essay about areas of improvement

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

3 College Essay Examples that Need Improvement

What’s Covered:

Common college essay mistakes, how to strengthen your college essay.

• College Essay Examples and How They Could Be Improved

Where to Get Your Essay Edited for Free

If you’re preparing to apply to college, you already know how important your essay is as a part of your complete application. The college application essay demonstrates your strengths , and allows you the opportunity to explain to admissions committees why you are the perfect fit for a school. 

With the increasing popularity of test-optional and test-blind admissions, essays are becoming even more important. The last thing you want is to make simple mistakes that detract from your story. In this post, we’ll are three essay examples that didn’t quite make the mark and explain where they fell short and how they could be improved to make sure you don’t fall into the same traps.

Picking the Wrong Topic 

Admissions counselors are looking for topics that stand out. They seek originality when reviewing college applications, so it’s best to avoid any topics that could be considered cliche or overdone , like a sports injury or personal tragedy. Focus on what makes you stand out as a student, and as a person. Think about what makes you different from your peers, and center your topic around this. 

Writing About Too Much

Avoid repeating what you’ve said in other areas of your application. Write about one area of your life that’s interesting. The college essay isn’t a place for a chronological narrative of your life. You’ll want to focus on one moment, one anecdote that you can build on. The moment can be small, such as a bird you saw on a ledge when you woke up one morning. It can be as simple as a conversation with a friend in a car, or that time you went skydiving. In your college essay, think about how you will use a moment or metaphor as a vehicle for your story. 

Writing Too Formally

Write in your natural voice. Avoid academic jargon and use active voice rather than passive voice. You want to produce an essay that reads as natural as possible, so the meaning of your writing is clear to the admissions committee. Forget about impressing anyone with your top-tier vocabulary. Write how you speak, without any grammatical or spelling errors.

Not Showing Personality

The essay is an opportunity to show the admissions committee what makes you stand out. It’s a reflection of who you are. In the process of trying to build a complete application, don’t treat the essay as a formula to complete. This is your time to shine. Have fun with it, and show your readers what makes you unique. 

Telling Instead of Showing

Rather than giving a summary of your accomplishments, you’ll want to show the reader who you are by building a narrative. This means using sensory details to help your reader experience the story. When you move into telling moments, this pulls your reader away from the narrative. 

For example, if you want to describe a storm, instead of saying that you heard thunder and saw lightning in the sky (telling), say that there was a rumble in the ground and the sky lit up with a fluorescent haze (showing). 

So, now that you know what to avoid when it comes to writing your college essay, what should you do to strengthen your essay? 

1. Strong Topic 

Choosing a good topic is essential to a strong college essay. The topic you choose should allow you to answer the essay prompt, while also showcasing who you are.

Keep in mind that your topic should not be a list of your best qualities. Instead, think about an experience or series of experiences that can be expanded upon to provide insight into your character. Pick a memorable experience or exciting revelations, and then use literary devices, like metaphors, to create connections to your personality, identity, and values. The most seemingly simple topics, like walking your dog or participating in a summer program, can be exciting and insightful as long as you share your personality and reflections throughout your essay.

2. Personal Quotient 

Essays are the place to add your personal flair to your application. A great college essay should answer these questions:

• “Who Am I?”
• “Why Am I Here?”
• “What is Unique About Me?”
• “What Matters to Me?”

Essays are one of the only places on your application where admissions officers can actually hear your voice. While the rest of your application allows the admissions committee to understand you as a student through a collection of scores, grades, and activities, your essays can reveal who you are as a person. Make sure you write in your natural voice so that admissions officers can put a personality to the rest of your application data.

3. Quality Writing and Storytelling 

It’s important to show your writing skills in an essay, and keep your audience engaged. Don’t forget, the essay is different from other parts of your application: it’s a story . That means you need dialogue, action, sensory details, and a strong hook. 

Think about your favorite writers and how they tell a story in a captivating way. Rather than blatantly stating a character’s thoughts or feelings, authors often show these plot points using sensory descriptions or exciting action. You should do the same in your essays! This will allow admissions officers to feel more invested in your story and your application.

College Essay Examples and How They Could Be Improved 

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Essay Example #1

Prompt: You may wish to include an additional essay if you feel that the college application forms do not provide sufficient opportunity to convey important information about yourself or your accomplishments. You may write on a topic of your choice, or you may choose from one of the following topics: 

Travel, living, or working experiences in your own or other communities.

It was a raw day of what seemed as autumn but suggested winter. The red in every thermometer started to fall alongside the first few snowflakes. The green of the streets started to hide as the frost took control of the landscape. The colors of nature were an odd sight, as though it could not decide what dress it should wear. A cutting, ominous wind blew across the land.

That raw day was my first encounter with real personal crisis. My mind was blank. My head burned intensely. I couldn’t decide if this was a nightmare or a real tragedy. My mom had urged me to do a video call. I didn’t imagine she was the herald of dismal news: my parents were going to split up. Bitterness and sorrow accompanied every tear that my mother shed. She ended the call and l burst into tears. The unexpected news rammed my heart and injured it severely.

My parent’s separation created turmoil inside of me. I wasn’t the first kid whose parents separated, but I felt distant and powerless. I was living abroad for a year. I was thousands of miles from my beloved family. After this event, the chasm between me and my family seemed gargantuan. I lived in a land where I could barely speak the language. The language barrier didn’t allow me to explain how I felt and tears weren’t enough to describe what I was suffering. Even though I was surrounded by my host family and new friends, I felt alone without the ability to communicate. I stopped attending chess school. I rejected offers from my basketball teammates to train. I declined my music teacher’s offer to learn to play a new instrument. I was slowly succumbing to the pain caused by a problem that I couldn’t solve.

My emotional imbalance forced me to ponder about my decisions. Ron wouldn’t have rejected an opportunity to try his new chess tactics. Ron wouldn’t have rejected an opportunity to better his basketball personal high score. Ron wouldn’t have rejected an opportunity to challenge his musical abilities by learning a new instrument. I was ceasing to be myself. I realized I stopped doing what I loved, and instead lamented about the unchanging state of my parent’s ruined marriage. I realized I was throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime by staying home crying for something I couldn’t repair. I suddenly opened my eyes to my reality. I was living in Russia. I was living in the land of ballet, the land of scientific discovery, the land of music. I made the resolute decision to take advantage of the place I lived in, and fight through my pain whilst doing it. I kept myself busy with activities, as to not leave time for my mind to wander. I spent my afternoons in chess practices, basketball training, and music rehearsals. I started to play in chess tournaments, basketball matches and even had my first musical recital. I had filled my heart with joy from nourishing activities and had forgotten my internal grief.

Social, emotional, physical or even religious crises may bring personal instability into one’s life. The fact that I lived far away from my loved ones brought a more severe emotional instability. Nonetheless, this instability gave me the opportunity to mature and grow both emotionally and intellectually. Commitment to my daily activities not only helped me grow as a musician, as a chess player, as a basketball player, and as a person, but it also helped me encounter myself after being lost in grief. By finding a safe haven in my activities, I discovered a way to soothe the pain I felt. Through this state of entropy, I discovered that “times of personal crisis and inner turmoil” is just a euphemism for “opportunities and chances to thrive”. 

Why This Essay Isn’t Strong

Although this essay has a nice story at its core, there are multiple weak points that ultimately overwhelm the essay and confuse the reader.

Creative language: While this student was hoping to convey a sophisticated writing style, the inundation of metaphors, lofty diction, and irrelevant imagery severely distracts from the story and gives the impression this student used a thesaurus for every other word. The entire introductory paragraph has nothing to do with the essay except to demonstrate this student can describe the weather. Phrases like “ herald of dismal news ” and “ rammed my heart and injured it severely ” feel overly dramatic and out of place in a 17 year old’s conversational vocabulary. Yes, you want to put your best foot forward in your writing, but it has to be your words and not a thesaurus.

Grammar:  Something as simple as grammar can make or break your essay. Unfortunately, this student had multiple grammar mistakes that are hard to ignore. “ It was a raw day of what seemed as autumn but suggested winter, ” “ I didn’t imagine she was the herald of dismal news, ” and “ My emotional imbalance forced me to ponder about my decisions, ” are just a few examples.

Too much  repetition: Repetition can be a great tool in writing to create flow or emphasize certain points, but in this essay the combination of repeating sentence structure and ideas makes the essay feel unvaried and a bit monotonous. This student starts sentence after sentence with “ I ” and repeats the phrases “ I lived ” and “ I realized. ” On top of that, the pattern of chess, basketball, and music is repeated—in that same order—four times throughout the essay. It’s okay to focus on these three interests, but bringing them up in the same order multiple times makes the essay predictable.

Assuming the reader knows too   much:  You don’t want your college essay to spell everything out for the reader, but at the same time you don’t want each new piece of information to come out of left field and shock them. This student casually brings up that they were abroad in the third paragraph without any explanation as to why. They also refer to themselves in the third person (“ Ron wouldn’t… “), but at first glance it might not be evident that they are talking about themselves and the reader might wonder who Ron is.

How It Could Be Improved

So, how could this essay address each of the pain points addressed above?

Trust in your voice:  Rather than feeling the need to inject creative language and sophisticated diction into every sentence, rely on your natural writing style to truly convey to admissions officers who you are. A good practice is to write your first draft completely in your own voice and then when your editing you can change a few words or phrases, but make sure the majority of your writing sounds more like a conversation you would have with a friend or teacher rather than a formal essay.

Proofread. Proofread. Proofread : The best way to catch grammar mistakes is to read over your essay multiple times. With each reread you will catch a sentence that sounds clunky or a typo that doesn’t belong. However, you shouldn’t be the only one proofreading your essay. Give it to a friend, parent, or teacher so a fresh pair of eyes can help you perfect your grammar. Or, you can get an expert at CollegeVine to look over your essay!

Vary sentence structure:  To combat the over-repetitiveness in this essay this student needs to employ more creative sentences that play with the subject and predicate. These sentences, “ I stopped attending chess school. I rejected offers from my basketball teammates to train. I declined my music teacher’s offer to learn to play a new instrument”  could become: “ From ditching chess practice to skipping training sessions to abandoning my potential to learn the oboe, everything became meaningless.”

Clear organization:  The reader can easily get confused when new details are randomly introduced because of this essay’s lack of organization, so mapping out a clear flow of the story from beginning to middle to end would be beneficial. This essay should have begun with a depiction of this student’s life abroad in Russia, joyfully participating in the activities they abandon later. Then it would present the conflict of the divorce and the emotional turmoil the student experienced. Finally, they would demonstrate how their mindset shifted and what they learned. Presenting information in an organized, chronological way would greatly increase the reader’s ability to follow along.

Essay Example #2

Prompt: At MIT, we bring people together to better the lives of others. MIT students work to improve their communities in different ways, from tackling the world’s biggest challenges to being a good friend. Describe one way in which you have contributed to your community, whether in your family, the classroom, your neighborhood, etc. (200-250 words)

“Big Boy is back!” a child exclaimed excitedly, brandishing a marker and running towards me.

Having just walked into the room of the local nursery program at my church where I often volunteered, I couldn’t help but be amused. No matter how many times I told the kids my real name, I would always be known as “Big Boy.”

“Hey Sam! What are we doing today?” I asked enthusiastically, eyeing the chaotically moving marker that was inches away from my face. 

“We’re coloring angels, let me show you!” he responded. Looking at his multi-colored hands, I could only imagine the masterpieces he and the other kids had created.

When I tell people I’m interested in pursuing engineering, the last place they expect me to be spending my Sunday mornings is at a church hanging out with a bunch of little kids. Yet, that’s exactly where I’ll be. After they get over their disbelief, they often ask why, of all places, I would want to spend my time at such a chaotic place. The answer is simple: kids are fun! They do the most adorable things, and they surprise you in the best ways. But beyond that, I do it because I feel I can make a difference. I’ve watched many of these kids grow up since I started in 7th grade, and they always tell me that I’m their role model. If I can have such an impact on the life of a child, then why shouldn’t I continue?

At first glance you might think this essay is good—it has a surprising hook, it engages the reader with dialogue, and it includes the student’s playful voice. The big issue with this essay is it barely addresses the prompt and and the conversation with the kid has very little to do with the reflection the student provides at the end.

The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate your role within a given community. We want to see what your role is, what it entails, how the community has been affected, and hopefully how you have been affected or changed because of your involvement. We know that this student’s role is volunteering at a church nursery program, but that’s about it. 

While the final paragraph mentions “ I do it because I feel I can make a difference “, the rest of the essay doesn’t address this at all. The student refers to themself as “ their role model ” and yet the dialogue that encompasses half the essay doesn’t show us how this student is a role model nor how they’ve watched kids grow up and witnessed their impact. 

What Could Be Improved

This essay could easily be improved by tweaking the conversation with the little kid. Rather than making it about the student’s nickname and coloring, they could have discussed a conversation they had about teaching kids to work through a disagreement or how they inspired a group to start a hobby this student loves themself. The actual topic could vary but the important idea is conveying that this student is a role model and is making a difference in the lives of these children. 

It could also be nice to include details about older kids that they started working with a few years ago so the reader can actually see the impact of this student in the community. For example, maybe they use to kick a soccer ball around with a kid when they were in the program and now that kid is eight and they joined a local soccer team because they want to play varsity in high school like the student. An anecdote like that demonstrates a tangible impact this student had and makes it very easy to see how they are a role model.

Essay Example #3

Prompt: How did you discover your intellectual and academic interests, and how will you explore them at the University of Pennsylvania? Please respond considering the specific undergraduate school you have selected. (For students applying to the coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer these questions in regard to your single-degree school choice; your interest in the coordinated dual-degree or specialized program may be addressed through the program-specific essay.) (350-400 words)

My second grade accomplishment of being designated “Star of the Week” came with the  requirement of filling out a poster about myself. Besides telling the world my favorite snack, I had to write down my favorite subject and why—a box I ended up cramming, in the smallest handwriting possible, full of every single subject we’d explored at age seven. 

I have always been drawn to areas that allow me to combine my interdisciplinary passions. When I had the chance to promote school events as part of my school’s Leadership program, I realized that Marketing is one such subject. So I started seeking more venues to learn about the field. 

One of these opportunities came in the form of Wharton’s own Leadership in the Business World program. The RTAs-residential teaching assistants-helped me focus on the arena of  marketing as I conducted research on target markets and branding strategies to apply to our team’s startup. By the end of the program, I’d gotten a taste of the resources Penn has to offer to its undergraduate business students. 

At Wharton, I look forward to a varied curriculum that will enable me to pursue an interdisciplinary education which is strong in business and also offers a well-rounded General Education. Classes like “Creativity” and “Strategic Brand Management” will challenge me to learn and apply the diversity of technical and interpersonal skills required in the professional  world. 

I also look forward to the chances outside the classroom where I will be able to pursue my  interest in Marketing. I can join the MUSE organization (maybe under the Creative agency),  where upperclassmen and working professionals will mentor me in my education and career. I can look for opportunities to do research with professors like Dr. Kahn about brand loyalty or  visual design. At the Wharton School, the resources-faculty, curriculum, network-are abundant and diverse, making it the perfect place for me to pursue my interest in Marketing.

This essay makes a good effort, but ultimately feels flat and generic. To begin with, the story at the beginning was a nice attempt to establish pathos with a callback to their student’s childhood, but it doesn’t serve the essay at all. The whole essay is about pursuing marketing, therefore an anecdote about them discovering marketing would have been a much stronger opening. Instead of casually mentioning the “ chance to promote school events as part of my school’s Leadership program “, they could have shown the reader what that program looked like and why it piqued their interest.

In the body of the essay, there are many places where the author falls short in making connections between their own interests and UPenn’s unique resources. Highlighting Penn’s “ interdisciplinary education which is strong in business ” is by no means a unique school-specific offering, and the classes this student chose are pretty generic business classes. This student tells us what they will get out of these classes, but not why they want to take them. What prior experiences drew them to a class about creativity?

The student also mentions a club they want to join and a professor who’s research interests them, but again these aren’t Penn specific and there is a lack of personal connection. Why is learning about brand loyalty and visual design so important to this student? The reader gets no insight to the deeper emotional connection this student has to marketing. This essay is a prime example of how name dropping school resources isn’t enough.

The biggest change this essay could make would be to elaborate on their personal connection and fascination with marketing and UPenn. What would that look like?

To start, they would place us in the action at their school’s leadership program: describing the project they were working on, the creative ideas running through their head, and the adrenaline coursing through their body as they watched their marketing campaign get launched. 

The paragraph about Wharton’s Business program would be reworked to put the emphasis on the student’s startup and the process they went through to develop a marketing strategy, rather than what the program provided generally to all students.

