 2017 at 9:53 pm

While I always look forward to your emails, I believe that this one is my favorite. You cover eight topics quite well, while creating the “flow” you write about. All important stuff for writers, and presented like an info feast!

Great job, Bill

June 20, 2017 at 9:57 pm

Oh my, that’s a big compliment. Thank you so much, Bill. I love your phrase “info feast.”

And silly me was worried that I had crammed too much into this post!

June 20, 2017 at 9:28 pm

Oh, wow, Henneke, I just read a post aloud to my husband the other day, because I thought he’d like it. However, the more I read, the more I did not like it! I was so shocked. It was not good. This post of yours should be just what I need to fix! Thanks so much. I’ve been a bit scared to post any more since that episode!

June 20, 2017 at 9:55 pm

Oh my, you shouldn’t be scared to post! When you read it aloud and don’t like it, try to figure out why you don’t like it and then post it.

It’s fascinating how reading something aloud can change our perspective, isn’t it?

June 21, 2017 at 4:07 am

I know. I ‘m not really scared to post, but just hesitant, not trusting my ear while I’m writing. And yes, that read-aloud moment surely taught me a thing or two! I think what’s wrong is that I am mostly a pencil writer and when I take to the keyboard, I make garbage; it’s some kind of disconnect with my core, as if my brain is writing but my heart is elsewhere. That, and I broke almost every rule you listed above! 😀 I’m going to print that yuk post, double-spaced, and attack it with a pencil while on vacation, soon, thanks to you. 🙂

June 21, 2017 at 4:27 pm

That’s an interesting point you make about “not trusting your ear while writing.” This makes me realize I don’t really trust my ear either–at least not when I am writing my first draft. I use the revision and editing phases to make the writing feel more like me—something I’m happy with.

I need to think about heart vs brain. I think it’s always a balance for me, but I’m not sure. And, of course, we’re all different in our writing process, so what works for me doesn’t necessarily work for you.

Happy revising!

June 20, 2017 at 5:41 pm

Hey Henneke,

Boredom is a big weakness! Yes it occurs when we ourselves are bored with our writing. Losing the mojo can happen to anyone. But spotting it right away to avoid the same from conquering the writing is the key.

Following a very strict pattern, or working on publishing the same type of content can cause boredom too!

Just like readers, writers do become bored with a strict pattern.

Fluff = adding water to wine. Yes!

Thanks for sharing this awesome piece 🙂

Cheers, Jane.

June 20, 2017 at 6:34 pm

Yes, so true. Everyone can lose their mojo, and it can be hard work to get it back.

Thank you for stopping buy again, Jane. I appreciate it.

June 20, 2017 at 5:36 pm

Great post, as always. 🙂

I will definitely be having all these in mind on all of my future posts.

One writing tip I love is about the word “that”. It’s totally overused. Have you noticed?

I try not to use it when it doesn’t need to be included in a sentence. For example:

Instead of this… I’m going to show you everything that you need…

You’d go with this… I’m going to show you everything you need…

It gives your writing a better flow.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to your next post. And thanks for all the advice.

Cheers, Julian

June 20, 2017 at 6:33 pm

Yes, that’s a good tip!

I cross out many “that’s” in my draft posts, but it could be that some “that’s” still sneak in 😉

Thank you for stopping by, Julian. Happy writing!

June 20, 2017 at 5:00 pm

Great Post Madam. Thanks for sharing. May God bless you.

June 20, 2017 at 6:30 pm

Thank you, Dhaya. Happy writing!

June 20, 2017 at 3:35 pm

I just looked at two drafts I did last week and I had lots of lackluster writing. I revised with your suggestions and I do believe they are better now! Thanks.

Yay! Reading this makes me happy. Thank you, Kathy.

June 20, 2017 at 2:59 pm

One thing you will never be accused of, Henneke, is a lack of substance. Your posts are always chock-full of great tips and visuals. 🙂 Thanks for another super post.

June 20, 2017 at 6:29 pm

To be honest, I was a little worried that there might be too much substance in this post, but it seemed like a useful overview so I went ahead to publish it anyway (and I’m glad I did).

Thank you for your encouragement, Cathy!

