“What are your weaknesses?” It’s really one of the toughest interview questions you can be asked. How prepared are you to answer it? Welcome to a make-or-break moment. You don’t want to give your potential employer a reason not to hire you.
So why is this question so popular? Interviewers tend to view this question as hard-hitting and revealing; hence necessary. It’s a curveball that can knock even a well-prepared candidate off their feet. The reason for this is that many candidates perceive admitting weakness as admitting to not being good enough. After all, admitting to an actual weakness can’t possibly help you in your quest to get the job, right?
Wrong.
Let’s mull over this. No human being is without weakness. Everyone has their flaws, and it’s impossible to be good at everything. Even wildly successful and well-known CEOs have their shortcomings. But their flaws don’t mean they’re not effective at their jobs. How you choose to respond to this question tells the interviewer a lot about who you are as a person. It’s not a question to take lightly; it definitely holds a lot of weight.
What are Interviewers Trying to Determine with this Question?
It seems counterintuitive to talk about your flaws in a situation where you’re meant to present your best self. If you think that interviewers are trying to trip you up by asking this question, then you’re looking at it from the wrong angle. And you may be setting yourself up for failure by holding on to this mind-set.
Here are a few reasons why interviewers tend to ask this question:
- To assess your level of self-awareness. How well can you reflect on yourself, your skills, and areas you should improve on?
- To gauge the kind of person you are – your character and personality
- To see whether you can think on your feet under pressure
- To determine whether you have any critical flaws that could affect your productivity on the job
It’s a question that should get you to think deeply about yourself. It could also be worded a little differently. So, keep a lookout for “What would you change about yourself if you could?”, “Tell me about a time when you let your team down?” or “What would you say you struggled with at your previous job?”
Take note of how they phrase the question and tailor your response accordingly. Having one set way of answering the question can make you sound robotic. You don’t want to seem off-putting. Your answer should come across as off-the-cuff and should also be authentic.
Also, interviewers can sniff a phony answer from a mile away. They’ve done this before and practically seen it all. Giving authentic answers shows your interviewer that you’re self-aware, honest, and confident in who you are – traits your interviewers will positively respond to.
How to Answer “What is Your Greatest Weakness?”
There are right and wrong ways to go about answering this question. Here are a few guidelines to help you answer this question.
But first, let’s talk about the weaknesses you should choose. Remember, it’s a job interview, and you should be careful about what you bring up. Saying along the lines of “I don’t exercise enough” can make it seem like you’re dodging the question.
Ideally, the weakness you choose should be:
- Relevant to professional competencies
- Fixable. It should be something you could feasibly improve over time with enough personal effort.
- Not fundamental to the role. Imagine being an accountant who’s not good with numbers. How would that work?
So, let’s get to it. How do you answer “What is your greatest weakness?” There are several strategies you can use.
1. Own it
You could always take a weakness and transform it into a strength. This strategy is one of the most popular ways of answering this question. It’s an old formula, and while there’s nothing wrong with it, you’re not really answering the question. Plus, interviewers can tell when it’s just a story you’ve put together. The key is to be authentic and choose something that’s an actual weakness for you. It shows humility and vulnerability. For instance, maybe you struggle with patience. You could always phrase this as a “strength” and say it’s because you’re a go-getter and always focused on getting results. But this could make you sound defensive, and you don’t want this. Why not admit to it? You’ll be more relatable and come across as self-aware.
“My weakness is that I get impatient especially when projects overrun their due dates. I get uncomfortable and frustrated when work is not completed on time. You could say I’m a stickler for deadlines. To avoid such situations, I decided to help foster efficiency throughout the project by ensuring milestones are met and reviewed and thereby help out my teammates whenever I can.”
2. The “Irrelevant” Weakness
Remember, the weakness should be authentic but not fundamental to the role. A great strategy is to choose a generic weakness that can apply to any position. It shouldn’t be utterly irrelevant, like your addiction to knitting and crocheting. The key is to demonstrate that you’ve taken significant steps to address it.
“At the beginning of my career, scheduling was a very big problem for me. I had difficulties managing the level of work that was expected of me and maintain a healthy work life balance. I took on too much and this impacted on my ability to focus. I’ve since attended time-management seminars and I make sure to create space in my schedule for my personal needs. My output is now more qualitative and I can get more work done better than I could before.”
3. Show Ongoing Effort to Mitigate Critical Weaknesses
Always show proactivity, no matter the weakness you choose. Let’s say you’re uncomfortable with ambiguity. Odds are you won’t find a job whose role is defined down to the finer details. Show the interviewer that you’re mindful and can take steps to prevent your weakness from creating issues in the workplace. You could say:
“I tend to get uncomfortable when tackling an ambiguous assignment. I like to follow instructions as I find they’re a great way to measure milestones. However, I’ve realized uncertainty is inevitable in almost every situation. Instead of relying on others to set project goals on my behalf, I can do this on my own. I do this by conducting research and asking for expert advice and this has helped me thrive even when working on projects with ambiguous goals or targets.”
Takeaway
Instead of talking around your weaknesses, lay them on the table and start a real conversation. Inadvertently, this will shift to focus on the traits that actually matter – your strengths.
About nexus IT group
Google best IT staffing agencies near me and you’re sure to find nexus IT group at the top of the page. Our IT firm recruits top tech talent in large cities like Dallas, Kansas City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York CIty. If you have an immediate IT opening, or are a job seeker looking to advance your IT career, you’ve come to the right IT staffing firm, contact nexus IT group. We have access to highly skilled, tech talent most recruiters can’t easily get in front of, so let our IT recruiting team show you why so many companies trust our staffing agency with their most important IT hires.
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