When they discuss classes, clubs, and professors at Penn, the student would go into detail about why they are choosing this specific opportunity over anything else. How does it relate to their previous experiences? What skills are they hoping to develop and why? How will their future be impacted by participating in this particular opportunity? Each resource at Penn they mention has to drive home two points: the student will benefit from this opportunity and they could only have this at UPenn.

Writing college essays is hard; you need to show your personality, engage the reader, and answer the prompt fully. It’s important to get a second set of eyes on your essay so you can avoid these common college essay mistakes.  That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

• Self-improvement
• Personal Development
• Mindfulness

Top Self Improvement Essay Topics for Personal Growth

• October 7, 2023 October 8, 2023

Self-improvement is a lifelong journey that allows individuals to evolve, grow, and become the best version of themselves. It involves actively working on personal development and striving for continuous progress in various aspects of life. One way to explore and delve deeper into the realm of self-improvement is through self-improvement essay topics. These topics serve as a platform for introspection, reflection, and exploration of personal growth. Choosing the right self improvement essay topics is crucial as it sets the foundation for the entire writing process. It provides a direction and focus, allowing individuals to express their thoughts and insights on specific areas of self-improvement. Whether it is overcoming fears, developing effective communication skills, or embracing mindfulness, the chosen topic should resonate with the writer’s personal experiences and aspirations. By selecting a topic that sparks curiosity and passion, individuals are more likely to engage with the writing process and present their ideas in a compelling manner.

Table of Contents

The Importance of Self-Improvement

Self-improvement is a concept that holds immense value in our lives. It is an ongoing process of enhancing oneself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The importance of self-improvement lies in its ability to help us become the best version of ourselves, unlocking our true potential and achieving personal growth. Engaging in self-improvement activities allows us to identify our weaknesses and work towards overcoming them. By undertaking self-reflection and actively seeking ways to enhance our skills, knowledge, and mindset, we can strive for self-improvement. This journey enables us to become more resilient, adaptable, and capable individuals, equipped to face the challenges that life presents. With self-improvement, we can continuously learn, develop new skills, and evolve into better versions of ourselves, leading to a more fulfilling and purposeful life.

How To Manifest Money Easily Just Like The Elite Do!

Choosing the Right Self Improvement Essay Topics

Choosing the right self-improvement essay topic is crucial in ensuring that you are able to effectively convey your thoughts and ideas. With a vast array of self-improvement topics to choose from, it can sometimes be overwhelming to narrow down your options. However, by considering your personal interests, areas of growth, and current challenges, you can select a topic that resonates with you and allows for meaningful reflection and exploration. When selecting a self-improvement essay topic, it is important to choose something that genuinely interests you. This will help you stay motivated and engaged throughout the writing process. Think about the aspects of your life that you are most passionate about and consider how you can incorporate them into your essay. Whether it’s personal relationships, health, and wellness, career advancement, or personal finance, choosing a self-improvement topic that aligns with your interests will make the writing process more enjoyable and authentic.

Personal Development and Growth in Essays

In the realm of personal development and growth, essays serve as powerful tools for self-reflection and exploration. These written pieces provide individuals with an opportunity to delve into their own experiences, beliefs, and values, fostering personal growth and transformation. By putting pen to paper and examining their thoughts and feelings, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the world. Through the process of crafting an essay, individuals engage in a form of self-discovery. They are encouraged to examine their thoughts and emotions, explore their strengths and weaknesses, and reflect on their personal experiences. This introspective journey leads to personal development, as individuals gain a clearer sense of their values, goals, and aspirations. By articulating their thoughts and feelings through the written word, individuals are able to make sense of their experiences and make meaning out of their lives.

Self-Reflection and Self-Improvement Essays

Self-reflection and Self-Improvement Essays allow individuals to delve deep into their thoughts and experiences, providing an opportunity for personal growth and development. Through introspection and self-analysis, these essays encourage individuals to examine their beliefs, values, and behaviors, ultimately leading to self-awareness and improvement. In Self-Reflection and Self-Improvement Essays, individuals have the chance to explore their strengths and weaknesses and gain a better understanding of themselves. By reflecting on past experiences and analyzing their impact, individuals can identify areas where they have excelled and areas where they have room for growth. This self-reflection allows individuals to set realistic goals and develop strategies to enhance their personal development and overall well-being. Whether it’s examining their interpersonal skills, exploring their emotional intelligence, or evaluating their decision-making abilities, self-reflection serves as a catalyst for self-improvement. Writing a Self-Reflection and Self-Improvement Essay also enables individuals to assess their progress and track their growth over time. The process of documenting personal experiences and lessons learned enhances self-awareness and provides a roadmap for future development. By articulating their thoughts and feelings in written form, individuals can gain clarity and perspective, allowing them to make intentional choices and take deliberate actions toward their self-improvement journey.

How to Write an Effective Self-Improvement Essay

Writing an effective self-improvement essay can be a rewarding experience that allows you to reflect on your personal growth and inspire others to embark on their own journeys of self-improvement. However, it requires careful planning and execution to effectively convey your message and engage your readers. Firstly, it is important to choose a relevant and compelling topic for your self-improvement essay. Consider areas of your life where you have experienced significant growth or where you have overcome challenges. This will not only make your essay more relatable but also allow you to share valuable insights that can inspire and resonate with your readers. To make your self-improvement essay more impactful, incorporate personal anecdotes and real-life examples. By sharing your own experiences, you can create a connection with your audience and make your essay more relatable. Additionally, including specific details and examples will make your essay more interesting and persuasive, as it will demonstrate the practical application of your self-improvement journey.

Real-Life Examples of Self-Improvement Essays

When it comes to writing self-improvement essays, real-life examples can serve as powerful tools to inspire and guide readers on their own personal growth journeys. These examples can come from various areas of life, such as relationships, careers, health, and even spirituality. For instance, one could write an essay about their journey towards improving their communication skills, sharing specific experiences where they faced challenges in expressing themselves effectively and how they overcame those obstacles. 

By showcasing tangible examples, readers can relate to the writer’s struggles and successes, drawing valuable insights and motivation for their own self-improvement endeavors. Another example could be an essay on health and fitness, where the writer shares their personal transformation journey. They could reflect on their initial struggles with unhealthy habits, the turning point that prompted them to prioritize their well-being, and the steps they took to adopt a healthier lifestyle. By narrating their experiences in a relatable manner, the writer can inspire readers who may be facing similar struggles to take action and make positive changes in their own lives. 

Real-life examples not only make self-improvement essays more engaging and authentic but also highlight that personal growth is a continuous process that everyone can embark on.

Self-Improvement Essay Topics for Different Areas of Life

Self-improvement is a lifelong journey that encompasses various aspects of our lives. Whether it’s in our personal relationships, career, physical health, or emotional well-being, there are numerous essay topics that can help us delve into the different areas of life and explore ways to enhance and grow.

Self-Improvement Through Personal Relationships

One of the most common areas for self-improvement is personal relationships. Topics revolving around communication skills, conflict resolution, and building trust can be great starting points. For instance, you could write an essay exploring effective communication techniques for couples, discussing strategies to improve listening skills or empathetic responses. Another topic could focus on enhancing empathy in friendships and the impact it can have on our overall well-being.

Self-Improvement Through Careers

Another key area for self-improvement is our careers. Here, essay topics can revolve around professional development, goal setting, and strategies for success. For example, you could write an essay on setting achievable career goals, outlining steps to create a clear roadmap for professional growth. Alternatively, you could explore strategies for work-life balance and the importance of avoiding burnout in the workplace.

Maintaining Physical Health

Physical health is also a crucial aspect of self-improvement. Topics related to exercise, nutrition, and mental well-being can provide valuable insights and guidance. You could write an essay discussing the benefits of regular physical activity on mental health or explore the relationship between nutrition and energy levels. Additionally, topics such as mindfulness and stress management techniques can help readers find effective ways to improve their overall well-being.

Tips for Crafting a Compelling Self-Improvement Essay

Crafting a compelling self-improvement essay can be a challenging task, but with the right tips and techniques, you can create a piece that captivates readers and inspires personal growth. Here are some valuable insights to consider when writing your essay. 1. Start with a captivating introduction: Begin your essay with a compelling hook that grabs the reader’s attention. This could be a personal anecdote, a thought-provoking question, or a striking statistic related to self-improvement. By starting on an engaging note, you set the tone for the rest of your essay, making readers eager to explore your ideas further. 2. Reflect on personal experiences: A self-improvement essay is most effective when it discusses genuine personal experiences and the lessons learned from them. Share stories of challenges you faced and how you overcame them, providing insights into the growth and development you experienced. This adds authenticity to your essay and allows readers to connect with your journey. Remember to weave your experiences throughout the essay, relating them to the broader theme of self-improvement.

What is self-improvement?

Self-improvement refers to the process of making positive changes in oneself, both mentally and physically, to achieve personal growth and development.

How can I choose the right self-improvement essay topic?

To choose the right self-improvement essay topic, consider your personal interests, goals, and areas of improvement. Think about what aspects of your life you want to focus on and what message you want to convey through your essay.

How can personal development and growth be reflected in essays?

Personal development and growth can be reflected in essays by sharing personal experiences, discussing lessons learned, and showcasing the progress made toward self-improvement goals.

How can self-reflection be incorporated into self-improvement essays?

Self-reflection can be incorporated into self-improvement essays by analyzing your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. Reflect on past experiences, evaluate your progress, and consider future goals.

Can you provide some real-life examples of self-improvement essays?

Real-life examples of self-improvement essays may include stories of overcoming personal challenges, learning new skills, improving relationships, achieving career success, or adopting healthier habits.

What are some self-improvement essay topics for different areas of life?

Self-improvement essay topics for different areas of life may include personal growth, career development, relationships, health and wellness, time management, mindfulness, financial management, and goal setting.

In the pursuit of self-improvement, individuals embark on a transformative journey filled with self-discovery, growth, and empowerment. This journey is not bound by age, circumstance, or limitations; it is a lifelong expedition where each step brings us closer to becoming the best version of ourselves.

Self-improvement essay topics serve as the compass guiding us through the vast landscape of personal development. They encourage introspection, self-reflection, and the sharing of invaluable insights gained along the way. As we navigate the realm of self-improvement, it becomes evident that the importance of this journey lies not only in the destination but in the continuous process of self-discovery and growth.

Related posts:

• Mastering Your Mindset: Best Men’s Self-Improvement Blogs Worth Following
• Must Read Self-Improvement Blogs: Effective strategies to improve your mindfulness
• How Can I Identify My Dream Goals?

Interview Questions

Comprehensive Interview Guide: 60+ Professions Explored in Detail

How To Answer “What Areas Need Improvement?”

By Biron Clark

Published: November 19, 2023

Interviewers are asking this more and more:

“What do you need to improve?” or “What areas need improvement?”

These questions are similar to “ What’s your greatest weakness ?” but a little more open-ended (which means you can really run into trouble if you don’t know how to answer properly). Fortunately, I’m going to walk you through exactly how to answer questions about what you need to improve, and mistakes to avoid when responding.

How To Answer Interview Questions About What You Need To Improve

Here’s how to answer “what areas need improvement?” when employers ask in your interview.

First… don’t give some cheesy answer like “well, I work too hard sometimes, so I need to learn how to take breaks and not work so much”. No hiring manager will be impressed with that. When hiring managers ask interview questions about areas of improvement, they want to really hear something legitimate that you’d like to improve and feel you could improve upon.

Also, don’t name anything that’s vital to the job. For example, if this is a supervisor position, don’t say you need to improve your communication skills or get better at delegating tasks… Those are vital pieces of a supervisor’s role, and the hiring manager is going to have serious concerns about your ability to lead if you give that type of answer when they ask about your areas for improvement.  That’s essential stuff for being a good supervisor and they’re less likely to hire you if you say you’re lacking in those areas!

So when you answer, “what skills do you need to improve?”, pick a real area you’d like to get better at, but make sure it’s not something essential to the job.

You can choose something you’re already pretty good at, but still trying to improve even more. You can choose something that you learned a long time ago but haven’t used in recent jobs very much. You can name something not directly related to your work but something you’re passionate about learning. For example, maybe you’re an Accountant but someday you’d like to be a Team Leader, so you’d like opportunities to improve your leadership. You could suggest that you’d like to lead a meeting or project to begin, just to build out that skill set over the long term.  Let’s look at some example answers and this will start to make more sense…

I’ll put that Accountant example above as the first example.

Watch: How to Answer “What Do You Need To Improve?”

Example answers for “what do you need to improve”:.

Now that we looked at the big mistakes to avoid when sharing areas for improvement in the interview, and how you SHOULD answer, let’s look at some word-for-word sample answers to make sure you’re ready.

Areas of Improvement – Example Answer #1:

“As a Staff Accountant, I don’t get to lead very often, at least not formally. In the long run, I’d love to start taking on more responsibilities as a leader. This could be leading meetings or projects, mentoring or training newer team members, and other tasks like that. I enjoy the hands-on accounting work and that’s still what I want to be doing, which is why I applied for this position. However, I haven’t had much chance to lead yet in my career, so I’d say that’s an area for improvement or something I could get better at.”

In this example, you’re naming something specific you could get better at, but making sure not to name something that’s vital to the day-to-day work in this job. You’re also showing that you’re ambitious and motivated to learn more in your career, which is always a good thing.  Just make sure you always sound like you’re interested in doing the day-to-day work, or core work, that the job involves. If not, you could cost yourself the job offer! That’s why I’m saying, “I enjoy the hands-on accounting work and that’s still what I want to be doing,” in the example answer above.

Areas of Improvement – Example Answer #2:

“I’m working on improving my skills with some project management and organizational tools and technologies right now like ___ and ___. As I take on more and more management in my career, I’ve realized if I become an expert in project management software, it will make me and my team even more productive. So I’m trying to go from ‘good’ to ‘great’ in these areas.”

In this example, you’re naming something you’re already pretty good at, but want to improve even more. Note that sometimes employers switch things up and ask a more direct interview question like, “how can you improve your work performance?” This example answer above works great for that question, too. So if they ever ask for something directly related to your core job, that you still need to improve, follow this formula…Pick something you’re already good at, but want to become an EXPERT in.

Now let’s look at one more example of how to answer, “what areas need improvement?”

Areas for Improvement – Example Answer #3:

“In my last job, I spoke with a lot of customers on the phone and became quite good at it. However, a few other people on my team were responsible for most of the emailing when it came to customer service, so I’m a bit rusty in this area. I think email communication is really vital in customer service because one or two wrong words can lead to the message being interpreted incorrectly. So I’ve been working on reviewing and brushing up on some of the best methods for making sure customers are satisfied with email communications.”

This sample answer is an example of naming a real weakness or something you honestly feel needs improvement… which is another perfectly fine way to answer this interview question. We’ve now looked at three example answers, each taking a slightly different approach:

• Naming something that isn’t vital to your day-to-day job
• Choosing something that you’re already very good at but still want to improve
• Naming an area for improvement that’s a real weakness

Now before we wrap up this article, there’s one final step you should put in ANY answer you give…

Talk About HOW You’re Fixing These Areas of Improvement

Whatever skill or weakness you say you’re trying to improve… and whatever answer formula you follow above… you should talk about what you’re working on right now to improve in this area.  I can’t stress this enough. There’s such a big difference between saying you need to improve something in the future, and saying you’re doing it already. The interviewer is going to be a lot more excited if you show you’re taking initiative to improve your skill set right now… even before you begin the job! You never want to sound like you’re waiting for a company to hire you before you start addressing a weakness! That’s not going to get them excited about hiring you. In fact, that’s a mistake that’ll cost you many job offers .

5 Areas of Improvement You Could Use

“What areas need improvement?” is about as close to a trick question as you’ll get in an interview. You may be ‘tricked’ into framing your answer to show off an existing skill, but the interviewer is NOT actually trying to trick you. What they really want is to know how you plan to up-skill and develop your talents above and beyond the requirements of the role; they want a sneak peek at your goals. So, consider mentioning areas that you’d be excused for not excelling in just yet, areas that–if you improved them–could actually be a massive benefit to the role. Such as:

1. Leadership:

Be careful not to come across as incompetent in this area if you’re trying to land a leadership role. With that said, there is always room for improvement in leadership. For example, perhaps you’ve had plenty of leadership experience but never led a team through a period of change. Then you might mention change-management as an area where you’d love to improve. Otherwise, leadership is a good one to mention for just about any role where you have hopes of leading a team or entering management one day.

2. Customer service:

Once again, if you’re applying for a job in customer service, be careful of this one. Otherwise, this is a great one to mention if you’re applying for a role where you’ll have the option of interacting with customers but it’s not set in stone. Perhaps you’re applying for back of house but, as a people-person, would like to get involved in customer interaction in future and progress to front of house service. Then this would be a great way to show that intention.