June 20, 2017 at 12:44 pm

Hey! I laughed out loud at Henrietta with the cigar doing the “sham-wow” sales pitch. 😉 I’ve been paying a lot more attention to specific detail in both my reading, writing, and teaching, and it really is a game-changer in so many ways. It differentiates the level of mastery. Thanks for all you do!

June 20, 2017 at 6:28 pm

And thank you for being you, and for being such a loyal reader and commenter.

I remember you once teaching me the word “sham-wow” 🙂

June 20, 2017 at 12:34 pm

Your articles always give me 100% boost to my skills 🙂 Consider yourself a copy doctor? You should.

June 20, 2017 at 6:26 pm

Thank you so much for your compliment, Wojtek. I appreciate it. Happy writing!

June 20, 2017 at 12:17 pm

Before this landed in my inbox, I had been swirling in my pits of misery and doom, thinking why I ever thought I could write. Your post is not only timely, but amazing! Thank you so much for telling us to knock of the negativity, pull up our socks and work on our weaknesses.

Great tips 😀

Much love from India!

Oh my, I’m sorry you were swirling in pits of misery and doom.

Learning to write can feel like a lonely struggle. Please don’t give up, Vinita, and celebrate your successes—congratulate yourself for each a piece of writing you finish. Happy writing!

June 20, 2017 at 12:13 pm

You couldn’t say it better, if I enjoy writing, my readers will enjoy reading- what an awesome test. And, also, here onwards, I commit to focus on writing only and only to clarify and not to impress.

June 20, 2017 at 6:23 pm

Happy writing, Hena. Thank you for your lovely comment. I like your commitment to writing for clarity, not to impress. 🙂

June 20, 2017 at 12:03 pm

Hi Henneke, brilliant article. You give so much.

I know I probably sound ridiculously lazy, but this is all so much work. I love the idea of deliberate practice, but find it almost impossible to set myself the problems, so I can practice later. Why is there no app for deliberate practice for writers? Surely I can’t be the only one that would be happy to pay for such a thing.

June 20, 2017 at 6:22 pm

It doesn’t sound lazy at all, we all have to set our own priorities and we can’t do everything. You’re absolutely right: writing and improving our writing skills IS a lot of work. It’s just like with learning to play the piano or tennis—you have to practice a lot.

June 20, 2017 at 12:01 pm

Hi Henneke! 🙂

Missed your posts, and this one is a beauty! I think I now need to rearrange my list of top 3 of your favorite posts. Super useful and actionable, and I love the drawings, too (I didn’t know Henrietta smoked cigars! ;D)

Can’t wait to spread the word!

June 20, 2017 at 6:20 pm

Thank you so much, Gill. I’m glad you like this one 🙂 In your top 3 of my posts? That’s a big compliment!

PS Henrietta seems to only smoke cigars when she’s impersonating a sleazy sales person 😉

June 20, 2017 at 11:58 am

What an insightful post. I make all of these mistakes and until you pointed them out I was probably unaware – thanks. The last one was quite surprising but logical. I will pay more attention to that in the future.

Also, this trick for the overused words and sentences made me laugh out loud “Would you use the word in a face-to-face conversation with your ideal reader?”.

June 20, 2017 at 6:19 pm

It sounds like you could perhaps be a bit kinder to yourself and more upbeat about your writing skills? You’re publishing your first book!

June 20, 2017 at 6:27 pm

hahahah yes! This cracked me up, it’s something my sister would say to me in that tone. Also, I am writing a personalized email with lots of sugar to my backers so expect a “dessert” in your inbox soon 😉

June 20, 2017 at 6:31 pm

I’m looking forward to dessert 🙂

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How to answer “What are your weaknesses?” with ease

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Job interview weaknesses: What they say about you

8 examples of weaknesses for interviews, converting weaknesses to strengths.

Getting an interview is a major milestone in any job search. After updating your LinkedIn bio, going through the placement apps, and sending in resumes, lightning strikes. A potential employer believes you have the qualifications to meet their needs.

