Interview Weaknesses

"What are your weaknesses?"

In any job interview, there are several ways in which you can answer this loaded question, in order to turn it to your advantage. Here are some ideas you can use to answer ‘weakness' job interview questions.

Most recruitment agents will not be so cruel as to ask you to list all your weaknesses. In an interview, you will be expected to give your one biggest weakness.

Many interview candidates make the mistake of giving the clichéd answers like:

• "I am too much of a perfectionist"
• "I tend to prioritise my work over my personal life"

These answers are worn and stale, they are predictable, and more often than not they back-fire on the job applicant.

• Because these answers are so obvious, the recruitment agent will turn around and ask you a counter specific question that might leave you lost, and exposed.

Good Answer

The best answer that you can give to such a job interview question, will be to relate it to a weakness that is relevant to your specific field of expertise. This will make the recruitment agent realise that you are being honest & sincere in your interview. Never forget to say how you have learned from previous mistakes.

In the job interview, be confident and honest while you answer. Otherwise, the recruitment agent may take your attitude as being  flippant. An example answer to this type of job interview question would be:

• "I have faced difficulty in dealing with delegation, so I end up taking on more than I can handle."

Follow Up

Remember to follow this with something that would alert the recruitment agent to the fact you are actively working to correct this weakness:

• "But then I took a course in time management, and it is getting easier for me to delegate and manage the work within a team."

When the job interview turns towards any areas where you are weak, the safest thing you can do is tell the truth. If you have a problem dealing with pressure situations, say it. If you are not very good at team work, then say it.

Whatever you reveal as your weakness, it is important that you also tell the job interviewer that you are working on overcoming it, and how you are going about correcting it. If you have a problem managing time, tell them that you have now started using a planner and it is really helping you overcome your weakness.

They're Human, Too!

A recruitment agent is not a robot, he/she a real person. Make the interview interactive, ask the job interviewer what their opinion is. This is the best time to do that. If this is your first job you can say that your greatest weakness is your inexperience.

• But, because of your lack of experience, you have no pre-conceived opinions, and are open to learning new things.

There are a few points that job applicants need to keep top of mind, while answering a weakness interview question with a recruitment agent.

Open Case

Be open while answering this type of question. Your body language will give you away if you try to lie while answering such a question.

• Try to make it conversational. The reason why this question is asked in an interview is because all job applicants are allowed to have weaknesses. So, tell them your weakness in a conversational manner.
• Many job candidates end up slouching when asked weakness interview questions. Hold the right posture! Nothing is worse than a job candidate who is embarrassed of himself.
• Do not lie in the job interview. If you do land the job, your lie will be exposed. That in turn will be detrimental for your future career.

In any job interview, always make sure you list more strengths than weaknesses. But be careful; do not show too much arrogance or conceit while talking about your strengths. Humility is an attractive quality in a job applicant.

In a job interview, never say you have no weaknesses. Your recruitment agent is an adult and will instantly mark you off as pompous and unbelievable. A job applicant who has a few weaknesses, is better off, compared to a job applicant who claims to have none.