What is your weakness? is such a common question in job interviews that it’s fair to say it’s universality expected (and apprehended) by interviewees across all industries. It’s easy to see why: it’s a question that can quickly turn into a deal-breaker. Pick the wrong weakness and you might accidentally label yourself as unqualified. Or, you may say something so trivial that it makes you seem too “perfect,” which really means you come across as unprepared and insincere… But with proper planning, this question can help you showcase your ability to self-reflect and your commitment to personal growth.
In our blog, we’re going to outline the steps that you should take to help you feel confident in tackling this question. As we’ve said, it is a really common question. Whether you’re asked it or not, we’re certain that this preparation will help you in your next interview, as you can easily feed our tips into other questions you might be asked on the day!
Understanding the Purpose of the Question
Why do employers ask this question?
When employers ask “What is your biggest weakness?”, they aren’t trying to catch you out. This question is designed to give you an opportunity to demonstrate that you have self awareness and an ability to improve your skills at work. In recruitment, it can be expected that a chosen candidate might not be able to jump straight into their new role right away. They need time to settle into the company culture and learn new processes. Employers value candidates who show a willingness to learn and develop themselves, as it can make the onboarding process run much more smoothly. It allows them to assess any areas you might need more direction within your role, and it also demonstrates your ability to take criticism on board. This question is ultimately about finding out if you’re the type of employee who is open to feedback and overcoming challenges, qualities that many hiring managers consider crucial in their search.
How it tests your problem-solving skills
This question is an excellent chance for hiring managers to test your problem-solving skills. As it’s such a common question, you’ll likely not be expected to be thinking completely on the spot: this question shouldn’t come out of the blue! Employers are interested in hearing about the weakness you’re going to talk about, and, perhaps more importantly, how you contextualise it in relation to your experience and the role you’re applying for. Effectively, this question should force you to think about concrete examples and realistic solutions. A well thought out answer should be as specific as possible, avoiding vagueness or generic answers that anybody could give.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Oversharing, or being extremely generic
When answering this question, it’s important to avoid common pitfalls. A common mistake an interviewee might make is striving to be just a little bit too honest. By this, we mean it’s important to avoid oversharing weaknesses that are personal or completely irrelevant to the job. As an example, we’d recommend you avoid using emotional language such as “hating” a specific activity, such as saying that you “hate working with new technology.” Always focus on what could help you improve your ability to perform the task as opposed to how it makes you feel, as failing to do so might come across as a red flag. You may appear unwilling to change your ways. As much as it’s tempting, avoid using clichéd answers such as “I work too hard” or “I am a perfectionist” (unless you’re prepared to have some strong evidence to back these claims up). This is because these answers seem very rehearsed and learned, so they are not giving the interviewers a good understanding of your own problem-solving skills.
Appearing unprepared…
As we stating in our introduction, this question can quickly turn into a deal-breaker if you’re not careful. One way it can do so it by appearing unprepared. It’s an incredibly common interview question, so a lack of response or the use of vague and generic answers can leave a negative impression. It suggests that you have not prepared for the interview, or simply lack an awareness of common interview practices, which can reflect poorly, especially if you’re applying for a more senior position. Employers expect that interviewees will have spent some time reflecting on their experiences before applying for this new role. A vague or unthoughtful answer will make it look like you’re avoiding the discussion of your personal growth or weaknesses. To avoid this, ensure that you do prepare in advance!
How to Choose the Right Weakness
Avoid those deal-breakers
As we’ve said, a lack of thought in approaching this question can quickly raise red flags. It’s important to think carefully about the type of role you’re applying for to avoid giving out a weakness that is a crucial skill in the role. To do this, we need to careful read the job description. After reading this article, why not take a look at our blog “What is a job description? A guide to understanding job adverts” to ensure you understand how to tackle this task. In short, you need to ensure that the weakness you give is not listed as an “essential” feature of the job. As an example, if you’re a computer programmer, and the job asks for an excellent knowledge of Python, don’t list that as a weakness. If you’ve assessed yourself and are confident in your abilities to do the job despite any past struggles, consider listing another language as your weakness, one that does not appear in the essential part of the job description.
Chose a skill, not a personality trait
When you’re preparing for this question, avoid focusing on your personality traits. This is because these are a part of who you are, and likely impact you outside of the workplace just as much as in it. They are therefore “weaknesses” (if that is how we will call them) that are incredibly difficult to change. On top of that, your skills are more important in showing your ability to do the role, so this is where you should concentrate your efforts. As an example, if you’re a very extroverted person and love chatting to everyone in the office, avoid saying that you’re “chatty” Simply rephrase it and show self-awareness as to how this may impact your colleagues.
Consider saying something along the lines of: “I’m a very confident speaker, so I love group projects, but sometimes this means my quieter team members struggle to give their opinions. I therefore find it helpful to allow other group members to speak before me, so that everyone has a chance to be heard. I have found that my group projects have really benefited from this approach.”
Turning a Weakness into a Strength
Give context
This hint links into our suggestion to avoid being vague or generic. When you are discussing your weakness of choice, it’s important for you to contextualise it. Effectively, this means you need to show some “evidence” that this has impacted you or your colleagues in the past. This is important because it demonstrates that your self-awareness is genuine, and that you are not simply giving an example of something you feel unconfident about for no apparent reason. As we’ve explained in our other blogs, imposter syndrome is common in the workplace, so your interviewer needs concrete examples to understand that the weaknesses you’re giving are rooted in reality.
Show positive improvement
Before we move into some examples to help you in your interview preparation, we wanted to highlight that it’s imperative that you show positive improvement in the weakness you have chosen. After all, the interviewer might be offering you a job and working with you shortly, so they need to have confidence in your personal development. Employers don’t just want you to have a good idea of your areas of weakness, they want you to be proactive about what techniques you can employ to develop your skills. Always utilise a tangible example. For example, if you’ve previously struggled with inbox management, discuss how you listened to a podcast aimed at working professionals that taught you how to implement inbox rules to organise your folders automatically.
Example Responses to ‘What is Your Weakness?’
If you’re impatient…
“In the past, I have noticed myself being impatient, either with myself or others, because I’m always eager to see results. However, I’ve come to recognise that many projects require a long-term vision, not only for the project’s success but also to continue collaboration with colleagues and clients. I have found that it’s been very beneficial to break my projects down into small milestones, that way I still get to celebrate project and recognise the work of others in my team.”
If you’re relatively inexperienced for the position…
“It’s true that I do not have five years’ experience in this industry, and that I am therefore a little inexperienced for this position. That being said, I’m incredibly passionate about the industry and I believe this gives me the opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to the company. I’ve developed my skills in a range of internships in the past, so I’m confident I have the ability to be adaptable to change and challenge myself.”
If you struggle to give feedback to others…
“I find it challenging to give others feedback sometimes, because I’m a very empathetic person and I want to make sure the comments I give are actually constructive. Rather than avoid giving feedback altogether, I’ve been practicing giving colleagues solutions to problems each time I need to offer criticism to their work, that way they don’t just feel like I’m pointing out issues. It is my hope that they see me as more of a mentor than a critic.”
This article was written by Lucy Hulton.
Last updated on 23 December 2024
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