3. Organizational skills:

These are a prerequisite for so many jobs, so be careful. However, these are also valued skills in a range of professions where they’re not exactly requirements. Providing specifics on how you’d like to improve your organizational skills, such as mastering a project management system, for example, gives the impression that professionalism matters to you, that you’re willing to learn, and that you’d like to stay on top of the latest work-flow tech.

4. Teamwork:

Okay, so there are a few jobs where you’ll need to be a seasoned team player through and through, like becoming a fireman, for example. For the rest, this is always a great one to mention. Social skills are complex and team dynamics are difficult to master. Mentioning this will show that you’re introspective, aware of your social or teamwork shortcomings and willing to make a change for the greater good.

5. Conflict resolution:

This is always a safe bet to mention, as it’s something that most people don’t really have the opportunity to work on, especially not on a regular basis. With that said, this is a highly valued leadership and teamwork skill, and having a skilled conflict resolver on the job is handy for any company where bickering, competition or downright rows are likely to take place.

So to conclude, name a real area of improvement, but make sure it won’t create doubt about your ability to do the job. Then, wrap up by talking about what actions you’re taking to improve this weakness, and how you plan on addressing it. As a final recap, here are the ALL steps we covered in this article…

How To Answer “What Areas Need Improvement?” – Quick Instructions

• Choose one specific area that you’re actively working on improving
• If you’re going to mention being weak in a certain area, make sure that you do not say anything that’s vital or crucial to the job you’re interviewing for
• Rather than naming a weakness, consider naming something you’re already average or okay at, but wish to become much better
• Sound humble, “coachable,” and willing to learn new things and take on new challenges when answering
• Use your answer to show employers that you’re self-motivated and actively looking for ways to improve your skills and value in your career
• Give a genuine answer and never a generic answer like, “well, sometimes I work too hard, so I need to learn to take more breaks”
• Practice your answer at home! Nothing comes out the first time, so before you go on an interview, rehearse what you plan on saying when the interviewer asks, “what’s something you need to improve on?”

About the Author

Read more articles by Biron Clark

Continue Reading

15 Most Common Pharmacist Interview Questions and Answers

15 most common paralegal interview questions and answers, top 30+ funny interview questions and answers, 60 hardest interview questions and answers, 100+ best ice breaker questions to ask candidates, top 20 situational interview questions (& sample answers), 15 most common physical therapist interview questions and answers, 15 most common project manager interview questions and answers, 3 thoughts on “how to answer “what areas need improvement””.

Very helpful information to be aware of when completing open ended questions when giving references. how can the individual work performance be improved. Thanks for the insights.

Hi there! I was reading the post, but how do i answer if they ask me for personal and not professional improvement how should i answer to that, could you please provide an example? Best

Wow! Since I am waiting for an interview and I don’t know if such question will be part of it but I would like to say thank you for giving me some clue on how to ask questions. Thank you

Comments are closed.

Create a Professional Resume for free!

No-sign up or payment required.

What to write for areas of improvement on a performance review?

To create an effective written statement on “areas of improvement,” first decide on 2-3 work areas and write specific, attainable goals for yourself.

Consider these examples:

• "I will establish clear KPIs with my manager and report back on progress bi-weekly to stay accountable throughout the next quarter."
• “I will attend one professional development training session per month for 6 months to improve my client-facing communication skills.”

The key is to show self-awareness of your low performance areas in a way that emphasizes how your personal development will add value to the business .

Example statements Example improvement areas

What’s at stake? In short, your finances — because performance reviews frequently determine your merit increases.

Among all the questions on a performance review self-assessment , questions about weaknesses are an easy place to self-sabotage your chances at a raise.

Take action : Use the guidance below to craft an “areas for improvement” answer that highlights your value rather than hurting your chances .

“Areas of improvement” examples

Before we get into strategy, here are some examples of effective responses to the “areas of improvement” question on a written performance review:

Over the last six months, I have often involved co-workers when solving customer problems. I would like to be more self-sufficient now that I’ve learned the company policies. My goal is to be solving customer issues solo half the time or more by the summer season. I will do this by getting additional training related to my job functions and using resources available to me, like Thursday Lunch-and-Learn events.

Last year, my email replies to colleagues were often delayed while I prioritized client emails. This quarter, I will work to respond to any form of internal communication within 1–2 business days. I will do this by implementing organizational strategies like using calendar reminders and paper planners to keep track of when I need to respond to communications.

I am sometimes hesitant to recruit colleagues to collaborate in the office because of fear that more people at the table will increase project times. This has lead to me working alone in situations where involving co-workers could be beneficial. Over the next six months, I will work to collaborate with team members and subject matter experts anytime the project involves skills I am learning or don’t have. I will take my first step towards this goal by taking the course on effective group leadership offered by HR.

These “area of improvement” examples are effective because they show your manager two things:

• Your performance is continually improving.
• You are confident and view shortcomings as opportunities.

To hone your strategy, you may consider asking an HR team member for information on the rubric used at your company. Companies typically use rubrics that have a rating system of 1–10 or 1–5.

What are some example “areas of improvement” applicable to many roles?

Soft skills like communication, collaboration, time management, and problem-solving can be applied across a variety of industries and careers. According to the Society of Human Resources Management, soft skills are in high demand across the board.

Take a look at the table below. You can see how these skills could be applied across a variety of fields. These are all critical skills that range from the food service industry to retail to healthcare to information technology.

These skills matter regardless of where you are in your career or what field you are in.

What can I write for my areas of improvement?

Here are some examples of what to write for your “areas of improvement” broken down by some of the most common soft skills: time management, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving.

Time Management

Since her last performance review, Sandra has had a difficult time managing her time. She is frequently late to work, 75% of her meetings go several minutes over the allotted time, and she meets project deadlines only about half of the time. She can use some of these examples for her areas of improvement.

• I will turn in work assignments on or before the agreed upon deadline ___% of the time after ___ months.
• I will conduct meetings in the allotted time frame ___% of the time after ___ months.
• I will arrive on time for work ___% of the time after ___ months.

Collaboration

Last year, Jacob completed several projects. For about half of those projects, he had to make several adjustments after the deadline because he did not consult subject matter experts or his team members. Here are some suggestions for what Jacob could write for his areas of improvement.

• I will work with subject matter experts to get information for projects ___% of the time after ___ months.
• I will consult with team members on projects that require their input ___% of the time after ___ months.
• I will help with team-oriented projects ___% of the time after ___ months.

Communication

Over the last year, Jasmine has struggled to communicate in a timely manner. She responds to most of her emails a week later. She also communicates the progress of projects with her supervisor and stakeholders about half of the time. Jasmine could use some of the following templates for her areas of improvement.

• I will check and respond to my emails within 2 business days ___% of the time after ___ months.
• I will communicate weekly with stakeholders to update them on the progress of projects ___% of the time after ___ months.
• I will communicate issues that arise that affect the progress of my work with my supervisor ___% of the time after ___ months.

Problem Solving

Steven has been faced with several problems over the last year. He follows standard procedures, uses all available resources, and presents solutions to problems only about 25% of the time. Steven can use these examples when he is writing his areas of improvement.

• I will use resources at my disposal, like training manuals or tip sheets, to solve problems that arise in my daily work ___% of the time after ___ months.
• I will present solutions to problems that arise in my daily work ___% of the time after ___ months.
• I will follow standard processes and procedures to solve problems that arise in my daily work ___% of the time after ___ months.

How can I use these areas of improvement to set goals for myself?

It’s important to note that no employee is perfect. You should not expect yourself to perform with 100% accuracy. When setting a goal, you need to ask yourself these questions.

“Where am I at now?”

“Where do I want to be 1 month from now… 3 months from now… 6 months from now?”

“How will I know when I’ve achieved the goal?”

“Is this goal attainable for me in the allotted time frame?”

“Can I quantify my goal with a number (i.e. a percentage)?”

Choose a percentage that reflects growth. For example, if you are late to work 4 out of 5 days per week, then you are on time to work only 20% of the time. A percentage that shows growth would be you are on time to work 50% of the time. The goal is to choose a “sweet spot” percentage, one that is attainable but also shows growth.

Some organizations, including the Society of Human Resources Management, recommend utilizing the S.M.A.R.T. method when setting goals. This could also be a useful tool to use. You can use this chart to help you determine what your specific goals should be.

How do you quantify improvement over time?

Take this opportunity to present your goals to your supervisor. Work closely with them to determine the metrics and the ultimate goal or outcome of your areas of improvement.

For example, Daphne currently conducts meetings that stay within the allotted meeting time only 20% of the time. This means 80% of the meetings she has gone over the agreed upon time frame. In 6 months from now, she wants to conduct meetings that stay within the allotted meeting time 75% of the time. Here are a few more examples of what each goal looks like before the improvement and after.

Once you and your supervisor have come to an agreement on how you will know your goal is met, you need a way to track it. This is the tricky part and one of the places where several people let their goals fall through the cracks. It can prove difficult to add yet another task to your workload, but it can also prove to be beneficial. If you can show that you’ve made improvements, especially using data like numbers and percentages, it will come in handy at performance review time. You’ll be armed with the data on your growth in these areas, which could help your chances of a merit increase.

Tracking your progress towards your goals could be as simple as a calendar reminder at the end of each day or each week, a document on your computer where you track each day, or a weekly email to your supervisor. You can even use the old-fashioned pen and paper method to track your progress. No matter which method you use, remember to keep track of where you are documenting your progress and stick with the same method. That way you won’t have any lost data.

What are some “ways to improve”?

Don’t just leave it to your supervisor to tell you the different ways you should improve. You know yourself best. Think about how you learn best. Think about the problem you are faced with. What will work best for you to make your goal more easily attainable? Here are some of the most common strategies for achieving your goals. No matter which method you choose, it’s important to commit to taking action and doing what it takes to work towards achieving your goal. Both commitment and follow-through lead to improved outcomes.

Internal training programs

Additional training with the company can help you, especially if you are struggling with procedures and processes within your workflow. Sometimes workflow training can be informal, such as shadowing a colleague, reviewing the procedure manual, or studying the training documents. Several companies also offer soft skills training seminars like time management, organization, how to work well with others, the basics of communication, workplace etiquette, etc. If your company is offering training to you, especially in one of your areas of improvement, take it. They are invested in your growth and are allowing you to better yourself.

External coursework or certifications

Not all organizations are big enough to offer in-house training, so training outside the company is also a great option. These training sessions can range from free to hundreds of dollars, so it’s important to do your research. Your supervisor or Human Resources department may even be able to point you in the direction of these outside training sessions. When you are working hard at achieving your goals, more frequent check-ins with your supervisor may be warranted. This will depend on if you and/or your supervisor feel it is necessary. You will both need to come to an agreement on the frequency and format of these check-ins. For example, you may have a weekly email exchange with your supervisor and use the information from those emails to meet monthly for feedback.

Mentorship programs

A mentor within or outside of the company is also an option. This person will be someone who is well versed in the skill you are trying to improve and someone that will hold you accountable that isn’t your direct supervisor. Some companies have a mentor program already in place, so be sure to ask your supervisor if this is an option. If it isn’t, think of someone who excels at the skill you are trying to improve, whether it be inside or outside of the organization, and approach them. You can say something like, “Hey Becky. I noticed you’re great at communication. It’s an area I’m looking to improve. Would you be willing to mentor me?”

Takeaways & Resources

The main goal of determining your areas of improvement is to help you. It can be easy to get defensive or uncomfortable but think about the ultimate goal, which is to help you. Even with the best advice, it’s still easy to get overwhelmed. These are the most common concerns and advice on how to manage these concerns.

• What if I’m unsure of what my areas of improvement are? It’s hard to reflect on your performance. If you have taken time to think about what your areas of improvement are and still find yourself stuck, have a brief chat with your supervisor before your performance review. Use their feedback to craft your answers.
• What if my supervisor disagrees with my areas of improvement? It’s okay if you and your supervisor don’t see eye to eye on your areas of improvement. Use this as an opportunity to have an open and honest conversation. Be sure to have data to back up your claims.

Even if you end up leaving your job, identifying your areas of improvement and setting goals to improve is a valuable experience. This is particularly true with soft skills like problem solving and communication. These are universally applied skills used across several different jobs and industries.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good response to “what is my biggest weakness”.

In a work setting, effective answers to the question “what is my biggest weakness” are honest, but focus on a competency area that is non-critical to the goal at hand. Showing self-awareness and desire to self-improve is a positive attribute, but it can have the unintended consequence of reducing your apparent competence when applied to important skill areas.

Written by Patrick Ward Follow

Featured articles.

How to Demonstrate Willingness to Learn [Resume, Interview]

How to get an mba without a bachelors degree in 2023, how to keep employees happy without a raise, how to outsource in the philippines (for tech companies), bpo meaning: business process outsourcing explained.

Researching this topic for an article or special project? Contact me to discuss how our insights or data can support your work.

Initial consultation is pro bono for journalists and academics.

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings
• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• v.367; 2019

Quality Improvement

How to improve healthcare improvement—an essay by mary dixon-woods.

As improvement practice and research begin to come of age, Mary Dixon-Woods considers the key areas that need attention if we are to reap their benefits

In the NHS, as in health systems worldwide, patients are exposed to risks of avoidable harm 1 and unwarranted variations in quality. 2 3 4 But too often, problems in the quality and safety of healthcare are merely described, even “admired,” 5 rather than fixed; the effort invested in collecting information (which is essential) is not matched by effort in making improvement. The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death, for example, has raised many of the same concerns in report after report. 6 Catastrophic degradations of organisations and units have recurred throughout the history of the NHS, with depressingly similar features each time. 7 8 9

More resources are clearly necessary to tackle many of these problems. There is no dispute about the preconditions for high quality, safe care: funding, staff, training, buildings, equipment, and other infrastructure. But quality health services depend not just on structures but on processes. 10 Optimising the use of available resources requires continuous improvement of healthcare processes and systems. 5

The NHS has seen many attempts to stimulate organisations to improve using incentive schemes, ranging from pay for performance (the Quality and Outcomes Framework in primary care, for example) to public reporting (such as annual quality accounts). They have had mixed results, and many have had unintended consequences. 11 12 Wanting to improve is not the same as knowing how to do it.

In response, attention has increasingly turned to a set of approaches known as quality improvement (QI). Though a definition of exactly what counts as a QI approach has escaped consensus, QI is often identified with a set of techniques adapted from industrial settings. They include the US Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Model for Improvement, which, among other things, combines measurement with tests of small change (plan-do-study-act cycles). 8 Other popular approaches include Lean and Six Sigma. QI can also involve specific interventions intended to improve processes and systems, ranging from checklists and “care bundles” of interventions (a set of evidence based practices intended to be done consistently) through to medicines reconciliation and clinical pathways.

QI has been advocated in healthcare for over 30 years 13 ; policies emphasise the need for QI and QI practice is mandated for many healthcare professionals (including junior doctors). Yet the question, “Does quality improvement actually improve quality?” remains surprisingly difficult to answer. 14 The evidence for the benefits of QI is mixed 14 and generally of poor quality. It is important to resolve this unsatisfactory situation. That will require doing more to bring together the practice and the study of improvement, using research to improve improvement, and thinking beyond effectiveness when considering the study and practice of improvement.

Uniting practice and study

The practice and study of improvement need closer integration. Though QI programmes and interventions may be just as consequential for patient wellbeing as drugs, devices, and other biomedical interventions, research about improvement has often been seen as unnecessary or discretionary, 15 16 particularly by some of its more ardent advocates. This is partly because the challenges faced are urgent, and the solutions seem obvious, so just getting on with it seems the right thing to do.

But, as in many other areas of human activity, QI is pervaded by optimism bias. It is particularly affected by the “lovely baby” syndrome, which happens when formal evaluation is eschewed because something looks so good that it is assumed it must work. Five systematic reviews (published 2010-16) reporting on evaluations of Lean and Six Sigma did not identify a single randomised controlled trial. 17 18 19 20 21 A systematic review of redesigning care processes identified no randomised trials. 22 A systematic review of the application of plan-do-study-act in healthcare identified no randomised trials. 23 A systematic review of several QI methods in surgery identified just one randomised trial. 56

The sobering reality is that some well intentioned, initially plausible improvement efforts fail when subjected to more rigorous evaluation. 24 For instance, a controlled study of a large, well resourced programme that supported a group of NHS hospitals to implement the IHI’s Model for Improvement found no differences in the rate of improvement between participating and control organisations. 25 26 Specific interventions may, similarly, not survive the rigours of systematic testing. An example is a programme to reduce hospital admissions from nursing homes that showed promise in a small study in the US, 27 but a later randomised implementation trial found no effect on admissions or emergency department attendances. 28

Some interventions are probably just not worth the effort and opportunity cost: having nurses wear “do not disturb” tabards during drug rounds, is one example. 29 And some QI efforts, perversely, may cause harm—as happened when a multicomponent intervention was found to be associated with an increase rather than a decrease in surgical site infections. 30

Producing sound evidence for the effectiveness of improvement interventions and programmes is likely to require a multipronged approach. More large scale trials and other rigorous studies, with embedded qualitative inquiry, should be a priority for research funders.