Now it’s time to wow them in person with a great first impression

A lot goes into the first few minutes of a job interview. You’ve got to think about being punctual, dressing for the role, and appearing confident. But your preparations shouldn’t stop there.

colleagues-talking-on-a-table-how-to-answer-what-are-your-weaknesses

There’s no doubt that first impressions are important. Interviewers start to form an opinion within minutes of meeting you based on the firmness of your handshake, your interview outfit, and non-verbal body language .

Putting your interview tips to good use can help you get off on the right foot, but you also have to think beyond the introduction. Having answers to common job interview questions at the ready will help you breeze through the rest of the meeting.

Being ready for questions might confirm a favorable initial assessment. A hiring manager’s primary goal is to clearly understand who you are. Routine questions like “Tell me about yourself” and “Why do you want to work here?” help a hiring manager get to know you as an employee and determine how well you’ll fit in with the organization. But none are as challenging as the anxiety-riddled “What’s your greatest weakness?”

Take a deep breath. Situational questions like this aren’t a trap but rather your chance to shine. Knowing how to answer “What are your weaknesses?” will differentiate you from other candidates. The trick is to spin a flaw into a strength by crafting an answer demonstrating genuine honesty, self-awareness, and a desire to grow.

How you answer the weakness question says a lot about you and your work ethic . Being forthcoming about your flaws is an opportunity to highlight valuable soft skills which can set you apart from other applicants.

Your interviewer is looking for three things:

Self-awareness: Everyone has weaknesses, but not everyone can recognize them. Having this level of self-awareness means you’re more likely to leverage strengths, mitigate weaknesses, and regulate your emotions .
Honesty: Interviewers might detect dishonesty through verbal and nonverbal cues like looking away frequently or a shaky voice. And if you’re dishonest about your weaknesses they might feel you won’t be honest in the workplace.
A desire for growth: It’s not enough to identify a weak spot. The interviewer wants to know you’re willing to correct a shortcoming so it doesn’t become a bigger problem.

Weaknesses aren’t something to be ashamed of. Quite the opposite. Focusing on improvement shows humility and determination — two qualities recruiters find very attractive in potential hires.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, you can use these eight example responses as building blocks.

1. Impatience

Sample answer

I’m easily frustrated when I’m working in a group. I have high standards and don’t feel I deliver quality work when I wait until the last minute to start. So if someone is late with their deliverables or there’s a delay, I tend to become impatient.

I know this is a problem, so I’m attending team-building workshops to develop the communication skills necessary to tell my teammates what I need while maintaining good working relationships.

Why it works

Most jobs require collaboration . Your interviewer expects you to demonstrate a capacity for teamwork while ensuring you meet and exceed expectations. Recognizing that your impatience has the potential to be an issue shows respect for your colleagues and that you appreciate the necessity of being a team player .

woman-speaking-to-manager-how-to-answer-what-are-your-weaknesses

2. Disorganization

While it doesn’t affect my performance , keeping my workspace organized is challenging. But I'm much more productive when my physical and digital spaces are neat and tidy. I’ve begun dedicating an hour every Friday afternoon to declutter my desk and organize my files and inbox.

Establishing a dedicated clean-up time lets me kick off the week fresh, allowing me to plan my workflow and ensure everything is ready before I need it. It’s even helped me become more detail-oriented .

Being disorganized is a relatable weakness and is as easy to fix as it is to understand. Make it clear that it doesn’t negatively impact your ability to do your job but is significant enough to require your attention.

Your answer should outline a thoughtful solution and demonstrate that your weakness is well under control.

3. Trouble delegating

Delegating tasks doesn’t come easily to me, especially when I have the skills to do something myself. But my last job was demanding and wasn’t conducive to multitasking . I didn’t have a choice but to share responsibilities with my team.

To help me feel more in control and avoid micromanaging , I implemented a project management system that let me follow up with my team and make sure everyone’s work was on track to meet project deadlines. If anyone gets in the weeds, they know I’m available to lend a hand. The system helped me become more comfortable delegating and improved my leadership skills.

This answer shows you recognize when a weakness has the potential to become a serious problem — in this case, micromanaging a team — and you’re willing to learn a new skill to avoid it. You’re demonstrating commitment and initiative to address the issue, plus a high degree of flexibility , which is a critical professional skill.

