How To Answer The Worst Interview Question Ever

A friend of mine called asking for advice about an upcoming interview. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say if the hiring manager asked about her biggest weakness. It occurred to me that it might be the most common and at the same time the most misunderstood interview question. Continue reading to learn how to turn this super awkward question into an opportunity to shine.

First of all, why would the hiring manager want to know about our weaknesses? Is it to discover our flaws and have a reason to reject us? Unfortunately, since candidates rarely understand the question, asking it during an interview is not very productive. Having said that, knowledge and a little practice will put you light years ahead of other candidates who never read this article.

The reason this question is so popular is very simple. By asking about weaknesses, the manager wants to know if the candidate is

• self aware, recognizes challenges
• willing to improve
• capable of dealing with issues independently.

Let's take a closer look. None of us is perfect, especially when it comes to our careers. The concept of continuous improvement, growth, and learning means that everybody has an area where they can become stronger. All we need to do to answer the question, is to demonstrate that reflection, feedback, learning and improvement is something we do all the time.

Unfortunately, the question often makes us scared and, as a result, defensive. I googled a few articles and discussion boards to find commonly offered answers, and none of them work. Let's review the most glaring examples.

• I don't have weaknesses means that you are not self-aware, will not accept feedback and won't strive for growth and improvement. This gives your interviewer some information about you, but doesn't paint you in a good light.
• I am a perfectionist means that you are trying to outsmart your potential boss. It also means that they just wasted a question and didn't learn anything useful about you. And you missed an opportunity to shine.
• I'm always late. I don't like speaking on the phone. I don't handle stress well. This might be true, but also outright scary. These qualities are work related and acknowledging them as weaknesses reduces your chances of getting the job. The fact that you know this about yourself and do nothing also looks bad.
• I hate avocados. Can't fold a fitted sheet. Parallel parking. These "cute" answers have nothing to do with the job and might seem harmless. The problem is, they are not helping you either. This is again, a waste of time for the manager, and a missed opportunity for you.

What is "weakness"?

Remember a "weakness" is not a personal flaw that you must carry through your entire life. Look at it as a skill or activity that you find more difficult than the rest. Usually in life, we need to work harder to become better in areas in which we are not naturally gifted. An area like this is your weakness. What you want to tell your interviewer is a story of how you recognized your weakness and turned it into a strength.

Here's the recipe for a perfect answer.

1. Think about a problem that you really have or had, perhaps something that made your previous job somewhat challenging. It has to be job related, but not a deal breaker for the position you are applying to.
2. Now state it in a way that clearly shows that you had this problem in the past.
3. Describe how it negatively affected or could have affected your work.
4. Tell how you overcame the problem. Ideally, it was through some self-training.
5. Describe how you became better at your job because of this experience.

Let's practice.

Read the examples below and reflect on how much you learn about each candidate, their honesty, humility, perseverance, commitment to excellence, sense of humor, self-motivation. Also, notice how each story pulls the listener in and opens a wide range of follow up questions.

In college I was a very shy person, public speaking terrified me to death. My first job was extremely stressful because I had to make monthly presentations to the entire office. I was lucky to have a great mentor who gave me excellent advice. With her help, I learned how to stay calm in front of the audience and eventually even learned to enjoy it. Last month I presented our department's marketing report to a room full of executives. It was very well received and it felt amazing.

My friends know me as a person who is always late. Being on time is challenging for me but what's OK with friends and family cannot be acceptable in a professional environment. I trained myself to take extra steps to be on time for meetings, especially with clients. I worked out a system of phone alarms that helps me plan my day and be more efficient. This one time I won a $100,000 deal by arriving 5 minutes early and riding in the elevator with the client's CFO.

When I was promoted to my first manager's role, I put all of my energy into supporting my team. Very quickly we were able to establish processes, improve quality, tackle automation and even some long standing technical debt. I loved working with my team but was quiet and reserved in the meetings with my manager, as well as around my peers and business folks. They seemed to be critical about me and my team, and it felt uncomfortable. Finally, I realized that networking up and out, building relationships and creating visibility actually is my job. I made a plan and spent a year getting more involved in collaborative initiatives across my business unit. At the end of the year, my team received a Vice President Excellence Award and it felt like one of the biggest accomplishments of my life.

I can go on like this forever. Now, your turn. Remember, your story has to be real, otherwise it wouldn't ring true.

What is your biggest weakness?

Good luck at the interview!

Like and share with your network! Send me questions about resume writing, interview techniques, leadership, and career growth. Read my other articles on the topic:

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• Read These 5 Books To Get Promotion, Raise, or New Job
• 5 Rules of Rewarding Teams and Individuals
• Why You Need a Hobby to Become a CEO
• Change Management: The Reason People Resist