Not every study of improvement needs to be a randomised trial. One valuable but underused strategy involves wrapping evaluation around initiatives that are happening anyway, especially when it is possible to take advantage of natural experiments or design roll-outs. 31 Evaluation of the reorganisation of stroke care in London and Manchester 32 and the study of the Matching Michigan programme to reduce central line infections are good examples. 33 34

It would be impossible to externally evaluate every QI project. Critically important therefore will be increasing the rigour with which QI efforts evaluate themselves, as shown by a recent study of an attempt to improve care of frail older people using a “hospital at home” approach in southwest England. 35 This ingeniously designed study found no effect on outcomes and also showed that context matters.

Despite the potential value of high quality evaluation, QI reports are often weak, 18 with, for example, interventions so poorly reported that reproducibility is frustrated. 36 Recent reporting guidelines may help, 37 but some problems are not straightforward to resolve. In particular, current structures for governance and publishing research are not always well suited to QI, including situations where researchers study programmes they have not themselves initiated. Systematic learning from QI needs to improve, which may require fresh thinking about how best to align the goals of practice and study, and to reconcile the needs of different stakeholders. 38

Using research to improve improvement

Research can help to support the practice of improvement in many ways other than evaluation of its effectiveness. One important role lies in creating assets that can be used to improve practice, such as ways to visualise data, analytical methods, and validated measures that assess the aspects of care that most matter to patients and staff. This kind of work could, for example, help to reduce the current vast number of quality measures—there are more than 1200 indicators of structure and process in perioperative care alone. 39

The study of improvement can also identify how improvement practice can get better. For instance, it has become clear that fidelity to the basic principles of improvement methods is a major problem: plan-do-study-act cycles are crucial to many improvement approaches, yet only 20% of the projects that report using the technique have done so properly. 23 Research has also identified problems in measurement—teams trying to do improvement may struggle with definitions, data collection, and interpretation 40 —indicating that this too requires more investment.

Improvement research is particularly important to help cumulate, synthesise, and scale learning so that practice can move forward without reinventing solutions that already exist or reintroducing things that do not work. Such theorising can be highly practical, 41 helping to clarify the mechanisms through which interventions are likely to work, supporting the optimisation of those interventions, and identifying their most appropriate targets. 42

Research can systematise learning from “positive deviance,” approaches that examine individuals, teams, or organisations that show exceptionally good performance. 43 Positive deviance can be used to identify successful designs for clinical processes that other organisations can apply. 44

Crucially, positive deviance can also help to characterise the features of high performing contexts and ensure that the right lessons are learnt. For example, a distinguishing feature of many high performing organisations, including many currently rated as outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, is that they use structured methods of continuous quality improvement. But studies of high performing settings, such as the Southmead maternity unit in Bristol, indicate that although continuous improvement is key to their success, a specific branded improvement method is not necessary. 45 This and other work shows that not all improvement needs to involve a well defined QI intervention, and not everything requires a discrete project with formal plan-do-study-act cycles.

More broadly, research has shown that QI is just one contributor to improving quality and safety. Organisations in many industries display similar variations to healthcare organisations, including large and persistent differences in performance and productivity between seemingly similar enterprises. 46 Important work, some of it experimental, is beginning to show that it is the quality of their management practices that distinguishes them. 47 These practices include continuous quality improvement as well as skills training, human resources, and operational management, for example. QI without the right contextual support is likely to have limited impact.

Beyond effectiveness

Important as they are, evaluations of the approaches and interventions in individual improvement programmes cannot answer every pertinent question about improvement. 48 Other key questions concern the values and assumptions intrinsic to QI.

Consider the “product dominant” logic in many healthcare improvement efforts, which assumes that one party makes a product and conveys it to a consumer. 49 Paul Batalden, one of the early pioneers of QI in healthcare, proposes that we need instead a “service dominant” logic, which assumes that health is co-produced with patients. 49

More broadly, we must interrogate how problems of quality and safety are identified, defined, and selected for attention by whom, through which power structures, and with what consequences. Why, for instance, is so much attention given to individual professional behaviour when systems are likely to be a more productive focus? 50 Why have quality and safety in mental illness and learning disability received less attention in practice, policy, and research 51 despite high morbidity and mortality and evidence of both serious harm and failures of organisational learning? The concern extends to why the topic of social inequities in healthcare improvement has remained so muted 52 and to the choice of subjects for study. Why is it, for example, that interventions like education and training, which have important roles in quality and safety and are undertaken at vast scale, are often treated as undeserving of evaluation or research?

How QI is organised institutionally also demands attention. It is often conducted as a highly local, almost artisan activity, with each organisation painstakingly working out its own solution for each problem. Much improvement work is conducted by professionals in training, often in the form of small, time limited projects conducted for accreditation. But working in this isolated way means a lack of critical mass to support the right kinds of expertise, such as the technical skill in human factors or ergonomics necessary to engineer a process or devise a safety solution. Having hundreds of organisations all trying to do their own thing also means much waste, and the absence of harmonisation across basic processes introduces inefficiencies and risks. 14

A better approach to the interorganisational nature of health service provision requires solving the “problem of many hands.” 53 We need ways to agree which kinds of sector-wide challenges need standardisation and interoperability; which solutions can be left to local customisation at implementation; and which should be developed entirely locally. 14 Better development of solutions and interventions is likely to require more use of prototyping, modelling and simulation, and testing in different scenarios and under different conditions, 14 ideally through coordinated, large scale efforts that incorporate high quality evaluation.

Finally, an approach that goes beyond effectiveness can also help in recognising the essential role of the professions in healthcare improvement. The past half century has seen a dramatic redefining of the role and status of the healthcare professions in health systems 54 : unprecedented external accountability, oversight, and surveillance are now the norm. But policy makers would do well to recognise how much more can be achieved through professional coalitions of the willing than through too many imposed, compliance focused diktats. Research is now showing how the professions can be hugely important institutional forces for good. 54 55 In particular, the professions have a unique and invaluable role in working as advocates for improvement, creating alliances with patients, providing training and education, contributing expertise and wisdom, coordinating improvement efforts, and giving political voice for problems that need to be solved at system level (such as, for example, equipment design).

Improvement efforts are critical to securing the future of the NHS. But they need an evidence base. Without sound evaluation, patients may be deprived of benefit, resources and energy may be wasted on ineffective QI interventions or on interventions that distribute risks unfairly, and organisations are left unable to make good decisions about trade-offs given their many competing priorities. The study of improvement has an important role in developing an evidence-base and in exploring questions beyond effectiveness alone, and in particular showing the need to establish improvement as a collective endeavour that can benefit from professional leadership.

Mary Dixon-Woods is the Health Foundation professor of healthcare improvement studies and director of The Healthcare Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute at the University of Cambridge, funded by the Health Foundation. Co-editor-in-chief of BMJ Quality and Safety , she is an honorary fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Physicians. This article is based largely on the Harveian oration she gave at the RCP on 18 October 2018, in the year of the college’s 500th anniversary. The oration is available here: http://www.clinmed.rcpjournal.org/content/19/1/47 and the video version here: https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/events/harveian-oration-and-dinner-2018

This article is one of a series commissioned by The BMJ based on ideas generated by a joint editorial group with members from the Health Foundation and The BMJ , including a patient/carer. The BMJ retained full editorial control over external peer review, editing, and publication. Open access fees and The BMJ ’s quality improvement editor post are funded by the Health Foundation.

Competing interests: I have read and understood BMJ policy on declaration of interests and a statement is available here: https://www.bmj.com/about-bmj/advisory-panels/editorial-advisory-board/mary-dixonwoods

Provenance and peer review: Commissioned; not externally peer reviewed.

12 Ways to Quickly Improve Your Academic Essay Writing Skills

#scribendiinc

Written by  Scribendi

Anyone can learn to produce an academic essay if they begin with a few basic essay-writing rules. 

An academic essay must be based upon a solid but debatable thesis, supported by relevant and credible evidence, and closed with a succinct and thorough conclusion.

By adhering to the best way to write an essay, you can create valuable, persuasive papers even when you're under a time crunch!

What Makes a Good Essay?

As previously noted, the foundation of any good academic essay is its thesis statement. 

Do not confuse your thesis with your opening sentence. There are many good ways to start an essay , but few essays immediately present their main ideas.

After you draft your thesis, you can begin to develop your essay around it. This development will include the main supporting points of your essay, which will scaffold its main body. 

Essays also typically include a relevant and compelling introduction and conclusion.

Learn How to Write a Great Thesis Statement .

Understanding How to Write a Good Essay

When writing an academic essay, you must take a number of qualities and characteristics into careful consideration. Focus, development, unity, coherence, and correctness all play critical roles when it comes to distinguishing an exceptional essay from one that is less than perfect.

The following essay-writing tips can help writers organize, format, and support their essays in ways that fit their intended purpose and optimize their overall persuasiveness. Here are 12 essay tips for developing and writing your next academic paper.

1. Know What You Are Going to Write About Before You Start Writing

While untrained writers might just sit down and start typing, educated and experienced writers know that there are many steps to writing an essay.

In short, you should know what you want to say before you type a single word. The easiest way to narrow down a thesis and create a proper argument is to make a basic outline before you begin composing your essay.

Your outline should consist of rough notes that sketch out your introduction (including your thesis), the body of your essay (which should include separate paragraphs that present your main supporting points with plenty of evidence and examples), and your conclusion (which ties everything together and connects the argument back to your thesis).

2. Acquire a Solid Understanding of Basic Grammar, Punctuation, and Style

Before getting into more refined essay-writing techniques, you must have a solid grasp of grammar, punctuation, and style. Without these writing fundamentals, it will be difficult to communicate your ideas effectively and ensure that they are taken seriously.

Grammar basics include subject and verb agreement, correct article and pronoun use, and well-formed sentence structures. Make sure you know the proper uses for the most common forms of punctuation. Be mindful of your comma usage and know when a period is needed.

Finally, voice is tremendously important in academic essay writing. Employ language that is as concise as possible. Avoid transition words that don't add anything to the sentence and unnecessary wordiness that detracts from your argument.

Furthermore, use the active voice instead of the passive whenever possible (e.g., "this study found" instead of "it was found by this study"). This will make your essay's tone clear and direct.

3. Use the Right Vocabulary and Know What the Words You Are Using Actually Mean

How you use language is important, especially in academic essay writing. When writing an academic essay, remember that you are persuading others that you are an expert who argues intelligently about your topic.

Using big words just to sound smart often results in the opposite effect—it is easy to detect when someone is overcompensating in their writing.

If you aren't sure of the exact meaning of a word, you risk using it incorrectly. There's no shame in checking, and it might save you from an embarrassing word misuse later!

Using obscure language can also detract from the clarity of your argument—you should consider this before pulling out a thesaurus to change a perfectly appropriate word to something completely different.

4. Understand the Argument and Critically Analyze the Evidence

While writing a good essay, your main argument should always be at the front of your mind. While it's tempting to go off on a tangent about an interesting side note, doing so makes your writing less concise.

Always question the evidence you include in your essay; ask yourself, "Does this directly support my thesis?" If the answer is "no," then that evidence should probably be excluded. 

When you are evaluating evidence, be critical and thorough. You want to use the strongest research to back up your thesis. It is not enough to simply present evidence in support of an argument. A good writer must also explain why the evidence is relevant and supportive.

Everything you include should clearly connect to your topic and argument.   

5. Know How to Write a Conclusion That Supports Your Research

One of the most overlooked steps to writing an essay is the conclusion. Your conclusion ties all your research together and proves your thesis. It should not be a restatement of your introduction or a copy-and-paste of your thesis.

A strong conclusion briefly outlines the key evidence discussed in the body of an essay and directly ties it to the thesis to show how the evidence proves or disproves the main argument of your research.

Countless great essays have been written only to be derailed by vague, weakly worded conclusions. Don't let your next essay become one of those.     

6. Build a Solid Thesis to Support Your Arguments

A thesis is the main pillar of an essay. By selecting a specific thesis, you'll be able to develop arguments to support your central opinion. Consider writing about a unique experience or your own particular view of a topic .

Your thesis should be clear and logical, but it should also be debatable. Otherwise, it might be difficult to support it with compelling arguments.

7. Develop an Interesting Opening Paragraph to Hook In Readers from the Get-Go

No matter how you begin your essay, you must strive to capture the reader's interest immediately. If your opening paragraph doesn't catch the eye and engage the brain, any attempt at persuasion may end before the essay even starts. 

The beginning of your essay is crucial for setting the stage for your thesis.

8. Always Remember to Edit and Proofread Your Essay

Any decent writer will tell you that writing is really rewriting. A good academic essay will inevitably go through multiple drafts as it slowly takes shape. When you arrive at a final draft, you must make sure that it is as close to perfect as possible.

This means subjecting your essay to close and comprehensive editing and proofreading processes. In other words, you must read your paper as many times as necessary to eliminate all grammar/punctuation mistakes and typos.

It is helpful to have a third party review your work. Consider consulting a peer or professional editing service. Keep in mind that professional editors are able to help you identify underdeveloped arguments and unnecessarily wordy language, and provide other feedback.

Get Critical Feedback on Your Writing

Hire an expert academic editor , or get a free sample, 9. when developing your essay's main body, build strong and relevant arguments.

Every sentence in the main body of your paper should explain and support your thesis. When deciding how much evidence to include in an academic essay, a good guideline is to include at least three main supporting arguments.

Those main supporting arguments, in turn, require support in the form of relevant facts, figures, examples, analogies, and observations. 

You will need to engage in appropriate research to accomplish this. To organize your research efforts, you may want to develop a list of good research questions . 

10. Choose the Format of Your Essay before Writing It

The final shape that your essay takes depends a great deal on what kind of format you use. Popular college essay format types include the Modern Language Association of America ( MLA ), American Psychological Association ( APA ), and Chicago Manual of Style ( Chicago style).

These formats govern everything from capitalization rules to source citation. Often, professors dictate a specific format for your essay. If they do not, you should choose the format that best suits your field.

11. Create Clear Transitions between Your Ideas

Although unnecessary transition words are the enemy of clarity and concision, they can be invaluable tools when it comes to separating and connecting the different sections of your essay. 

Not only do they help you express your ideas but they also bring a cohesive structure to your sentences and a pleasant flow to your writing. Just be sure that you are using the right transition words for the right purpose and to the proper effect.

12. Always Include an Organized Reference Page at the End of Your Essay

As a key component of MLA, APA, and Chicago Style formatting, the reference or Works Cited page is an essential part of any academic essay.

Regardless of the format used, the reference page must be well organized and easy to read so that your audience can see exactly where your outside information came from. 

To produce a properly formatted reference page, you may have to familiarize yourself with specialized phrases and abbreviations, such as " et al ." 

How to Write a Good Hook for an Essay

The key to a good hook is to introduce an unexplored or absorbing line of inquiry in your introduction that addresses the main point of your thesis. 

By carefully choosing your language and slowly revealing details, you can build reader anticipation for what follows. 

Much like an actual worm-baited fishing hook, a successful hook will lure and capture readers, allowing the writer to "reel them in."

How to Get Better at Writing Essays

You can get better at writing essays the same way that you improve at anything else: practice, practice, practice! However, there are a few ways that you can improve your writing quickly so you can turn in a quality academic essay on time.

In addition to following the 12 essay tips and guidelines above, you can familiarize yourself with a few common practices and structures for essay development. 

Great writing techniques for essays include brainstorming and tree diagrams, especially when coming up with a topic for your thesis statement. Becoming familiar with different structures for organizing your essay (order of importance, chronological, etc.) is also extremely helpful.

How to Write a Good Introduction for an Essay

To learn how to write a good essay, you must also learn how to write a good introduction. 

Most effective essay introductions begin with relatively broad and general subject matter and then gradually narrow in focus and scope until they arrive at something extremely specific: the thesis. This is why writers tend to place their thesis statements at the very end of their introductory paragraph(s).

Because they are generally broad and often relate only tangentially to an essay's main point, there is virtually no limit on what the beginning of a good introduction can look like. However, writers still tend to rely on somewhat cliché opening sentences, such as quotations and rhetorical questions.

