There are at least a half dozen questions that have become interview standards. What is your greatest weakness is one of those questions. Do employers really want to know what your greatest weakness is or do they simply want to know if you will be honest or arrogant? Employers want to know if you can perform the necessary duties of the position for which you are applying.
How should you respond?
Always pair your weakness with a path to improvement.
1. Avoid listing skills critical to the position you are applying for.
2. Discuss a skill you have improved on.
3. Do your best to turn a negative into a positive.
Never respond with answers like:
• I am rarely on time
• I don’t like to work in groups
• My work space is a little messy but I can find everything
• Sometimes my honesty hurts people’s feelings
• I takes me a long time to make decisions
Do any of these “weaknesses” sound familiar?
• Taking on too many projects at once because you want to help your team
• Spending a lot of time on a project because you want it to be perfect
• Very critical of your work because you hold yourself to high standards
• Public speaking makes you nervous but you have just joined your local Toast Masters Club
• You ask a lot of questions to be sure you are clear about what is expected of you
Interview preparation is essential. Practice what you will say before your interview and remember to always end the discussion about weaknesses with a focus on your strengths and what you do well.
Nicki Sanders, The Packaged For Success Coach, is an experienced trainer, group facilitator, and program manager. She has packaged her Masters of Social Work degree and over 15 years of work experience into Packaged For Success, a training and professional development company. Packaged For Success provides career coaching to college students, entry-level job hunters, and experienced employees seeking a promotion. Packaged For Success also offers communication and productivity improvement training for employees and supervisors and provides consultation on building sustainable, impactful, socially responsible community programs.
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