How to answer the interview question about your weaknesses
PROSAPIA Denmark - Headhunting of SAP Specialists and Managers
...the classic "reveal a weakness as a strength" answer.
We've all done it (or at least, we can safely say that most people have): encountered the "Now, tell us about your weaknesses"-question right after the "What are your strengths"-question. While most professionals have little to no doubt about their strengths and how they (over-)perform well, many genuinely struggle to answer this weakness question for many reasons. First, having sufficient self-knowledge and insight into your weaknesses is difficult. It indeed requires a willingness to be honest with yourself. Especially because it is almost taboo in an open business setting, where talking about strengths and a fellow professional's positive aspects is much more socially accepted. Need we explain this more?
Even your best colleagues may be reluctant to answer the "what are my weaknesses"-question despite being in a 1:1 session with you. It is "risky business" to be too direct, and most people don't want to risk hurting others' feelings. It may come back to haunt them, eventually. Hence the safe option is to avoid the question or talk about "how you can improve," which, of course, is the more constructive version. However, what if a professional suffers from true weaknesses that can't be easily corrected, developed, or improved? Most would be prepared to even lie about future development potential rather than being blunt in your face about someone else's weaknesses.
So when being asked about your weaknesses in an interviewing session, it can potentially become even harder. This is why candidates sometimes try to give answers a positive spin.?
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Example: "My weakness is that I work too hard."
To a potential employer, this may sound like a weakness, but it really isn't. By weaknesses, we mean understanding your shortcomings (and/or characteristics that are below par) as they may impact your professional work, performance, or even the company culture. Any manager understands that everybody has weaknesses, and not revealing any of them may make you sound disingenuous, potentially harming your credibility.
The best thing you can do is admit your weaknesses AND follow up immediately by telling how you compensate for them to minimise their impact.