How to Write a Good Conclusion for an Essay

Briefly put, a good conclusion does two things. It wraps up any loose ends and drives home the main point of your essay. 

To learn how to write a good conclusion, you will want to ensure that no unanswered questions remain in the reader's mind. A good conclusion will restate the thesis and reinforce the essay's main supporting points.

Take Your Essay from Good to Great

About the author.

Scribendi's in-house editors work with writers from all over the globe to perfect their writing. They know that no piece of writing is complete without a professional edit, and they love to see a good piece of writing turn into a great one after the editing process. Scribendi's in-house editors are unrivaled in both experience and education, having collectively edited millions of words and obtained nearly 20 degrees collectively. They love consuming caffeinated beverages, reading books of various genres, and relaxing in quiet, dimly lit spaces.

Have You Read?

"The Complete Beginner's Guide to Academic Writing"

Related Posts

How Academic Writing Differs from Other Forms of Writing

How to Master the 4 Types of Academic Writing

The Complete Beginner's Guide to Academic Writing

Upload your file(s) so we can calculate your word count, or enter your word count manually.

We will also recommend a service based on the file(s) you upload.

English is not my first language. I need English editing and proofreading so that I sound like a native speaker.

I need to have my journal article, dissertation, or term paper edited and proofread, or I need help with an admissions essay or proposal.

I have a novel, manuscript, play, or ebook. I need editing, copy editing, proofreading, a critique of my work, or a query package.

I need editing and proofreading for my white papers, reports, manuals, press releases, marketing materials, and other business documents.

I need to have my essay, project, assignment, or term paper edited and proofread.

I want to sound professional and to get hired. I have a resume, letter, email, or personal document that I need to have edited and proofread.

 Prices include your personal % discount.

 Prices include % sales tax ( ).

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

A (Very) Simple Way to Improve Your Writing

• Mark Rennella

It’s called the “one-idea rule” — and any level of writer can use it.

The “one idea” rule is a simple concept that can help you sharpen your writing, persuade others by presenting your argument in a clear, concise, and engaging way. What exactly does the rule say?

• Every component of a successful piece of writing should express only one idea.
• In persuasive writing, your “one idea” is often the argument or belief you are presenting to the reader. Once you identify what that argument is, the “one-idea rule” can help you develop, revise, and connect the various components of your writing.
• For instance, let’s say you’re writing an essay. There are three components you will be working with throughout your piece: the title, the paragraphs, and the sentences.
• Each of these parts should be dedicated to just one idea. The ideas are not identical, of course, but they’re all related. If done correctly, the smaller ideas (in sentences) all build (in paragraphs) to support the main point (suggested in the title).

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

Most advice about writing looks like a long laundry list of “do’s and don’ts.” These lists can be helpful from time to time, but they’re hard to remember … and, therefore, hard to depend on when you’re having trouble putting your thoughts to paper. During my time in academia, teaching composition at the undergraduate and graduate levels, I saw many people struggle with this.

• MR Mark Rennella is Associate Editor at HBP and has published two books, Entrepreneurs, Managers, and Leaders and The Boston Cosmopolitans .  

Partner Center

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Success — Self-improvement & Success – Hand in Hand

Self-improvement and Success – Hand in Hand

• Categories: Improve Self Assessment Success

About this sample

Words: 735 |

Published: Feb 12, 2019

Words: 735 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

How to improve yourself (essay)

Works cited.

• Adams, P., & Maclaine, S. (1999). Gesundheit!: Bringing Good Health to You, the Medical System, and Society through Physician Service, Complementary Therapies, Humor, and Joy. Inner Traditions.
• Allen, J. (2015). You Can Change: God's Transforming Power for Our Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions. P&R Publishing.
• Chopra, D. (2010). The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams. Amber-Allen Publishing.
• Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. Free Press.
• Dweck, C. S. (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books.
• Guise, S. (2015). Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
• Peale, N. V. (2003). The Power of Positive Thinking. Touchstone.
• Robbins, A. (2007). Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!. Simon & Schuster.
• Sincero, J. (2013). You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life. Running Press.
• Tolle, E. (1999). The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. New World Library.

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr. Karlyna PhD

Verified writer

• Expert in: Life

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 599 words

1 pages / 493 words

3 pages / 1485 words

7 pages / 3125 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Success

Success, a term that resonates universally, is as diverse in its interpretations as the individuals and cultures that define it. In this essay delving into the definition of success, we will embark on a journey through the [...]

Smith, John. 'The Importance of Planning in Achieving Professional Success.' Journal of Business and Management, vol. 20, no. 2, 2018, pp. 45-60.

The pursuit of success is a timeless endeavor that has intrigued philosophers, scholars, and individuals alike for centuries. One of the perennial debates surrounding success revolves around the roles of hard work and luck in [...]

Dweck, Carol S. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books, 2006.Zuckerberg, Mark. 'Facebook and Emotional States.' Speech at Facebook Headquarters, 4 May 2015.Sweeney, Anne. 'Define Success on Your Own Terms.' [...]

In order to achieve success in the hospitality industry, it is essential to have a clear understanding of your career goals. Writing a hospitality career goals essay can be an effective way to identify your goals and develop a [...]

Amy Nauiokas is a typical jack of all trades who has ventured into various technical fields. From the world of finance to the world of entertainment showing excellent skills and success. Amy Nauiokas is married to Harry [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Essay on Self Improvement

Students are often asked to write an essay on Self Improvement 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 Self Improvement

What is self improvement.

Self-improvement is when you make yourself better. You can do this in many different ways. It could be learning a new thing, changing a bad habit, or becoming kinder. It’s about making positive changes to yourself.

Why is Self Improvement Important?

Self-improvement is important because it helps us grow. It helps us become better people. When we improve ourselves, we feel happier and more confident. We can do more things and achieve our goals.

How to Start Self Improvement?

To start self-improvement, you need to think about what you want to change. You might want to learn a new skill or stop a bad habit. Then, you make a plan and start working on it.

Tips for Self Improvement

Here are some tips for self-improvement: set clear goals, be patient, and keep going even when it’s hard. Also, remember to reward yourself when you achieve your goals. This will keep you motivated.

In conclusion, self-improvement is a journey. It takes time and effort. But it’s worth it because you become a better person. So, start your self-improvement journey today!

Also check:

• Speech on Self Improvement

250 Words Essay on Self Improvement

Self Improvement is the act of making yourself better. It’s about learning new things and getting rid of bad habits. It’s like planting a seed and taking care of it until it grows into a big, strong tree.

Self Improvement is important because it helps us grow and become better people. It’s like climbing a ladder. Each step we take brings us closer to the top. We learn new things, become better at what we do, and feel happier. It’s a journey that never ends.

Starting Self Improvement is easy. First, think about what you want to improve. It could be anything. Maybe you want to read more books, or learn a new skill, or be kinder to people. Then, make a plan. Write down what you want to do and how you will do it. And then, start doing it. It’s as simple as that.

Challenges in Self Improvement

Self Improvement can be hard. Sometimes, we might feel like giving up. But remember, every step counts. Even small changes can make a big difference. And if you keep going, you will get better. It’s like a journey. There might be bumps along the way, but in the end, you will reach your destination.

Self Improvement is a journey of learning and growing. It’s about becoming the best version of ourselves. It might be hard, but it’s worth it. So, let’s start our journey of Self Improvement today. Let’s plant our seeds and watch them grow into strong, beautiful trees.

500 Words Essay on Self Improvement

Understanding self-improvement.

Self-improvement is the process of making yourself a better person. It is about learning new things, developing new skills, and becoming a better version of yourself. It can include many things like learning a new language, improving your physical health, or becoming a better listener.

The Importance of Self-Improvement

Self-improvement is important for many reasons. It can help you achieve your goals, make you feel good about yourself, and improve your life in general. For example, if you want to become a better student, you might focus on improving your study habits. This could include things like setting aside more time for studying, learning new study techniques, or finding a study group to join.

Ways to Improve Yourself

There are many ways you can work on self-improvement. One way is to set goals for yourself. These goals should be things that you want to achieve or improve about yourself. They could be big goals like getting into a good college, or smaller goals like reading a new book every month.

Another way to improve yourself is to learn new skills. This could be anything from learning how to cook a new recipe, to learning how to play a musical instrument, to learning how to code. Learning new skills can be fun and rewarding, and it can also help you become a more well-rounded person.

Challenges in Self-Improvement

While self-improvement can be rewarding, it can also be challenging. Sometimes, it can be hard to stick to your goals, especially if they are big and take a long time to achieve. It can also be hard to find the time to work on self-improvement, especially if you have a busy schedule.

Despite these challenges, it’s important to remember that self-improvement is a journey, not a destination. It’s about making progress, not about being perfect. Even small steps towards your goals can make a big difference.

The Role of Patience in Self-Improvement

Patience plays a key role in self-improvement. It’s important to remember that change takes time. You won’t become a better person overnight. It takes time, effort, and patience. But with persistence, you can make progress and see improvements in yourself.

In conclusion, self-improvement is a lifelong journey. It’s about setting goals, learning new skills, and overcoming challenges. It’s about becoming a better version of yourself, one step at a time. So, keep moving forward, keep learning, and keep improving. The journey of self-improvement is a rewarding one, and it’s a journey that’s worth taking.

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

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

• Essay on Cosmetic Surgery
• Essay on Corruption Solution
• Essay on Corruption Is The Root Cause Of Poverty

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

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• SAT BootCamp
• SAT MasterClass
• SAT Private Tutoring
• SAT Proctored Practice Test
• ACT Private Tutoring
• Academic Subjects
• College Essay Workshop
• Academic Writing Workshop
• AP English FRQ BootCamp
• 1:1 College Essay Help
• Online Instruction
• Free Resources

9 Ways to (Quickly) Improve Your College Essay

9 ways to (quickly) improve your college essay.

Bonus Material: Essay Polish Worksheet

The college essay is one of the most important components of your application. It carries even more weight this fall as schools drop or modify their standardized testing requirements. 

One of the most common questions we receive from our essay students this time of year is the following:

“ How can I improve my college essay ?”

Perhaps you’ve written a first rough draft of your college essay. Or maybe you have already begun the difficult process of revising. 

In either case, we have 9 great tips for quickly bettering your essay. We also give readers access to our Essay Polish Worksheet, which asks all the questions you need to make your college essay shine.

Grab this free worksheet below.

Download Essay Polish Worksheet

Here’s what we cover in this post:

9 Ways to Improve Your College Essay

• Bonus: Essay Polish Worksheet

1. Be specific

This is by far the one tip we consistently offer our college essay students. The more specific you can be in your essay, the better!

The college essay is your opportunity to showcase your distinct voice outside the other elements of your application. Your distinct voice is more likely to emerge if you write specifically .

How can you be more specific? Focus on the following:

• Description
• Anecdotal details
• “I” statements
• Sensory details & imagery

Here is a selection from one of 11 college essays that worked that showcases excellent specificity:

It started small: just myself, Avery, and Sam and a problem set that didn’t take us long enough. Appropriately enough, we were working on one of Newton’s problems: differential equations describing cooling curves. His solution is fairly simple, perhaps overly simple, which prompted me to ask Avery what he thought. We had both taken Chemistry the year before, and Newton’s equation didn’t take into account thermal equilibrium; (to be fair to Newton, adding thermal equilibrium doesn’t appreciably change the solution at normal conditions). Since we were slightly bored and faced with an empty hour ahead of us, we started to modify the equation. We had learned in Chemistry that both the surroundings and the actual cooling object both change temperature, which Newton had ignored. We wrote up a first attempt on the infamous whiteboard, paused a second, and then started laughing as we realized that our inchoate equation meant a hot cup of coffee could plummet Earth into another Ice Age. This disturbance in an otherwise fairly quiet classroom drew the attention of Sam. He too was amused with our attempt and together we began to fix the poor thing. Huddled around the back of the classroom, we all pondered. It wasn’t an important problem, it wasn’t due the next day, it wasn’t even particularly interesting. But we loved it .

2. Lose the formality

Many students feel pressured to adopt a formal tone when writing their college essays. Yet this can actually obscure a student’s voice and personality on the page.

The college essay is not an academic essay. While students should write with eloquence and professionalism, they should prioritize clear and authoritative writing that gives space for creativity and voice.

Notice how this excerpt from a successful college essay is authoritative (using higher level words like “tome” and “cultivating”) but still clear:

She handed me my magnum opus when I got home from school that day. I ran my fingers across the shiny laminate over the cover page, caressed the paper as if it were some sacred tome. After more than fourteen months fleshing out characters and cultivating mythologies, I was ready to publish. With the copy in hand I ran to my dad. “Read it and tell me what you think!” I said, imagining the line of publishing companies that would soon be knocking down my door .

3. But don’t be too casual!

Yes, you can write a relatively conversational college essay to great success! Yet be careful of sounding too casual in your writing. 

Your college essay should be free of slang, cliches, and grammatical errors. When possible, opt for higher-level word choice and avoid “throwaway words” like stuff, get, good, bad, and thing . 

Remember: college admissions officers are looking for potential in your application–and that means they are also likely on the lookout for strong writing.

We ask in-depth questions in our Essay Polish Worksheet to guide you closer towards a successful final draft. Download this worksheet below.

4. Be concise

Students have only 650 words to tell their story, so concision is vital. Try to convey your ideas using as few words as possible, no matter where you are at in the revision process.

Trust that your reader can make intelligent inferences. This means spending less time on backstory or context and “getting to the point” sooner. It doesn’t mean taking away meaning, but it does mean making sure that every word is essential.

Notice how this college essay plunges right in, without wasting any time:

Simply put, my place of inner peace is the seat of that 50 foot sliver of carbon and kevlar called a rowing shell, cutting through the water in the middle of a race. 

5. Prioritize your takeaways

College admissions officers are most interested in what a specific story says about you as an individual.

For this reason, make sure your essay spends most of its time discussing the following:

• What you’ve learned from an experience
• Your beliefs and/or specific opinions
• Your aspirations and dreams and/or
• What this all says about YOU

Many students find that their first college essay draft contains mostly backstory as opposed to these vital takeaways. That’s fine! Just make sure that future revisions involve reducing this backstory.

Here’s an example of a “takeaway” paragraph from an essay that worked:

I’m still questioning, and I think the process does not end, which is part of what makes my religious practice important to me – it urges me to constantly reflect on my values and the moral quality of my actions. I’m not sure if I’ll ever finish that “experiment,” but by experiencing and valuing the practices and lifestyles of other people, I also got to reflect on my own. That summer showed me that the questions themselves proved my practices were valuable to me, and left me with a stronger commitment to my religious faith than I had before.

6. Be precise

Because of the college essay’s word limit, every word really does matter. Make sure that you are using the right words by writing precisely.

We love this excerpt from a successful college essay for this reason:

Despite the current lack of certification offered for the profession which I am seeking, I am unquestionably qualified. I can tell you that a cayenne pepper sauce infused with hints of lime and passion fruit is the perfect pairing to bring out the subtle earthy undertones of your microwave ramen. I can also tell you that a drizzle of full-bodied Louisiana habanero on my homemade vanilla bean ice cream serves as an appetizing complement. For the truly brave connoisseur, I suggest sprinkling a few generous drops of Bhut Jolokia sauce atop a bowl of chili. Be warned, though; one drop too many and you might find yourself like I did, crying over a heaping bowl of kidney beans at the dining room table.

7. Use transition words/phrases

Many students struggle with organization when first writing their essays. An easy way to make your essay more coherent immediately is to utilize transition words or phrases.

This is especially important if you are telling a story that spans several weeks, months, or years.

Here are a few of our favorite college essay transition words:

• For example / instance
• Over the years
• In addition
• While / despite / although

8. Ask: Could anyone else have written this?

If your answer to this question is “yes,” it’s time to bring the following into your essay:

• Specificity
• More “I” statements

Your goal should be authenticity and originality, and you guessed it–more specifics and “I” statements can help you accomplish this goal.

9. Bring in more “I”

Many English teachers tell their students not to use “I” in their academic essays. When it comes to the college essay, however, it is critical to use “I” all the time!

Doing so will ensure that your essay contains active reflection and productive sentences.

Notice how many times this applicant uses “I” in the following paragraph:

But not only did I learn linguistics, Python, and philosophy with Avery and Sam, I learned a little more about myself. I never want to lose what we had in that corner. Our interplay of guessing and discovering and laughing seemed like paradise to me. I looked for other opportunities in my life to meet brilliant and vivacious people, to learn from them, and to teach them what I loved. I co-founded a tutoring program, participated in original research, and taught lessons in Physics and Chemistry as a substitute.

Download Our Essay Polish Worksheet

Need help editing your college essay? Start by downloading our free College Essay Polish worksheet.

