Examples of your weaknesses interview question

Post Reply New Topic

This is one of the most common interview questions.. from what I've experienced and heard, there's little that you can say that'll substantially raise your chances of getting the job but plenty that'll substantially lower your chances. I'm looking for ways to fine tune my approach - currently, what I try to do is to mention obvious weaknesses that the interviewer probably already realized before meeting with me.

Why simply address obvious weaknesses?

- It shows that you're honest in admitting to weaknesses.
- Implicitly, there's already a list of reasons not to hire you (which may or may not be small compared to the reasons why they *should* hire you.) You want to mention a weakness already on that list as opposed to adding new weaknesses to the list.
- It shows you are aware of your own shortcomings that the interviewer also is aware of (and perhaps you can follow up with how you're progressing in fixing these weaknesses.)

The way I see it, there's little to gain but a lot to lose when asked this question. You want to give answers that'll still maintain the same level of confidence the interviewer had in your prior to asking the "your biggest weaknesses" question. What do you think?

Such questions are incredibly stupid.

The official advice is to list a "weakness" that's the product of abusing a strength. For example, you tend to get so focused on your work you lose track of time and forget to stop for breaks, etc.

Again. It's stupid. Interviewers know that's the kind of answer you're trained to give, and I'll be damned if I admit to any significant flaws to an interviewer knowing it could end my chances of getting hired.

It's a social negotiation. It's like in a business setting where the company cannot fix a machine. We need to tell the customer the machine cannot be fixed (or is not covered by warranty), but also for them to feel okay at the end of the conversation.

A job interview is generally a time for light, on-the-surface.

-----

The other advice I've heard, in the Category of the Zen Keep it Simple, Focus on the Obvious, Let the Obvious Be The Obvious: . . . Show up five minutes early! . . . Know what the company does!

I saw this on the bulletin board at a community colllege. Yeah, it's obvious advice, almost insultingly so. But, but taken in the context of not oversweating the details and not thinking a situation, okay, alright, it's acceptable. A little mantra to tell yourself on the way to the interview. In fact, it's almost humorous.

Later on, I like to analyze. Like zer0netgain suggests, why do companies ask such a stereotypical, no-win question? I have no idea!

Hi,

Thanks very much for this comment. It help me to think about my ideals.

Tks again and pls keep posting.

I guess I'd say that I have perfectionist tendencies which can sometimes lead to dissatisfaction with my own performance and which can sometimes impede fast decisionmaking. Then I would add the corrolary that it means I do a good job and I'm competant and accurate.

this is about what i was going to say.

it's obviously some kind of trap or trick question. i have always assumed the correct answer is one where you spin the question to saying something positive about yourself. like "i can sometimes almost be too much of a perfectionist." i guess this is almost what KaiG said. i really don't think they want to know that you can admit to weaknesses.

it's probably just like an explanation i've read somewhere here by someone (don't remember who) that someone asking "how are you?" isn't a question about how you are at all, but a way of gaining information about your state of mind. unless you're applying for a job in a very specialized field where your experience matters 100% and personality or other characteristics matter zero, where you are unquestionably more qualified than the competition, i bet this question and a lot of interview questions are more to get an idea of what you will be like to work with than anything else. they are probably character questions rather than informational questions.

I suppose it depends on the job. If it was customer service, I can see how being in a no-win situation with an unhappy customer could occur daily.