4. Self-criticism

I have high expectations and tend to be too hard on myself if my efforts fall short. Over time, I’ve learned to silence negative self-talk by regularly meditating on my successes and viewing mistakes as an opportunity to grow. I’ve also begun to recognize when my self-criticism is valid and when I can ignore it.

This response shows you’re capable of introspection and growth. You’re finding the middle ground between two potential extremes, learning to accept criticism without letting it damage your self-confidence and performance — an attractive trait in a job candidate.

happy-man-at-coffee-shop-how-to-answer-what-are-your-weaknesses

5. Timid in certain contexts

I used to feel quite timid when critiquing other people’s work. I hated the thought that I might hurt their feelings, which made me reluctant to provide feedback. In my last position, I realized people want to improve and appreciate constructive criticism so long as I begin from a place of kindness and empathy. It took some practice, but my coaching skills have improved, and I’m more comfortable offering feedback to help people do their best work.

Here’s how to transform a weakness into your greatest strength without being disingenuous. Your sense of compassion — not wanting to hurt a colleague’s feelings — infuses your feedback with kindness and tact, making you an effective communicator. Those traits are vital soft skills for a future leader .

6. Too blunt

I have a very straightforward personality and tend to be blunt when I communicate. My delivery works well with members of senior management because I get to the heart of the matter quickly, and they appreciate my honesty. But some peers and direct reports find my bluntness off-putting, especially when offering feedback.

I’ve decided to revamp my communication style to become more empathetic. I’ve taken online courses to improve my relationship management skills and am working with a mentor to practice my feedback delivery.

Understanding how a character trait like bluntness can be an asset in one circumstance and not in others can make you a better communicator in the workplace . You’re showing that you recognize when your directness is productive and have developed a plan for establishing an alternative way of speaking when it makes others uncomfortable.

7. Issues balancing work and life

I started developing some less-than-healthy habits when I shifted to remote work . It was difficult to separate my job from the rest of my life. As a result, my work-life balance suffered. My stress levels also increased, and I wasn’t taking time to recharge, which impacted my ability to deliver quality results.

I’ve since reevaluated my priorities and established a hard stop on all job-related activities at the end of my day. These work boundaries help me plan and maximize my productivity during office hours.

You might think that working long hours is an asset, but in reality, it puts you at risk of becoming overworked and needing to go on stress leave . A potential employer wants you to stick around for the long term, so they need to know you can manage the pressure that comes with the job.

businesswoman-speaking-to-candidate-how-to-answer-what-are-your-weaknesses

8. Too talkative

I think it’s important to socialize with my coworkers. It helps build better work relationships and creates a more welcoming company culture . But I’m a talker and can spend the entire day chatting with people in my department instead of working.

So I’ve started setting a timer on my phone to remind me to get back to my desk. Knowing I’m not going overboard socializing lets me focus more on the person I’m speaking with, making for more meaningful and energizing conversations.

Your answer shows you’re invested in your working relationships and want to contribute to your company’s culture. But you also know your tendency to socialize can negatively impact your productivity. It takes courage to acknowledge this bad habit, which, along with sharing your solution, will earn the interviewer's respect.

Recognizing you have weaknesses isn’t admitting to failure. And it won’t take you out of the running for a position, even in a competitive job market .

Discussing your flaws during an interview is an opportunity to show off the qualities that make you a desirable employee. Traits like self-awareness, resilience, and humility are valuable in the workplace, and knowing how to answer “What are your weaknesses?” lets you bring those characteristics to the forefront during an interview.

By preparing a thoughtful answer, you demonstrate you have the communication and self-regulation skills necessary to thrive in any work environment and that you recognize that for every weakness, there’s an equal opportunity to improve.

Take a deep breath. Between practicing your responses to this and other common interview questions and familiarizing yourself with tips for a successful interview , you’re good to go. A job offer isn’t far off.

Ace your job search

Explore effective job search techniques, interview strategies, and ways to overcome job-related challenges. Our coaches specialize in helping you land your dream job.

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

10 interview skills, techniques and examples to land your dream job

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20 Self-Evaluation Weaknesses Examples

By Status.net Editorial Team on May 28, 2023 — 8 minutes to read

Self-evaluation is the process of reflecting on one’s own performance, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and setting goals for improvement. While it’s easy to identify one’s strengths, acknowledging weaknesses can be challenging. However, recognizing areas where improvement is needed is crucial for personal and professional growth.