Here’s what you’ll get:

• A checklist for the 9 tips discussed in this post
• Targeted, in-depth questions that will help you improve your college essay
• Examples of actionable revisions

Kate is a graduate of Princeton University. Over the last decade, Kate has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay.

Privacy Preference Center

Privacy preferences.

“What Areas Need Improvement?” (Example Answers Included)

Mike Simpson 0 Comments

By Mike Simpson

Few questions strike fear into the hearts of job seekers like “What areas need improvement?” Like “ What is your greatest weakness? ” the areas of improvement question expects you to talk about shortcomings. And, well, that’s never easy.

Luckily, there are ways to navigate this usually uncomfortable question with skill and poise. If you want to make sure you nail the “What areas need improvement?” interview question, here’s what you need to know.

What Are Improvements?

So, what does a hiring manager by “improvement” when they ask the “What areas need improvement?” question? Well, it’s usually pretty simple.

First, when they ask this question, the hiring manager wants you to talk about capabilities or traits you may need but don’t have or areas where your skill level is short of where it needs to be to ensure you excel long-term. As a result, “improvement” is simply referring to areas where you might need additional training, experience, or refinement.

Why Does the Hiring Manager Ask This Question?

So, you may be wondering why the hiring manager asks you about areas of improvement. Well, there are several reasons.

First, while it may feel like they last an eternity sometimes, a typical interview lasts between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours . That isn’t a lot of time to get to know a candidate.

If a hiring manager is going to be efficient, they can’t afford to dilly-dally. Instead, they have to cut to the chase, asking tough questions like “What areas need improvement?” to gather the information they need quickly.

Second, asking candidates to talk about their shortcomings accomplishes several things. Along with finding out about skill areas that may need improving, it helps them assess a candidate’s honesty, accountability, and self-awareness.

When a candidate is forthcoming about a skill or trait that would benefit from development, they are showing that they understand their capabilities. Plus, it makes it seem like you have nothing to hide, as you are openly talking about something the hiring manager may view as a weakness.

It is important to understand that the hiring manager’s goal isn’t to call you out or embarrass you. Additionally, they aren’t necessarily trying to dig up a reason not to hire you.

Instead, they simply want to figure out whether you’re right for the role and, if it’s available, what training they might be able to offer to overcome this obstacle. That way, they can get the best person for the position.

Common Mistakes When Answering This Question

Before we dig into how to answer “What areas need improvement?” during a job interview, it’s crucial to talk about common mistakes people make when responding to the question.

Usually, the biggest misstep is discussing a core job skill as a shortcoming. If it’s a capability that’s considered a must-have for the role, saying you need to improve in that area may cost you the job; it’s that simple.

Another issue is mentioning a common technology. For example, saying you aren’t great with computers isn’t a wise move if any part of the role is administrative or office-based.

Masquerading a positive as a negative also works against you. Hiring managers know that answers like, “I work too hard,” or “I’m a perfectionist” aren’t usually genuine shortcomings.

While you might think that answer will impress a hiring manager, it won’t. Instead, they’ll probably see your answer as dishonest or manipulative, neither of which is good.

Finally, not making eye contact while answering is a big no-no. Overall, 65 percent of candidates that don’t make sufficient eye contact during an interview aren’t selected. However, even if you maintain good eye contact throughout the interview, failing to do so during questions like this one could be a problem.

A lack of eye contact here may make it seem like you are being dishonest, especially if your eye contact was solid before this. So, make sure you still maintain eye contact, giving them some peace of mind.

Also remember, this is just one question the hiring manager could ask you in your interview! That’s why we created an amazing free cheat sheet that will give you word-for-word answers for some of the toughest interview questions you are going to face in your upcoming interview.

Click below to get your free PDF now:

Get Our Job Interview Questions & Answers Cheat Sheet!

FREE BONUS PDF CHEAT SHEET: Get our " Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet " that gives you " word-word sample answers to the most common job interview questions you'll face at your next interview .

CLICK HERE TO GET THE JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS CHEAT SHEET

Tips for Answering This Question

If you want to have an outstanding answer to the “What areas need improvement?” interview question, then you want to use the right approach. Here are a few tips that can make discussing areas of improvement easier.

1. Choose a Skill or Trait You’re Currently Working On

When you talk about your shortcomings with the hiring manager, you want to be able to end your answer on a high note. By choosing an area you’re actively trying to improve right now – such as through education, training, or personal development activities – you make that a whole lot easier.

2. Have a Relatable Example Ready

Usually, you’ll need to incorporate an example of how you’re lack of knowledge or expertise with a particular skill or trait works against you. However, you don’t want to go with just any example. Instead, find one that’s highly relatable.

By choosing a relatable moment from your past, the hiring manager may view your shortcoming with a kinder eye. Many people face similar challenges during their careers. If you can find an example that the hiring manager either connects with personally or has seen fairly regularly, the odds that they won’t hold it against you go up.

3. Stay Upbeat When Answering

When talking about a shortcoming, most people tend to have a different tone than when they’re talking about something positive. However, if your mood shifts in the wrong direction while answering this question, that may hurt your chances of moving forward.

Ideally, you want to be a bit serious when mentioning your area of improvement. However, when you start discussing how you want to improve and what you’re doing to get better at the particular skill, make sure your tone is upbeat. That makes you seem excited about your growth, development, and goals, increasing the odds that the hiring manager will focus on your passion and not the shortcoming.

How to Answer the Interview Question “What Areas Need Improvement?”

Now that you know why the hiring manager asks this question and the mistakes you need to avoid, as well as have some handy tips by your side, it’s time to kick things into high gear.

Along with a step-by-step guide for answering the “What areas need improvement?” question, we’ve included some example answers. That way, you’ll have more than you need to create a standout response.

Step-by-Step Guide

Creating great interview answers doesn’t happen by chance. Instead, preparation and strategy are both parts of the equation.

If you want to craft a stellar answer, you need to embrace the Tailoring Method . That way, you can factor the hiring manager’s needs into the equation.

However, there is more to it than that. Want a clear breakdown? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to answer “What areas need improvement?”

1. Reflect on Areas You Could Improve In

First, you want to spend some time reflecting on your capabilities. For skills, think about times where you’ve come up short or instances where a lack of know-how held you back. For traits, consider how aspects of your personality led to less-than-ideal outcomes.

As you reflect, create a list of any skills or traits where improvements would benefit your career. That way, you can use one of them as the basis for your answer.

2. Eliminate Any Job-Essential Skills and Traits

If there is a job-essential skill or trait on your list, remove it from contention. As mentioned above, you don’t want to draw attention to a shortcoming that might cost you the job, so make sure you eliminate those from the equation.

3. Pick a Skill or Trait with a Relatable Example

Once you have a short list of capabilities that could use improvement, think about how they’ve impacted you professionally. Focus on finding a relatable example of how it held you back, preferably one where the consequences are clear but not dire.

4. Prepare Your Conversation Pivot

As you look for relatable examples, also determine which of the skills or traits you’re either actively working to improve or could start working on immediately. That way, you can show the hiring manager that you’re actively striving to overcome the shortcoming.

Example Answers

In many cases, reviewing an example answer makes a world of difference. It lets you see what an outstanding answer looks like and can serve as a template for crafting your own responses.

Here are three examples that can help you talk about areas of improvement effectively, each one covering a different situation.

1. Skill-Related Answer

“If I had to select an area that needs improvement, I would say my presentation skills fall in that category. Like many people, I’m not the most comfortable with public speaking, so my presentations don’t always have the best flow. However, I am not only aware of this shortcoming, but am actively trying to improve. I recently joined a local Toastmasters club, giving me a way to improve my presentation skills on my own time. While I’ve only been on this journey for a short time, I feel I’ve been making substantial progress. My presentations are getting smoother, and I am more confident during the meetings. Plus, it’s made me a stronger communicator overall, something that benefits me during team endeavors and when working with stakeholders one-on-one. While my presentation skills do have a fair way to go before they are at the point I’d like to be, I’m well on my way to turning this shortcoming into a strength.”

2. Trait-Related Answer

“When I enter a new workplace, I tend to be overly formal with my new colleagues and managers. It takes me time to open up on a social level. As a result, some people may initially view me as standoffish when, in reality, it’s mainly based on caution and feeling the need to get to know someone on a professional level before heading in other directions. However, I am aware that this tendency can be misperceived. That has led me to focus more on seizing opportunities to bond with my new teammates more quickly. For example, I’ve found that asking people to describe their roles and careers gives me the professional context I need, making it easier to shift into more social conversations. While I still may not acclimate the fastest, I do ultimately forge those critical bonds, allowing me to become a trusted colleague.”

3. Experience-Related Answer (for first jobs)

“When it comes to areas of improvement, I would say applying my skills in a professional environment is my current challenge. I’m actually seeking out my first position in this field and, while my education did give me a chance to use some of my skills in a practical manner, I recognize that actual work environments are different. My lack of exposure means I may need more time to get my footing in my first workplace. However, since I’m aware of that challenge, I believe that puts me in a good position. I’m willing to learn what is necessary to make sure I meet expectations as I launch my career, ensuring that I’m able to grow in a direction that best suits my first employer.”

Putting It All Together

Ultimately, answering the question “What areas need improvement?” can be a bit tricky. However, by using all of the information above, you can craft a fantastic answer that showcases you as an honest, self-aware professional who wants to keep growing and developing.

Use the tips and examples above as a guide. Then, put your own personal touches on your answer. That way, you’ll come across as thoughtful and genuine, as well as willing to improve.

FREE : Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet!

Download our " Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet " that gives you word-for-word sample answers to some of the most common interview questions including:

• What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
• What Is Your Greatest Strength?
• Tell Me About Yourself
• Why Should We Hire You?

Click Here To Get The Job Interview Questions & Answers Cheat Sheet

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Mike simpson.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

Copyright © 2024 · TheInterviewguys.com · All Rights Reserved

• Our Products
• Case Studies
• Interview Questions
• Jobs Articles
• Members Login

• Free Samples
• Premium Essays
• Editing Services Editing Proofreading Rewriting
• Extra Tools Essay Topic Generator Thesis Generator Citation Generator GPA Calculator Study Guides Donate Paper
• Essay Writing Help
• About Us About Us Testimonials FAQ

Essays on what are your strengths and areas of improvement

• Studentshare
• what are your strengths and areas of improvement
• TERMS & CONDITIONS
• PRIVACY POLICY
• COOKIES POLICY

5 Smart Answers to “What Areas Need Improvement?”

By Status.net Editorial Team on April 13, 2023 — 6 minutes to read

The question “What areas need improvement?” aims to assess your self-awareness and willingness to develop both personally and professionally. Honesty and specificity are key when discussing your improvement areas, because this will make your response appear more genuine and relatable. Let’s discover the perfect answer for your situation.

See also: 30 Best Answers to “What Is Your Greatest Weakness?”

What Are Your Strengths And Weaknesses? (Answers & Strategies)

35 Best Answers to “What Are Your Strengths?”

Best Strategies to Answer “What Areas Need Improvement?”

Showcase your self-awareness by acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses. Example:

“I am highly detail-oriented, which is crucial in my current role. However, I sometimes struggle with time management when balancing multiple tasks. I have been working on this by setting daily priorities and allotting specific time frames for each task.”

Share areas where you’re looking to improve, and tie them to professional goals. Example:

“One area I’d like to improve is public speaking. I believe refining this skill will help me to better present my ideas and contribute to team meetings more effectively.”

Link your weaknesses to areas of growth relevant to the position, showing you understand the job’s requirements:

“I have always found networking to be a challenge, but I recognize its importance, especially in this sales role. I am working on attending more networking events, and I have joined a local business networking group.”

Mention feedback from previous superiors or colleagues, and explain how you have implemented their suggestions:

“In the past, my supervisor pointed out that I could improve my delegation skills. Since then, I have taken a leadership course and applied those learnings to effectively delegate tasks, both large and small.”  

Express your enthusiasm to learn and develop in the area you’ve mentioned:

“Although I am comfortable using basic design software, I know there is room for improvement. I have recently enrolled in a graphic design course to enhance my skills, which I believe will benefit me in creating visually engaging presentations.” Learn more strategies: 30 Best Answers to “What Is Your Greatest Weakness?”

Example Answers to “What Areas Need Improvement?” Interview Question

1. “One area that I believe needs improvement is my time management skills. Sometimes I find myself getting sidetracked or spending too much time on one task, which can lead to other projects falling behind schedule. To address this, I’ve been working on setting more specific goals and deadlines for myself and using tools like calendars and to-do lists to stay organized and on track.”

2. “Communication is something I think I could improve. While I’m comfortable speaking with others and sharing my ideas, I sometimes struggle to clearly articulate my thoughts or listen actively to others. To address this, I’ve been practicing active listening techniques and seeking feedback from colleagues to ensure that I’m communicating effectively.”

3. “One area where I could improve is my technical skills. While I have a good foundation in the tools and technologies used in my field, there are always new developments and updates to stay on top of. To address this, I’ve been taking online courses and attending workshops to expand my knowledge and stay up-to-date with the latest trends.”

4. “I think the area where I could improve is my ability to work under pressure. While I’m generally able to meet deadlines and handle multiple tasks at once, I sometimes struggle to stay calm and focused when things get particularly stressful. To address this, I’ve been practicing mindfulness techniques and seeking out opportunities to work on high-pressure projects to build my resilience.”

5. “I think one area where I could improve is my leadership skills. While I’m comfortable taking charge and making decisions, I sometimes struggle to motivate and inspire others to follow my lead. To address this, I’ve been reading leadership books and seeking out mentorship opportunities to learn from experienced leaders and develop my own style.”

What Types of Answers Work Best

• Answers that demonstrate your self-awareness and willingness to admit areas where you need improvement. Employers appreciate when candidates can be honest without being negative about their weaknesses.
• Answers that provide a relevant connection to your professional development or the specific job you’re applying for. By aligning your areas of improvement with the role, you show the employer that you are proactive in addressing the skills required for the position.
• Answers that showcase your commitment to self-improvement and growth. Employers are looking for employees who are open to learning and development opportunities. This also indicates that you are coachable, making it easier for the organization to train and guide you toward success.
• Answers that share concrete examples, often with a story-like approach. This storytelling element provides context and helps humanize your response, making it easier for the interviewer to relate to you and understand your unique circumstances.

Here are a few more examples of well-structured answers to “What areas need improvement?”:

• Skill-Related Answer : “One area I’ve been working on is my presentation skills. I’ve enrolled in a public speaking course to help build my confidence and improve my ability to engage audiences.”
• Leadership-Related Answer : “As a staff accountant, I haven’t had many opportunities to lead projects. I’m looking forward to taking on more responsibilities and developing my leadership skills in this role.”
• Technical-Related Answer : “I have a good grasp of most software programs, but I want to improve my proficiency in data analysis tools. I’ve been taking online courses and practicing regularly to become more adept at using these tools.”

How to Prepare for This Question

1. reflect on your experiences.

Start by reflecting on your personal and professional experiences. Think about both your strengths and weaknesses. Consider areas where you have excelled, as well as those where you have faced challenges. By doing this, you will be better equipped to identify specific areas for improvement and provide concrete examples from your own life.

2. Research the Company

Research the company before your interview. Familiarize yourself with their values, mission, and culture. This will allow you to better understand the qualities and skills they are looking for in an employee. By knowing what the company values, you can tailor your answers to align with their expectations, which can ultimately make it easier to discuss areas that you would like to improve.

3. Create a Personal Improvement Plan

Create a personal improvement plan that outlines specific steps and goals towards your growth. This plan should include:

• A list of the areas you would like to improve
• How these improvements relate to the job position
• What steps you will take to achieve these improvements

Interview Tips

• Research the company: Understanding the company’s values, products, and target market is essential. This knowledge can help you provide relevant examples and tailor your answers to their expectations and business culture.
• Practice active listening: Focus on what the interviewer is saying, and respond thoughtfully. Clarify any points that you’re unsure of before answering, and stay engaged by nodding along and maintaining eye contact. (Learn more: Active Listening: Techniques, Examples, Tips)
• Be honest, but focus on the positives: Speak truthfully about your weaknesses, but emphasize your commitment to personal growth and development. Showcase your ability to overcome challenges and learn from your experiences.
• Prepare relatable stories: Present yourself in a compelling manner by sharing anecdotes that illustrate your skills and expertise. Using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method can help in structuring your stories.
• Dress professionally: First impressions matter; make sure you dress in appropriate attire for the job interview. This not only helps you appear polished and qualified but also demonstrates respect for the company and the opportunity.

By incorporating these tips along with well-crafted responses, you will be better prepared and more confident during your job interview. The key is to showcase your abilities while also expressing your willingness to grow and improve in your career.

