How to Talk About Your Weaknesses in a Job Interview

When it comes to job interview questions, the classic “What are your greatest strengths?” is a softball. It’s an invitation to shine a spotlight on you. The curveball comes when you’re asked about weaknesses.

“Tell me about your greatest weaknesses” is a question many job candidates struggle to answer. And it’s no wonder: How do you talk to an interviewer about your shortcomings without undermining your candidacy?

Here are a few tips for job seekers.

Put your weaknesses in a positive light

Hiring managers aren’t looking to trip you up. Rather, they’re looking for clues of your self-awareness, honesty and motivation to self-improve. Your answer should be sincere and show professional growth.

Think about the limitations that have challenged you at work. For an objective assessment, gather material from past performance evaluations and notes from supervisors about areas for improvement. Then consider which of these offer an anecdote you could draw on and lessons you learned. 

Once you’ve established your weakness, craft a response that:

• Emphasizes the positive, avoiding negative words like failure or inept
• Talks about how you’ve transformed your weakness into a strength
• Shows how you recognize where you need to improve

On that last point, you can talk about the classes you’re taking, the mentor you’re working with or how you plan to get more professional training. You can even reference the apps you’ve discovered that help you track your time and collaborate more effectively. The key is to show that you recognize your flaws and what you’re doing to improve yourself. Use your answer to help set yourself apart from the competition.

Here’s an example:

“Although I always met my deadlines, I used to have a problem with procrastination, and I’d end up working really long days as a deadline approached. I decided that I needed to deal with the issue, so I took classes on project management and time management.”

Another strategy is to use the requirements of the job to drive your answer. For example, let’s say you’re not a strong writer, and you’re applying for a job as a graphic designer. The job description emphasizes the need for production design skills and specific software experience but doesn’t mention anything about content creation. So you could answer the question about weaknesses in an interview like this:

“I’ve always been on the design side of things and haven’t had much experience with content development, so I’d say that’s a weakness for me. However, I’m a quick learner.”

What to avoid in your answer

Yes, you want to present as a confident, skilled professional. But if you say, “I have no weaknesses,” you’ll likely get an eye roll. This kind of answer conveys arrogance and paints you as someone who is unable to understand and learn from your mistakes.

Employers are also wise to responses that attempt to frame a positive trait as weaknesses in a job interview. “I just work too hard” won’t impress anybody. If you’re going to claim “perfectionism” as your weakness, then acknowledge how it disrupts your or your colleagues’ work — and what you’re doing to correct it. For example:

“I hold myself to very high standards and sometimes put too much pressure on myself, especially as deadlines loom. I’ve learned to recognize when I’m starting to do this and I’m now able to keep myself in check.”

It’s not a trap, it’s an opportunity

Most people don’t like to talk about their shortcomings even in the best of circumstances.

But if the weakness question comes up during a job interview, and it likely will in one form or another, push past any feelings of discomfort. The interviewer isn’t setting a trap. Rather, they’re giving you opportunity to show how you learn from past mistakes and constructive criticism, your awareness of team and company needs, and the steps you’ll take to improve your professional development. Any employer would count those as strengths.

Want more interview prep tips? Visit Robert Half’s job interview resource page now!