Related: Self Evaluation Sample Answers: Strengths and Weaknesses

Benefits of Self-Evaluation

Improved self-awareness: Self-evaluation helps you to better understand your own strengths and weaknesses. This increased self-awareness can lead to better decision making, improved relationships, and greater personal and professional success. Learn more: How to Cultivate Self-Awareness (10 Tips)
Increased motivation: By setting goals and tracking progress, you can stay motivated and focused on achieving your objectives. Learn more: 60 Self-Performance Review Goals Examples
Improved performance: Self-evaluation can help you identify areas for improvement and take action to improve your performance. This can lead to better outcomes and greater success in both personal and professional life. How to Improve Work Performance [Actionable Tips]
Better communication: Self-evaluation can improve communication with others by helping you better understand your own strengths and weaknesses and how you can work effectively with others. Learn more: What is Your Communication Style? (4 Types with Examples)

Why Identify Weaknesses?

Identifying our weaknesses is an essential part of personal and professional growth, because this helps us understand our limitations and areas that need improvement. Being honest with ourselves is crucial when identifying our weaknesses. Honesty allows us to accept our limitations and take the necessary steps to improve. It is also important to seek feedback from others, such as team members, to gain a different perspective on our weaknesses.

How to Identify Weaknesses

There are several ways to identify our weaknesses. One way is to reflect on our past experiences and assess where we struggled. For example, if you had difficulty communicating with a team member during a project, you may need to work on your communication skills. Related: How to Choose a Conflict Management Style? [5 Styles with Examples]

Another way to identify weaknesses is to seek feedback from others. Asking team members for constructive criticism can help us identify areas that need improvement. It is important to be open-minded and receptive to feedback, even if it may be difficult to hear. Learn more: How to Gather Honest Feedback

We can also use self-evaluation tools, such as personality tests or skills assessments, to identify our weaknesses. These assessments can provide insight into our strengths and weaknesses and help us develop a plan for improvement.