• 35 Smart Answers to "What Are Your Strengths?"
• What Are Your Strengths And Weaknesses? (Answers & Strategies)
• Leadership Feedback Examples (Strengths & Areas of Improvement)
• 30 Smart Answers to "What Is Your Greatest Weakness?"
• 10 Smart Answers to “What Motivates You?”
• Management Styles Interview Questions [Example Answers]

• InterviewPenguin.com – Your best job interview coach since 2011

3 Key Strengths and 3 Areas of Improvement: Interview Questions Answered

Everybody of us is good at something. The problem is that we often do not get the recognition we deserve , either from our partner, or from our parents, teachers, and employers. It cannot surprise us that most people aren’t able to define their strengths in a job interview. And when it comes to weaknesses, we often struggle to admit them , fearing that it may cost us our chances to get the job. But is it really true? And what does the hiring managers actually want to hear from you in an interview? We will try to find the answers on the following lines…

Before we proceed to 7 sample answers to the question, I want you to remember a couple of key points. First of all, hiring managers care much more about your attitude than about the particular strengths and weaknesses you point out on a job application, or in an interview. As long as they see that you can admit areas of improvement , and do what you can to become better , they will be satisfied with your answer.

Secondly, barely any weakness is a showstopper . Unless you said that your weakness is a drug addiction. Employment, just as any other human endeavor, isn’t black and white. You will find successful managers, teachers, doctors, cooks, and students with all sorts of personalities, strengths and weaknesses . At the end of the day, every human being is unique, and you should embrace your uniqueness… Let’s have a look at 7 sample answers to the question.

3 Key Strengths and 3 Areas of Improvement: 7 sample answers

• I would pick communication skills, empathy, and intelligence as my key strengths. In my opinion, communication and empathy play a major role in almost any job, because you always deal with people . That’s why I always try to look at things from the perspective of the person I am talking to. When it comes to areas of improvement, I could definitely improve my computer skills , time management , and punctuality . I am aware of my weaknesses, and know I cannot afford to be ten minutes late to every other meeting, if I want to be successful as a manager . That’s why I started to reminders, and I also try to plan my working day in advance. Anyway, there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
• Experience in the field, passion for my job , and analytical thinking . These strengths helped me to get over many difficulties and a crisis of motivation , and no doubt they will help me in my new job as well. But I struggle sometimes with the relationships , and I am not the best in leading teams , or doing presentations . I see these as key areas of improvement, simply because in a corporate environment of the 21st century, each employee has to make a presentation sometimes, or lead a small team.
• I am responsible , I can work quickly , and I do not mind physical labor . In my opinion, it is an ideal combination for a job in a fast food restaurant, or similar fast-paced working environment . What I have to improve on, however, are my people skills , computer skills , and also neatness . Anyway, I am aware of these issues, and I believe that a job in which I will belong to a team is a great opportunity to improve on my people skills .
• Love for teaching , good understanding of the young generation , and Math skills . And I believe that my former students would agree with this description. They could feel it in the classes, that I did not teach only for money, but saw a meaningful purpose in my job. And I still see it there… However, there are areas I can improve on as a teacher, especially my ability to explain complex issues in a simple way , to foster better relationships with fellow teachers, and to effectively apply technology in the classroom . But I am firm believer that we keep learning our entire life , and I am definitely not complacent with the status quo.
• I’d pick observation skills , vigilance , and concentration , which I believe is a good combination for a security guard , and the main reason why I apply for this job. Being completely honest with you, I suck at many other things –managing other people, doing manual work, working with computers, just to name a few examples. But I also believe that we should choose a fitting job for our strengths , and that’s exactly what I try to do here. Of course, I can try to improve on my weaknesses. But certain things depend on our talent, and we can improve them only to some extent. That’s why I prefer to focus on my strengths, and look for a job that’s a good match to them.
• I believe that my former managers and colleagues are the right people to answer this question. Because they can consider it from some distance . Of course, I am confident in my managerial skills , my ability to solve conflicts and meet deadlines. And I also see some areas of improvement, such as being more sensitive in the meetings with my subordinates, or learning to close the deal in the right moment . As I said though, this is my perspective, and just like every other human being I have a tendency to see certain things better than they are, and certain things worse than they are. That’s why it would be better to ask my former colleagues.
• Key strengths? Without a doubt emotional intelligence , mental resilience , and motivation . And I believe all three of them are vital in social work, with everything we see and experience daily in the field. Do not take me wrong though, I do not consider myself a perfect social worker . I can definitely improve on many things. First of all, I need to learn to maintain some distance . It happens often that a case hits me profoundly, and I keep thinking about it back at home, failing to fall asleep, feeling a strange sense of guilt. This cannot happen if I want to stay sane and work in the field for many years. Secondly, I often struggle to get my message over . I really need to learn to adjust my communication to the recipient of my message. And the last from the three I would pick are time management skills . Of course, it is nice spending two hours in a family, building trust, trying to understand the core of a problem, making a difference. But when you have other five visits planned on a day, you just cannot afford it. I need to learn to manage my time effectively…

Try to match your strengths with your job selection

The beauty of the employment market lies in its diversity . You can find hundreds of different job titles on any major job board. And you have full time roles, part time jobs, interim opportunities, volunteering, freelancing, and anything in-between.

What I try to convey here is that there is a fitting job for everyone , including you, regardless of your education, experience, strengths and weaknesses. Once you talk about these things in an interview, make sure to relate to the job , saying that you believe this or that strength will help you do it well.

And when it comes to areas of improvement, make sure to ensure the hiring managers you are aware of your weaknesses, the role they play in the job , and will try to improve on them . That’s the attitude they seek in every good job applicant.

* Special Tip: Question about your strengths and weaknesses isn’t the most difficult question you will face while interviewing for any decent job. You will face questions about prioritization, dealing with pressure, solving problems , and other tricky scenarios that happen in the workplace. If you want to make sure that you stand out with your answers and outclass your competitors, have a look at our Interview Success Package . Up to 10 premium answers to 50 tricky scenario based questions (+ more) will make your life much easier in the interviews. Thank you for checking it out!

Show your confidence in an ability to handle the job

Regardless of how critical you are when it comes to your strengths and weaknesses, they shouldn’t get an impression that you doubt your abilities. Sure enough, you can improve on this or that, you can perhaps improve on almost everything .

At the same time, however, you have read the job description carefully, understand the expectations, and believe to have what it takes to handle the job , to the satisfaction of your employer. Make sure to show confidence in your abilities. Because when you start doubting them, the hiring managers will do the same….

Ready to answer this tricky interview question? I hope so! Do not forget to check also sample answers to other tricky questions :

• Top 3 reasons why you’re qualified for the job.
• What makes you stand out from other applicants?
• Aren’t you overqualified for this job?
• Recent Posts

© InterviewPenguin.com

Privacy Policy

EDPB identifies areas of improvement to promote the role and recognition of DPOs

Brussels, 17 January - During its latest plenary, the EDPB adopted a report on the findings of its second coordinated enforcement action , which focused on the designation and position of Data Protection Officers (DPOs). The report is the result of an EU-wide coordinated investigation and lists the obstacles currently faced by DPOs, along with a series of recommendations to further strengthen their role. 

Anu Talus, EDPB Chair said: “The Coordinated Enforcement Framework (CEF) enables data protection authorities (DPAs) to cooperate more closely on selected topics in order to achieve better efficiency and more consistency. DPOs play an important part in contributing to compliance with data protection law and promoting effective protection of data subject rights. Through the CEF, DPAs investigated whether DPOs have the means to fulfil their tasks, as required by the GDPR. The report provides an analysis of the challenges faced by DPOs, along with points of attention and recommendations to address these challenges.”

In the course of 2023, 25 DPAs across the European Economic Area (EEA) (including the EDPS) launched coordinated investigations into this topic. Various organisations, as well as DPOs were contacted across the EEA, covering a wide range of sectors (both public and private entities), and more than 17,000 replies were received and analysed. Extensive data was collected offering valuable insights into the profile, position and work of DPOs 5 years after the entry into application of the GDPR. 

Despite some concerns and challenges faced by some DPOs  (such as the lack of designation of a DPO, even if mandatory; insufficient resources or expert knowledge for the DPO; DPOs not being fully entrusted with the tasks required under data protection law; lack of independence or of reporting to the highest management), the results are encouraging. The majority of the DPOs interrogated declare that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to do their work and receive regular trainings; they have clearly defined tasks in line with the GDPR and do not receive instructions on how to exercise their duties. In addition, they indicate that they are consulted in most cases, and provided with sufficient information to fulfil their tasks, and their opinions are followed quite well. Moreover, most consider that they have the means to do their job. However, there are still too many DPOs who are not in such a position. 

In order to address the challenges identified, the report lists some recommendations for organisations, DPOs and DPAs to strengthen DPOs’ independence and to guarantee that they have the necessary resources to carry out their tasks. Among others, the report encourages DPAs to carry out more awareness-raising activities, information and enforcement actions. The report also encourages organisations to ensure that DPOs have sufficient opportunities, time and resources to refresh their knowledge and learn about the latest developments.

The report is accompanied by two appendices: the statistics gathered during this action and the national reports of each participating DPA.

The CEF is a key action of the EDPB under its 2021-2023 Strategy , aimed at streamlining enforcement and cooperation among DPAs. The CEF 2024 action will be on the implementation of the right of access by data controllers.

Further information on national designation and position of DPO:

• AT DPA: Bekanntmachungen der Datenschutzbehörde - ORF-Beitrag (vormals: GIS-Rundfunkgebühren)
• BE DPA: La place du DPO : rapport de l’EDPB et observations de l’APD (fr), De positie van de DPO: rapport van de EDPB en opmerkingen van de GBA (nl), The role of the DPO: EDPB report and BE DPA comments (en)
• CY DPA: Αποτελέσματα της συντονισμένης δράσης του Ευρωπαϊκού Συμβουλίου Προστασίας Δεδομένων (ΕΣΠΔ) σχετικά με τον ρόλο των Υπευθύνων Προστασίας Δεδομένων (ΥΠΔ)
• CZ DPA: EDPB šetřil postavení pověřenců pro ochranu osobních údajů  
• DA DPA: EDPB vedtager rapport om databeskyttelsesrådgiverens rolle
• DE DPA, BayLDA - Das Bayerische Landesamt für Datenschutzaufsicht: Europaweite Prüfung zu Stellung und Aufgaben von Datenschutzbeauftragten ergibt gemischte Bilanz
• EDPS: EDPS publishes results of the Coordinated Enforcement Action on data protection officers
• EL DPA: Ολοκληρώθηκε η συντονισμένη δράση των εποπτικών Αρχών για τον ρόλο των Υπευθύνων Προστασίας Δεδομένων – Σε εξέλιξη οι έλεγχοι σε δημόσιους φορείς από την Αρχή
• ES DPA: Resultados de la acción europea que ha analizado la designación y situación de los delegados de protección de datos
• FI DPA: Euroopan tietosuojaneuvosto julkaisi raportin tietosuojavastaavien asemaa koskevasta selvityksestä – moni tietosuojavastaava kohtaa edelleen haasteita tehtävässään
• FR DPA: Rôle et moyens du délégué à la protection des données : bilan des contrôles de la CNIL (FR), The role and resources of the data protection officer: results of CNIL investigations (EN)
• HU DPA: Közlemény az Európai Adatvédelmi Testület által a 2023. évre prioritásként meghatározott, az adatvédelmi tisztviselők szerepére fókuszáló összehangolt intézkedés eredményéről  
• IT DPA: Il Comitato europeo per la protezione dei dati identifica le aree di miglioramento per promuovere il ruolo e il riconoscimento dei RPD  
• LT DPA: Valstybinė duomenų apsaugos inspekcija atliko patikrinimus dėl duomenų apsaugo pareigūnų
• LV DPA: Noslēgusies pārbaude par datu aizsardzības speciālista institūtu
• NL DPA: Europees onderzoek: positie FG moet beter
• PT DPA: Comité Europeu aprova relatório sobre o papel dos EPD
• PL DPA: Wyznaczanie i pozycja inspektorów ochrony danych - sprawozdanie EROD z badań CEF  
• SI DPA: Pooblaščene osebe za varstvo osebnih podatkov: izsledki usklajene skupne akcije nadzora
• SE DPA: EDPB publicerar rapport om dataskyddsombudens roll och ställning  
• Cooperation between authorities
• GDPR enforcement

The Philippines economy in 2024: Stronger for longer?

The Philippines ended 2023 on a high note, being the fastest growing economy across Southeast Asia with a growth rate of 5.6 percent—just shy of the government's target of 6.0 to 7.0 percent. 1 “National accounts,” Philippine Statistics Authority, January 31, 2024; "Philippine economic updates,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, November 16, 2023. Should projections hold, the Philippines is expected to, once again, show significant growth in 2024, demonstrating its resilience despite various global economic pressures (Exhibit 1). 2 “Economic forecast 2024,” International Monetary Fund, November 1, 2023; McKinsey analysis.

The growth in the Philippine economy in 2023 was driven by a resumption in commercial activities, public infrastructure spending, and growth in digital financial services. Most sectors grew, with transportation and storage (13 percent), construction (9 percent), and financial services (9 percent), performing the best (Exhibit 2). 3 “National accounts,” Philippine Statistics Authority, January 31, 2024. While the country's trade deficit narrowed in 2023, it remains elevated at $52 billion due to slowing global demand and geopolitical uncertainties. 4 “Highlights of the Philippine export and import statistics,” Philippine Statistics Authority, January 28, 2024. Looking ahead to 2024, the current economic forecast for the Philippines projects a GDP growth of between 5 and 6 percent.

Inflation rates are expected to temper between 3.2 and 3.6 percent in 2024 after ending 2023 at 6.0 percent, above the 2.0 to 4.0 percent target range set by the government. 5 “Nomura downgrades Philippine 2024 growth forecast,” Nomura, September 11, 2023; “IMF raises Philippine growth rate forecast,” International Monetary Fund, July 16, 2023.

For the purposes of this article, most of the statistics used for our analysis have come from a common thread of sources. These include the Central Bank of the Philippines (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas); the Department of Energy Philippines; the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP); and the Philippines Statistics Authority.

The state of the Philippine economy across seven major sectors and themes

In the article, we explore the 2024 outlook for seven key sectors and themes, what may affect each of them in the coming year, and what could potentially unlock continued growth.

Financial services

The recovery of the financial services sector appears on track as year-on-year growth rates stabilize. 6 Philippines Statistics Authority, November 2023; McKinsey in partnership with Oxford Economics, November 2023. In 2024, this sector will likely continue to grow, though at a slower pace of about 5 percent.

Financial inclusion and digitalization are contributing to growth in this sector in 2024, even if new challenges emerge. Various factors are expected to impact this sector:

• Inclusive finance: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas continues to invest in financial inclusion initiatives. For example, basic deposit accounts (BDAs) reached $22 million in 2023 and banking penetration improved, with the proportion of adults with formal bank accounts increasing from 29 percent in 2019 to 56 percent in 2021. 7 “Financial inclusion dashboard: First quarter 2023,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, February 6, 2024.
• Digital adoption: Digital channels are expected to continue to grow, with data showing that 60 percent of adults who have a mobile phone and internet access have done a digital financial transaction. 8 “Financial inclusion dashboard: First quarter 2023,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, February 6, 2024. Businesses in this sector, however, will need to remain vigilant in navigating cybersecurity and fraud risks.
• Unsecured lending growth: Growth in unsecured lending is expected to continue, but at a slower pace than the past two to three years. For example, unsecured retail lending for the banking system alone grew by 27 percent annually from 2020 to 2022. 9 “Loan accounts: As of first quarter 2023,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, February 6, 2024; "Global banking pools,” McKinsey, November 2023. Businesses in this field are, however, expected to recalibrate their risk profiling models as segments with high nonperforming loans emerge.
• High interest rates: Key interest rates are expected to decline in the second half of 2024, creating more accommodating borrowing conditions that could boost wholesale and corporate loans.

Supportive frameworks have a pivotal role to play in unlocking growth in this sector to meet the ever-increasing demand from the financially underserved. For example, financial literacy programs and easier-to-access accounts—such as BDAs—are some measures that can help widen market access to financial services. Continued efforts are being made to build an open finance framework that could serve the needs of the unbanked population, as well as a unified credit scoring mechanism to increase the ability of historically under-financed segments, such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to access formal credit. 10 “BSP launches credit scoring model,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, April 26, 2023.

