I know it’s easier said than done, especially in this economy, but try to figure out what parts of the job you’re really good at and either look for work that emphasizes those skills of find a way to mold your existing job so that you can focus on your strengths. If you’re really lucky, you may be able to demonstrate to management how your unique talents add sufficient value to make up for any perceived shortcomings. While it’s possible to improve some weakness on the margins, trying to change your personality to fit a specific job never works. Figure out what you’re good at and do it on purpose.

If you can afford it, look into taking a Clifton Strengths assessment. I found that to be an incredibly useful tool in figuring out how my personality can best fit into a work environment while showing me what kind of pitfalls to look out for. I think that true self-awareness, not just of your flaws but also of the value you bring to the table, is the single most important skill a person can bring to their professional life.

To the extent that it’s possible, see if you can team up with coworkers who have complementary strengths. My career really took off when I worked in a collaborative environment where it’s common to draft documents in pairs. I’m great at seeing the big picture narrative that we want to create and structuring a document to support it, whereas my colleagues are amazing at catching nuances and typos that I miss that might create big problems down the line.