Interview Q&A: “What Is Your Biggest Weakness?”

What’s the best way to talk about weaknesses at job interviews? Talking about things that you don’t excel at can be tricky when you’re interviewing for a new job. When you’re asked about weaknesses, it’s important to respond carefully. You don’t want to cast any doubt on your ability to do the job.

What does the employer want to know? When you’re asked about your weaknesses, the employer wants to know whether you are qualified to do the job. They are also looking for indicators that show you’ve been able to learn new tasks and handle new challenges.

Here are ways to answer this question that will show your value as a candidate as opposed to coming off as a cliché;

You’ll want to use this question to demonstrate how you’ve used a weakness as motivation to learn a new skill or grow professionally. Everyone has weaknesses — your interviewer doesn’t expect you to be perfect.

If you’re applying for a copywriting position with little necessity for math skills, you might admit, “I struggle with numbers, and don’t have much experience with data analytics. While math is not directly tied to my role as a writer, I believe it’s important to have a rudimentary understanding of Google Analytics to ensure my work is performing well. To tackle this weakness, I’ve been taking online courses in data analytics.”

An answer like this shows the employer that you recognize your areas for growth and are able to act on them without being told to do so.

Be honest and choose a real weakness

The answer “perfectionism” won’t cut it when talking about your biggest weakness is simply because it’s not a real weakness.

Instead, choose a real weakness. Underneath the desire to do perfect work may lie a weakness of trust. Perhaps you don’t trust that you’ll be able to make mistakes on the team, so you strive to do everything perfectly. That’s a real weakness that you can definitely overcome.

Follow this answer with an example, such as:

“My greatest weakness is that I sometimes focus too much on the details of a project and spend too much time analyzing the finer points. I’ve been striving to improve in this area by checking in with myself at regular intervals and giving myself a chance to refocusing on the bigger picture. That way I can still ensure quality without getting so caught up in the details that it affects my productivity or the team’s ability to meet the deadline.”

Provide an example of how you’ve worked to improve upon your weakness

Employers don’t expect you to overcome your weaknesses completely overnight. Everyone has areas they must constantly work on to keep them sharp.

By providing an example of how you’re working to improve your area of weakness, you’ll give the interviewer a glimpse into a few positive attributes about your work style.

You can say; “I struggle with organization. While it hasn’t ever impacted my performance, I’ve noticed my messy desk and cluttered inbox nonetheless could interfere with my efficiency. Over time, I’ve learned to set aside time to organize my physical and digital space, and I’ve seen it improve my efficiency levels throughout the week.”

Demonstrate self-awareness and an ability to look to others for help to grow and improve

More often than not, you’re going to need to look outside of yourself to overcome a weakness. Whether you look to your supervisor or a mentor for help, the simple act of asking for help demonstrates self-awareness and resourcefulness — two skills that are hard to teach, but valuable to learn.

A good example answer; “Public speaking makes me nervous. While I don’t need to do much public speaking in my role as a web designer, I still feel that it’s an important skill — especially when I want to offer my opinion during a meeting. To combat this, I spoke with my manager and she recommended I speak at each team meeting for a few minutes about our project timeline, deadlines, and goals when developing a website for a client. This practice has enabled me to relax and see public speaking as an opportunity to help my team members do their jobs effectively.”

Pick a weakness that is relevant to the job

Be aware of the job requirements and don’t cite a weakness related to any of the required skills or desired qualities. If you’re an accountant, don’t talk about hating math or lack of attention to detail. If you’re in sales, don’t confess to being too reserved or lacking persistence.

Example: “I have a hard time letting a project go or sharing a task with others because I’m always convinced that I can do it all on my own and that asking for help will be taken as a sign of weakness. This has led to me taking on projects that have overwhelmed me and resulted in me being frustrated and angry. It hasn’t been easy learning to let go, but I’ve been working on trusting others and sharing the responsibilities for projects and as a result, have been able to really accomplish some incredible things.”

Ultimately

Remember, an employer is going to be much more impressed with a candidate who has the self-awareness to realize they’re not perfect and that they’re actively taking the initiative needed to improve themselves than they will be with someone who is convinced they are perfect and have no room for personal growth and change.

There is strength in every weakness.

Would you like to convince an interviewer that you are the best candidate for the job? Book an interview coaching session here and ace that interview!