Energy and Power

The outlook for the energy sector seems positive, with the potential to grow by 7 percent in 2024 as the country focuses on renewable energy generation. 11 McKinsey analysis based on input from industry experts. Currently, stakeholders are focused on increasing energy security, particularly on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet power plants’ requirements as production in one of the country’s main sources of natural gas, the Malampaya gas field, declines. 12 Myrna M. Velasco, “Malampaya gas field prod’n declines steeply in 2021,” Manila Bulletin , July 9, 2022. High global inflation and the fact that the Philippines is a net fuel importer are impacting electricity prices and the build-out of planned renewable energy projects. Recent regulatory moves to remove foreign ownership limits on exploration, development, and utilization of renewable energy resources could possibly accelerate growth in the country’s energy and power sector. 13 “RA 11659,” Department of Energy Philippines, June 8, 2023.

Gas, renewables, and transmission are potential growth drivers for the sector. Upgrading power grids so that they become more flexible and better able to cope with the intermittent electricity supply that comes with renewables will be critical as the sector pivots toward renewable energy. A recent coal moratorium may position natural gas as a transition fuel—this could stimulate exploration and production investments for new, indigenous natural gas fields, gas pipeline infrastructure, and LNG import terminal projects. 14 Philippine energy plan 2020–2040, Department of Energy Philippines, June 10, 2022; Power development plan 2020–2040 , Department of Energy Philippines, 2021. The increasing momentum of green energy auctions could facilitate the development of renewables at scale, as the country targets 35 percent share of renewables by 2030. 15 Power development plan 2020–2040 , 2022.

Growth in the healthcare industry may slow to 2.8 percent in 2024, while pharmaceuticals manufacturing is expected to rebound with 5.2 percent growth in 2024. 16 McKinsey analysis in partnership with Oxford Economics.

Healthcare demand could grow, although the quality of care may be strained as the health worker shortage is projected to increase over the next five years. 17 McKinsey analysis. The supply-and-demand gap in nursing alone is forecast to reach a shortage of approximately 90,000 nurses by 2028. 18 McKinsey analysis. Another compounding factor straining healthcare is the higher than anticipated benefit utilization and rising healthcare costs, which, while helping to meet people's healthcare budgets, may continue to drive down profitability for health insurers.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are feeling varying effects of people becoming increasingly health conscious. Consumers are using more over the counter (OTC) medication and placing more beneficial value on organic health products, such as vitamins and supplements made from natural ingredients, which could impact demand for prescription drugs. 19 “Consumer health in the Philippines 2023,” Euromonitor, October 2023.

Businesses operating in this field may end up benefiting from universal healthcare policies. If initiatives are implemented that integrate healthcare systems, rationalize copayments, attract and retain talent, and incentivize investments, they could potentially help to strengthen healthcare provision and quality.

Businesses may also need to navigate an increasingly complex landscape of diverse health needs, digitization, and price controls. Digital and data transformations are being seen to facilitate improvements in healthcare delivery and access, with leading digital health apps getting more than one million downloads. 20 Google Play Store, September 27, 2023. Digitization may create an opportunity to develop healthcare ecosystems that unify touchpoints along the patient journey and provide offline-to-online care, as well as potentially realizing cost efficiencies.

Consumer and retail

Growth in the retail and wholesale trade and consumer goods sectors is projected to remain stable in 2024, at 4 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

Inflation, however, continues to put consumers under pressure. While inflation rates may fall—predicted to reach 4 percent in 2024—commodity prices may still remain elevated in the near term, a top concern for Filipinos. 21 “IMF raises Philippine growth forecast,” July 26, 2023; “Nomura downgrades Philippines 2024 growth forecast,” September 11, 2023. In response to challenging economic conditions, 92 percent of consumers have changed their shopping behaviors, and approximately 50 percent indicate that they are switching brands or retail providers in seek of promotions and better prices. 22 “Philippines consumer pulse survey, 2023,” McKinsey, November 2023.

Online shopping has become entrenched in Filipino consumers, as they find that they get access to a wider range of products, can compare prices more easily, and can shop with more convenience. For example, a McKinsey Philippines consumer sentiment survey in 2023 found that 80 percent of respondents, on average, use online and omnichannel to purchase footwear, toys, baby supplies, apparel, and accessories. To capture the opportunity that this shift in Filipino consumer preferences brings and to unlock growth in this sector, retail organizations could turn to omnichannel strategies to seamlessly integrate online and offline channels. Businesses may need to explore investments that increase resilience across the supply chain, alongside researching and developing new products that serve emerging consumer preferences, such as that for natural ingredients and sustainable sources.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is a key contributor to the Philippine economy, contributing approximately 19 percent of GDP in 2022, employing about 7 percent of the country’s labor force, and growing in line with GDP at approximately 6 percent between 2023 and 2024. 23 McKinsey analysis based on input from industry experts.

Some changes could be seen in 2024 that might affect the sector moving forward. The focus toward building resilient supply chains and increasing self-sufficiency is growing. The Philippines also is likely to benefit from increasing regional trade, as well as the emerging trend of nearshoring or onshoring as countries seek to make their supply chains more resilient. With semiconductors driving approximately 45 percent of Philippine exports, the transfer of knowledge and technology, as well as the development of STEM capabilities, could help attract investments into the sector and increase the relevance of the country as a manufacturing hub. 24 McKinsey analysis based on input from industry experts.

To secure growth, public and private sector support could bolster investments in R&D and upskill the labor force. In addition, strategies to attract investment may be integral to the further development of supply chain infrastructure and manufacturing bases. Government programs to enable digital transformation and R&D, along with a strategic approach to upskilling the labor force, could help boost industry innovation in line with Industry 4.0 demand. 25 Industry 4.0 is also referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Priority products to which manufacturing industries could pivot include more complex, higher value chain electronic components in the semiconductor segment; generic OTC drugs and nature-based pharmaceuticals in the pharmaceutical sector; and, for green industries, products such as EVs, batteries, solar panels, and biomass production.

Information technology business process outsourcing

The information technology business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) sector is on track to reach its long-term targets, with $38 billion in forecast revenues in 2024. 26 Khriscielle Yalao, “WHF flexibility key to achieving growth targets—IBPAP,” Manila Bulletin , January 23, 2024. Emerging innovations in service delivery and work models are being observed, which could drive further growth in the sector.

The industry continues to outperform headcount and revenue targets, shaping its position as a country leader for employment and services. 27 McKinsey analysis based in input from industry experts. Demand from global companies for offshoring is expected to increase, due to cost containment strategies and preference for Philippine IT-BPO providers. New work setups continue to emerge, ranging from remote-first to office-first, which could translate to potential net benefits. These include a 10 to 30 percent increase in employee retention; a three- to four-hour reduction in commute times; an increase in enabled talent of 350,000; and a potential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 1.4 to 1.5 million tons of CO 2 per year. 28 McKinsey analysis based in input from industry experts. It is becoming increasingly more important that the IT-BPO sector adapts to new technologies as businesses begin to harness automation and generative AI (gen AI) to unlock productivity.

Talent and technology are clear areas where growth in this sector can be unlocked. The growing complexity of offshoring requirements necessitates building a proper talent hub to help bridge employee gaps and better match local talent to employers’ needs. Businesses in the industry could explore developing facilities and digital infrastructure to enable industry expansion outside the metros, especially in future “digital cities” nationwide. Introducing new service areas could capture latent demand from existing clients with evolving needs as well as unserved clients. BPO centers could explore the potential of offering higher-value services by cultivating technology-focused capabilities, such as using gen AI to unlock revenue, deliver sales excellence, and reduce general administrative costs.

Sustainability

The Philippines is considered to be the fourth most vulnerable country to climate change in the world as, due to its geographic location, the country has a higher risk of exposure to natural disasters, such as rising sea levels. 29 “The Philippines has been ranked the fourth most vulnerable country to climate change,” Global Climate Risk Index, January 2021. Approximately $3.2 billion, on average, in economic loss could occur annually because of natural disasters over the next five decades, translating to up to 7 to 8 percent of the country’s nominal GDP. 30 “The Philippines has been ranked the fourth most vulnerable country to climate change,” Global Climate Risk Index, January 2021.

The Philippines could capitalize on five green growth opportunities to operate in global value chains and catalyze growth for the nation:

• Renewable energy: The country could aim to generate 50 percent of its energy from renewables by 2040, building on its high renewable energy potential and the declining cost of producing renewable energy.
• Solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing: More than a twofold increase in annual output from 2023 to 2030 could be achieved, enabled by lower production costs.
• Battery production: The Philippines could aim for a $1.5 billion domestic market by 2030, capitalizing on its vast nickel reserves (the second largest globally). 31 “MineSpans,” McKinsey, November 2023.
• Electric mobility: Electric vehicles could account for 15 percent of the country’s vehicle sales by 2030 (from less than 1 percent currently), driven by incentives, local distribution, and charging infrastructure. 32 McKinsey analysis based on input from industry experts.
• Nature-based solutions: The country’s largely untapped total abatement potential could reach up to 200 to 300 metric tons of CO 2 , enabled by its biodiversity and strong demand.

The Philippine economy: Three scenarios for growth

Having grown faster than other economies in Southeast Asia in 2023 to end the year with 5.6 percent growth, the Philippines can expect a similarly healthy growth outlook for 2024. Based on our analysis, there are three potential scenarios for the country’s growth. 33 McKinsey analysis in partnership with Oxford Economics.

Slower growth: The first scenario projects GDP growth of 4.8 percent if there are challenging conditions—such as declining trade and accelerated inflation—which could keep key policy rates high at about 6.5 percent and dampen private consumption, leading to slower long-term growth.

Soft landing: The second scenario projects GDP growth of 5.2 percent if inflation moderates and global conditions turn out to be largely favorable due to a stable investment environment and regional trade demand.

Accelerated growth: In the third scenario, GDP growth is projected to reach 6.1 percent if inflation slows and public policies accommodate aspects such as loosening key policy rates and offering incentive programs to boost productivity.

Focusing on factors that could unlock growth in its seven critical sectors and themes, while adapting to the macro-economic scenario that plays out, would allow the Philippines to materialize its growth potential in 2024 and take steps towards achieving longer-term, sustainable economic growth.

Jon Canto is a partner in McKinsey’s Manila office, where Frauke Renz is an associate partner, and Vicah Villanueva is a consultant.

The authors wish to thank Charlene Chua, Charlie del Rosario, Ryan delos Reyes, Debadrita Dhara, Evelyn C. Fong, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, Frances Lee, Aaron Ong, and Liane Tan for their contributions to this article.

Explore a career with us

Related articles.

The Philippines Growth Dialogues

What does 2023 hold for the Philippines’ economy?

On the verge of a digital banking revolution in the Philippines

More From Forbes

The #1 Mistake Business Owners Are Making. Are You Doing It Too?

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

As a business owner, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations and lose track of the bigger picture. One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make too frequently is not monitoring their data. Numbers might not be the most exciting part of running a business, but they're essential for making informed decisions and tracking progress towards your goals.

Without a clear understanding of your business metrics, it's challenging to identify areas for improvement or measure the success of your initiatives. Whether it's customer feedback, sales figures, or website traffic, tracking your data can help you stay on top of your game and ensure your business reaches its full potential.

Tracking data in your business will help you make informed business decisions, which will lead to making more money in your business.

Data is crucial for optimizing operations. If you're not accurately monitoring various metrics such as lead generation, website traffic, and sales patterns, you could be missing out on valuable insights that can transform your business.

By analyzing your data , you can detect trends and patterns that can inform your next move and help you streamline your processes to maximize profits. Moreover, data tracking allows you to identify potential problems before they turn into major issues and take corrective measures before it's too late.

With the right tools and expertise, data tracking can help take your business to the next level.

Here are the top three areas I recommend business owners to track:

To the moon elon musk s dramatic return to crypto falls flat as sudden price crash spooks bitcoin ethereum xrp solana and dogecoin traders, 5 high-paying remote jobs that pay up to $300k in 2024, what time is taylor swift the eras tour taylor s version premiering on disney, 1. marketing.

Every marketing campaign needs to be tracked, measured, and evaluated to ensure its success. Without proper monitoring, businesses are gambling on outcomes that could cost them thousands of dollars.

But with so many metrics and data points available, it can be challenging to determine which ones to track and which ones to ignore. That's where Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) come in. These are important metrics that directly tie to the success of your marketing campaign.

By tracking marketing KPIs , you can identify areas for improvement, see what’s working, and adjust your strategies accordingly.

For sales teams, it's important to identify the specific sales KPIs that will help you monitor progress and identify areas for improvement. Some critical sales KPIs to track may include conversion rates, average deal size, and pipeline velocity.

Additionally, it can be helpful to evaluate the effectiveness of your sales team by tracking metrics like the number of calls made, meetings scheduled, and customer satisfaction ratings.

By keeping a close eye on these important metrics, you'll be better equipped to make data-driven decisions and drive results across your sales organization .

3. Financial

Tracking KPIs is essential to ensure that your company is achieving its financial goals. Financial KPIs are especially critical since they help you measure how well your business is performing, which will help you make informed decisions and plan.

Some of the most important financial KPIs include revenue growth, gross profit margin, net profit margin, cash flow, and return on investment. While there are several other financial KPIs to consider, these are the key metrics that will provide you with a broad and accurate picture of your business's financial performance.

By tracking these metrics regularly, you'll be able to identify trends, spot potential issues early, and make data-driven decisions that will help your business thrive.

The bottom line is as a business owner, your ultimate goal is to make a profit. By tracking KPIs in marketing, sales, and finance, you'll gain invaluable insight into the health of your business. Not only will you be able to identify areas where you need to improve, but you'll also be able to make informed decisions that enhance your chances of increasing profitability. With the right KPIs, you'll be well-equipped to steer your business towards success.

Melissa Houston, CPA is the author of Cash Confident: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Creating a Profitable Business . She is the founder of She Means Profit, which is a podcast and blog . As a Finance Strategist for small business owners, Melissa helps successful business owners increase their profit margins so that they keep more money in their pocket and increase their net worth.

The opinions expressed in this article are not intended to replace any professional or expert accounting and/or tax advice whatsoever.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Please, Write My Essay for Me!

Congratulations, now you are the wittiest student in your classroom, the one who knows the trick of successful and effortless studying. The magical spell sounds like this: "Write my essay for me!" To make that spell work, you just need to contact us and place your order.

If you are not sure that ordering an essay writing service is a good idea, then have no doubts - this is an absolutely natural desire of every aspiring student. Troubles with homework are something all learners have to experience. Do you think that the best high-achievers of your class pick the essays from some essay tree? - They have to struggle with tasks as well as you do. By the way, the chances are that they are already our customers - this is one of the most obvious reasons for them to look that happy.

Some students are also worried that hiring professional writers and editors is something like an academic crime. In reality, it is not. Just make sure that you use the received papers smartly and never write your name on them. Use them in the same manner that you use books, journals, and encyclopedias for your papers. They can serve as samples, sources of ideas, and guidelines.

So, you have a writing assignment and a request, "Please, write my essay for me." We have a team of authors and editors with profound skills and knowledge in all fields of study, who know how to conduct research, collect data, analyze information, and express it in a clear way. Let's do it!

Don’t Drown In Assignments — Hire an Essay Writer to Help!

Does a pile of essay writing prevent you from sleeping at night? We know the feeling. But we also know how to help it. Whenever you have an assignment coming your way, shoot our 24/7 support a message or fill in the quick 10-minute request form on our site. Our essay help exists to make your life stress-free, while still having a 4.0 GPA. When you pay for an essay, you pay not only for high-quality work but for a smooth experience. Our bonuses are what keep our clients coming back for more. Receive a free originality report, have direct contact with your writer, have our 24/7 support team by your side, and have the privilege to receive as many revisions as required.

We have the ultimate collection of writers in our portfolio, so once you ask us to write my essay, we can find you the most fitting one according to your topic. The perks of having highly qualified writers don't end there. We are able to help each and every client coming our way as we have specialists to take on the easiest and the hardest tasks. Whatever essay writing you need help with, let it be astronomy or geography, we got you covered! If you have a hard time selecting your writer, contact our friendly 24/7 support team and they will find you the most suitable one. Once your writer begins the work, we strongly suggest you stay in touch with them through a personal encrypted chat to make any clarifications or edits on the go. Even if miscommunications do happen and you aren't satisfied with the initial work, we can make endless revisions and present you with more drafts ASAP. Payment-free of course. Another reason why working with us will benefit your academic growth is our extensive set of bonuses. We offer a free originality report, title, and reference page, along with the previously mentioned limitless revisions.

Check your email inbox for instructions from us on how to reset your password.

Allene W. Leflore

Read what our clients have to say about our writing essay services!

Customer Reviews

We suggest our customers use the original top-level work we provide as a study aid and not as final papers to be submitted in class. Order your custom work and get straight A's.

How Our Essay Service Works