You’re in a job interview and they ask you "what is your greatest weakness?" How do you answer this tricky question without sabotaging your chances of getting hired? In this article, you’ll learn how to use strategic communications skills to turn your weakness into a strength and showcase your potential to the employer.
The interviewer is not trying to catch you off guard or make you feel bad. They want to assess your self-awareness, honesty, and willingness to improve. They also want to see how you handle feedback and criticism, and how you cope with challenges and setbacks. By asking this question, they are looking for clues about your fit for the role, the culture, and the team.
1. Assess Self-awareness: Employers use this question to gauge candidates' self-awareness and honesty. It reveals if candidates can reflect on their areas for improvement, showcasing maturity and insight. 2. Evaluate Response Under Pressure: Interviewers want to see how candidates handle pressure and vulnerability. The question tests candidates' ability to respond gracefully to challenges, demonstrating resilience and adaptability.
What's your greatest weakness?" might sound intimidating, but in my experience as an HR professional, it's actually an opportunity! It's not a trick question. Interviewers want to see someone who's self-aware, acknowledges areas for improvement, and demonstrates a growth mindset. They're looking for someone who actively seeks to learn and become better.
When asked about my greatest weakness, I choose to be honest and self-aware. I believe that acknowledging our weaknesses is the first step towards personal growth. My greatest weakness is that I tend to be a perfectionist, which sometimes leads to spending more time on tasks than necessary. However, I am continuously working on improving my time management skills to strike a balance between quality and efficiency. It’s not about hiding our weaknesses, but it's about showing how we handle them that truly matters.
Before you go to the interview, think of a genuine weakness that you have and that is relevant to the job. Don’t pick something that is essential for the position, or that could raise serious red flags. For example, if you’re applying for a sales role, don’t say you’re bad at negotiating or closing deals. Instead, choose something that is important but not critical, and that you can demonstrate you’re working on. For example, you could say you’re sometimes too detail-oriented or too perfectionist, and that you’re learning to prioritize and delegate better.
Stating in a job interview that one of your weaknesses is that you are too perfectionist or too detail-oriented is not a good answer. It is trite. It is insincere. It is a cop out. State something that is negative that can also be turned into a positive, or something you are sincerely working on. For example, a genuine weakness can be that you don’t stay in your lane. You take on the work of others and have difficulty saying no to colleagues. You can also mention that it’s because you are really passionate about your work, but that you struggle with work/life balance. As a result of this, you make sure to communicate your workload regularly and ask for help when needed.
Preparation is key! Before the interview, take some time for self-reflection. Here's what I recommend: Identify a skill you're actively working on developing. For example, "I used to find public speaking situations quite nerve-wracking, but I took the initiative to enroll in a course to boost my confidence and delivery skills."
When you answer the question, use the STAR method to give a clear and concise response. This method stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. For instance, you could say that in a previous role as a project manager, you were responsible for overseeing multiple projects with tight deadlines and budgets. One of the projects was very complex and required a lot of attention to detail and quality control. Recognizing that you were spending too much time on the minor details and not enough on the big picture, you decided to delegate some of the tasks to your team members and focus on the key deliverables and milestones. As a result, you were able to complete the project on time and within budget, and received positive feedback from the client and your manager.
When crafting your answer, leverage the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Briefly explain the weakness, then showcase the specific steps you're taking to address it. This demonstrates a structured thought process, initiative, and a commitment to self-improvement.
To make your answer even more impressive, you can add value to it by emphasizing how your weakness can be a strength or how it can benefit the employer. For instance, you could state that being detail-oriented helps you deliver high-quality work and avoid mistakes and errors, which is valuable for a company with a reputation for excellence and innovation.
When answering the question "what is your greatest weakness?" in a job interview, it's important to be confident, positive, and brief. Avoid saying that you have no weaknesses or that you're perfect, as this will make you seem arrogant or dishonest. Additionally, don't give a fake or clichéd weakness, such as "I work too hard" or "I care too much", as this will make you seem insincere or unoriginal. Furthermore, don't give a vague or generic weakness, such as "I'm bad at time management" or "I'm not good at public speaking", as this will make you seem unprepared or unprofessional. Lastly, don't give a long or negative answer, or dwell on your weakness, as this will make you seem insecure or defensive. Instead, focus on how you're improving and how you can add value to the employer. With strategic communications skills and the right approach, you can turn this question into an opportunity to showcase your potential and impress the interviewer.
In an interview, when asked about my greatest weakness, I prioritize honesty and self-awareness. I pick a real challenge I've faced, not disguising a strength as a weakness. For instance, if handling tight deadlines was tough for me, I'd be open about it, and importantly, detail steps I've taken to improve, like adopting new time management strategies. This approach shows not just self-awareness but also my commitment to grow. It's about being truthful in recognizing areas for improvement and actively working to address them, demonstrating resilience and integrity.