What is Your Biggest Weakness?

It is the favourite question of every recruiter; a recruiter or hiring manager simply cannot complete an interview without asking this. Setting aside the need to ace interviews for a minute, why is it important to know your biggest weakness?

Let us take the example of my co-worker. She was really good at supply chain planning, but had a tendency to promptly lose her temper whenever negotiations with a vendor became difficult. For years, she had no idea of her own weakness because no one had pointed it out to her.

Another one my business partners excelled in product development - but struggled every time he was asked to prepare a business report. It stemmed from the fact that his academic background was in humanities and history throughout, and that he never had any exposure to the necessary reporting concepts.

While we are all engulfed in our own work and personal struggles, it pays to take a deeper look inside to understand our own weaknesses. Knowing this would be the first step towards becoming a better person, a better professional. Some of the most interesting weaknesses I have seen people struggle with are also the easiest to address. Is your weakness in this list below? Do work on it today, and share how you are going to overcome it!

• Speaking up at a Meeting
• Giving feedback to a Co-Worker
• Business Reporting
• Promoting a New Idea
• Stress Management
• Being in Charge of a Project

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Ahamed Naveed Hasan is a Supply Chain Management professional. Currently working as a Senior Specialist in Walmart's global sourcing function, he has studied Economics and Marketing at the University of Dhaka. Naveed is passionate about Supply Chain, Project Management and Organizational Behavior tactics, and enjoys exploring the convergence of these disciplines. Comments and opinions are the author's own.