Self-Evaluation Weaknesses Examples

Procrastination – “I have a tendency to procrastinate on tasks, which can lead to last-minute stress and rushed work. I recognize that this is a weakness of mine and am actively working on improving my time management skills to avoid procrastination.”
Difficulty delegating tasks – “I often feel like I need to take on everything myself to ensure it’s done correctly, which can lead to burnout and inefficiency. I realize that delegating tasks is an important part of being a team player and am working on trusting my colleagues and delegating tasks more effectively.”
Lack of confidence in public speaking – “I struggle with public speaking and often feel nervous or anxious when presenting in front of others. I recognize that this is a weakness of mine and am working on improving my public speaking skills through practice and seeking feedback from others.”
Inability to multitask effectively – “I often find myself trying to juggle too many tasks at once, which can lead to mistakes and a lack of focus. I am working on prioritizing tasks and focusing on one thing at a time to improve my efficiency and productivity.”
Struggle with time management – “I sometimes struggle with managing my time effectively, which can lead to missed deadlines and a feeling of overwhelm. I am working on setting clear goals and deadlines for myself and using time-blocking techniques to improve my time management skills.”
Difficulty adapting to change – “I can sometimes struggle with adapting to new situations or changes in the workplace. I am working on being more open-minded and flexible to change, and seeking support and guidance when necessary.”
Tendency to overthink or overanalyze situations – “I have a tendency to overthink or overanalyze situations, which can lead to decision paralysis or unnecessary stress. I am working on being more decisive and trusting my instincts, while also seeking input and feedback from others when necessary.”
Struggle with prioritizing tasks – “I sometimes struggle with prioritizing tasks effectively, which can lead to a feeling of overwhelm and missed deadlines. I am working on identifying the most important tasks and prioritizing them accordingly, while also delegating tasks when necessary.”
Difficulty saying “no” to requests or taking on too much – “I sometimes struggle with saying “no” to requests or taking on too much, which can lead to burnout and a lack of focus. I am working on setting clear boundaries and prioritizing my workload to ensure that I am not taking on too much and can perform at my best.”
Struggle with giving and receiving feedback – “I sometimes struggle with giving and receiving feedback, which can lead to misunderstandings and a lack of growth. I am working on being more open-minded and receptive to feedback, while also providing constructive feedback to others in a clear and respectful manner.”
Tendency to get easily distracted – “I sometimes find myself getting easily distracted by external factors, such as social media or personal tasks. I am working on improving my focus and concentration through techniques such as time-blocking and minimizing distractions.”
Difficulty working in a team environment – “I can sometimes struggle with working in a team environment, which can lead to misunderstandings and a lack of collaboration. I am working on improving my communication and interpersonal skills, while also being more open-minded and receptive to others’ ideas and perspectives.”
Struggle with decision-making – “I sometimes struggle with making decisions, especially when there are multiple options or factors to consider. I am working on improving my decision-making skills through techniques such as weighing pros and cons, seeking input from others, and trusting my instincts.”
Inability to handle stress or pressure well – “I sometimes struggle with handling stress or pressure in the workplace, which can lead to burnout and a lack of productivity. I am working on improving my stress-management skills through techniques such as mindfulness and self-care, while also seeking support and guidance when necessary.”
Tendency to be too critical of oneself or others – “I sometimes have a tendency to be too critical of myself or others, which can lead to negative self-talk and a lack of motivation. I am working on being more compassionate and understanding towards myself and others, while also providing constructive feedback in a respectful manner.”
Struggle with organization and planning – “I sometimes struggle with organizing and planning my workload effectively, which can lead to missed deadlines and a lack of productivity. I am working on improving my organizational skills through techniques such as creating to-do lists and using project management tools.”
Difficulty with public speaking or presenting – “I sometimes struggle with public speaking or presenting, which can lead to nervousness and a lack of confidence. I am working on improving my public speaking skills through practice and seeking feedback from others.”
Tendency to avoid conflict or confrontation – “I sometimes have a tendency to avoid conflict or confrontation, which can lead to unresolved issues and a lack of communication. I am working on improving my conflict resolution skills through techniques such as active listening, clear communication, and seeking common ground to find a mutually beneficial solution.”
Struggle with taking initiative or being proactive – “I sometimes struggle with taking initiative or being proactive in the workplace, which can lead to a lack of growth and development. I am working on being more proactive and taking ownership of my work, while also seeking opportunities to learn and grow.”
Difficulty with maintaining work-life balance – “I sometimes struggle with maintaining a healthy work-life balance, which can lead to burnout and a lack of fulfillment in both areas. I am working on setting clear boundaries and prioritizing self-care and personal time, while also being mindful of my workload and responsibilities in the workplace.”

Sample paragraphs:

Communication Skills

“One of my weaknesses is that I tend to struggle with public speaking. While I am comfortable speaking with individuals or small groups, speaking in front of large groups can be intimidating for me. I have found that I tend to rush through my presentations and may not articulate my points as clearly as I would like. To address this weakness, I have started practicing my presentations in front of a mirror and recording myself to identify areas where I can improve my delivery.”

Time Management

“A weakness I have identified is my tendency to get distracted easily. This can lead to me not managing my time effectively and missing deadlines. To overcome this, I have started using time management tools such as calendars and to-do lists to help me stay on track. I have also made a conscious effort to prioritize my tasks based on their importance and urgency.”

Decision-Making

“I have found that I can sometimes struggle with making decisions, especially when there are multiple options to choose from. This can lead to me taking too long to make a decision or not making a decision at all. To address this weakness, I have started using a decision making framework.”

Related: Effective Decision Making Process: 7 Steps with Examples

How to Improve Weaknesses

1. setting goals.

Make sure your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For example, if you struggle with public speaking, your goal could be to improve your presentation skills by attending a public speaking course.

Related: 60 Self-Performance Review Goals Examples

2. Developing a Plan

Once you have set your goals, develop a plan to achieve them. Break down your goals into smaller, manageable tasks and set deadlines for each one. Identify the resources you need, such as training, coaching, or mentorship, and make a plan to acquire them. For example, if you want to improve your writing skills, you could set a goal to read one book on writing each month and practice writing for 30 minutes every day.

3. Implementing Changes

The final step is to implement the changes you have identified in your plan. This may involve stepping outside of your comfort zone and taking risks. Seek feedback from trusted colleagues or mentors to help you stay on track and make adjustments to your plan as needed. Celebrate your successes along the way, and don’t be discouraged by setbacks: improvement takes time and effort.

Related: How to Cultivate Self-Awareness (10 Tips) Self Evaluation Sample Answers: Strengths and Weaknesses

Self Evaluation Sample Answers: Strengths and Weaknesses
Innovation and Creativity Self Evaluation Comments (30 Examples)
Self Evaluation Examples [Complete Guide]
Attention to Detail Self-Evaluation Comments Examples
60 Self-Performance Review Goals Examples
Manager Self Evaluation Examples

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A Guide to Rebuttals in Argumentative Essays

4-minute read

27th May 2023

Rebuttals are an essential part of a strong argument. But what are they, exactly, and how can you use them effectively? Read on to find out.

What Is a Rebuttal?

When writing an argumentative essay , there’s always an opposing point of view. You can’t present an argument without the possibility of someone disagreeing.

Sure, you could just focus on your argument and ignore the other perspective, but that weakens your essay. Coming up with possible alternative points of view, or counterarguments, and being prepared to address them, gives you an edge. A rebuttal is your response to these opposing viewpoints.

How Do Rebuttals Work?

With a rebuttal, you can take the fighting power away from any opposition to your idea before they have a chance to attack. For a rebuttal to work, it needs to follow the same formula as the other key points in your essay: it should be researched, developed, and presented with evidence.

Rebuttals in Action

Suppose you’re writing an essay arguing that strawberries are the best fruit. A potential counterargument could be that strawberries don’t work as well in baked goods as other berries do, as they can get soggy and lose some of their flavor. Your rebuttal would state this point and then explain why it’s not valid:

Read on for a few simple steps to formulating an effective rebuttal.

Step 1. Come up with a Counterargument

A strong rebuttal is only possible when there’s a strong counterargument. You may be convinced of your idea but try to place yourself on the other side. Rather than addressing weak opposing views that are easy to fend off, try to come up with the strongest claims that could be made.

In your essay, explain the counterargument and agree with it. That’s right, agree with it – to an extent. State why there’s some truth to it and validate the concerns it presents.

Step 2. Point Out Its Flaws

Now that you’ve presented a counterargument, poke holes in it . To do so, analyze the argument carefully and notice if there are any biases or caveats that weaken it. Looking at the claim that strawberries don’t work well in baked goods, a weakness could be that this argument only applies when strawberries are baked in a pie.

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Step 3. Present New Points

Once you reveal the counterargument’s weakness, present a new perspective, and provide supporting evidence to show that your argument is still the correct one. This means providing new points that the opposer may not have considered when presenting their claim.

Offering new ideas that weaken a counterargument makes you come off as authoritative and informed, which will make your readers more likely to agree with you.

Summary: Rebuttals

Rebuttals are essential when presenting an argument. Even if a counterargument is stronger than your point, you can construct an effective rebuttal that stands a chance against it.

We hope this guide helps you to structure and format your argumentative essay . And once you’ve finished writing, send a copy to our expert editors. We’ll ensure perfect grammar, spelling, punctuation, referencing, and more. Try it out for free today!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a rebuttal in an essay.

A rebuttal is a response to a counterargument. It presents the potential counterclaim, discusses why it could be valid, and then explains why the original argument is still correct.

How do you form an effective rebuttal?

To use rebuttals effectively, come up with a strong counterclaim and respectfully point out its weaknesses. Then present new ideas that fill those gaps and strengthen your point.

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Essay on My Strong and Weak Points

To know your strong and weak points is critical for each person.

If you do not know yourself, your talents, abilities, values, strengths and weaknesses, how can you be happy? Or are you hoping for good luck?

Did you know that if you apply yourself in an area that you like, where are your talents, your abilities and strengths, you are destined to be successful and happy person? Development of skills takes place every day, and if you do something with pleasure, the effectiveness of this activity increases iteratively.

Did you know that if you apply yourself in an area that you do not like or where your weaknesses lie, and where you have no talents and abilities, you are doomed to be mediocrity? Development of skills is a very important detail on the way to be success, if a person performs its daily activities without pleasure, the effectiveness of the development will be minimal.

We can write a custom essay on Strong and Weak Points for you!

Now I give you a few points on what gives you the knowledge of your strong and weak points itself, and then we discuss these items in detail.

And they are:

Accuracy in predicting the outcome
Efficiency of your performance
Better motivation
Bring far greater benefit to people
Increase self-esteem

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses, you can easily predict the outcome of an event. For example, you know that you are uncomfortable with math, and you are offered a job where you need to perform complex analytical calculations, or you’re thinking of going to work as an accountant. The answer is obvious – no, do not go, because this work or activity will suffer from your weaknesses. You will be defeated.

If you know that you know how to build good relationships with others and are able to convince them, you can easily engage in sales and succeed in this, because this is precisely your strengths.

Efficiency of your performance If you know what kind of work requires specific skills, which you do not have, you will not even take it, because you will lose time, effort and energy, once again disappointed, and you will decrease self-esteem.

Better motivation Your motivation depends very much on how much you love what you are doing. If you love what you do, you can do it day and night, using thus your strengths and at the same time you will feel happy.

If you do what you do not like, you will have to constantly force yourself, and you will be miserable.

Bring far greater benefit to people And, of course, doing what you love to do, plunging headlong into the work, you will bring a much greater benefit to people than performing unloved work and making it somehow.

Increase self-esteem When you concentrate on your strengths, you feel amazing. You feel perfect. Once you start thinking about what you cannot do, you remember your weaknesses, and you lose your power.

You would not believe me if I tell you that you’re just a genius like Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Napoleon Hill and other successful personality. And I believe that you have the same talent as these people, and maybe more.

Do you know why these people are so successful?

Because they knew their strong and weak points, which allowed them applied themselves in the area they knew they were designed for!

Do you think Bill Gates would be successful if he worked in construction and building houses?

Would Napoleon Hill as successful if he was a politician?

No, no and no again!!

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Strengths and Weaknesses in Writing

Sarah Oakley

Table of Contents

Strength 1: A Rich Vocabulary

Strength 2: Use of Literary Devices

Strength 3: Varying Sentence Lengths

Strength 4: Target Reader Awareness

Strength 5: A Strong Writing Voice

Weakness 1: Your Writing Lacks Substance

Weakness 2: Poor Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation

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Weakness 3: Disorganized Writing

Weakness 4: Lack of Focus on Writing Projects

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How to Answer “What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?”

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Editing for Paragraph Strength

Does each sentence in the paragraph contribute to the main idea in the paragraph?

Is each paragraph developed in a logical way? Will your readers be able to follow your thoughts?

Are your thoughts in each paragraph linked where necessary by:

Have you varied the lengths of your paragraphs?

Editing for Brevity and Clarity

Did you choose concrete words and terms instead of abstract ones whenever possible?

Have you avoided technical terms your readers might not understand?

Is your meaning clear to the reader?

Is your average sentence length about 17–20 words?

Editing for Vigor and Pace

Determine if you used long nouns or phrases that can be changed to simple verbs.

Eliminate pesky prepositions (e.g., overusing to, of, in, on, by, with).

Did you vary the length of your sentences?

Did you vary the beginnings of your sentences or do most of your sentences begin with the same part of speech?

Did you use the same word repeatedly throughout a paragraph?

Editing for Tone and Style

The Final Editing

Strengths and Weaknesses in Writing

8 Must-Have Strengths for a Writer

2. A Rich, Diverse Vocabulary

3. A Burning Passion for Reading

4. Organized Writing that Follows a Logical Flow

5. Creativity

7. A Unique Writing Style

8. Understanding Your Audience

Weaknesses in Writing and Ways to Overcome Them

2. Your Writing Is Too Draggy for Your Readers

3. Lack of Rhythm

4. Chaotic Flow

How to Turn Your Writing Weaknesses into Strengths

Final Words on Strengths and Weaknesses in Writing

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Exploring Personal Strengths and Weaknesses for Self-improvement

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