3 Ways to Answer tell me about your weakness

One of the most common interview questions is, "tell me about your weakness". Most of us cringe at the thought of answering this type of question because our natural tendency is to want to portray our strengths instead of admitting to our flaws. This is a question you will probably be asked so it is important to make sure you are prepared for it. Read on to find out how 3 ways to answer tell me about your weakness.

What is the Interviewer is looking for?

Now, you may think this is a pointless question. I mean, why someone would want to know what my weaknesses are? Wouldn’t they rather hear about my strengths? Well, they don’t. In fact, interviewers want to see if you are honest and willing to admit that you are not perfect. They want to hear from you that you do have weaknesses that you are working on. Just remember that the person interviewing you is not some corporate god and they, like all of us, have some weaknesses as well. The first thing you should do is be honest and state a current weakness that you have. On the downside, interviewers also ask this question in order to see if you lack a primary skill that it takes to be successful in the position you are interviewing for. So you must be careful or you can raise some red flags about your candidacy.

How to Answer this Question?

This question is very important and there are many ways you can answer it without sounding scripted. The first step to avoid in answering this question is the cliché that all of us are used to hearing. The most common way of answering this question is to use a strength and try and make it sound like a weakness, Interviewers are not amateurs, and they weren’t born yesterday. If you answer this question by saying you work too hard or you are a perfectionist, then you can guarantee that you just lost some points with your interviewer. The problems with these two answers are that they are way too common and they aren’t actually weakness (which is what the interviewer is looking for). Instead, you can answer this question in one of three ways:

Select a current weakness and how you plan on correcting it – This is one way you can tackle this question. In this case, you want to tell the interviewer about a current weakness you have (preferably not one that is essential to the job you are applying for) and tell them how you have been working to turn it into a strength that can ultimately benefit their company. For example, I might admit that one of my weaknesses is time management and taking on too much responsibility, which can conflict with the actual time in which I prefer to get projects completed. I might add that I’ve noticed this in the past and have attended various seminars on time management. Now I keep a day planner (this would be a good time to pull out your planner) and here’s how it has helped me so far. I understand this job requires someone who is timely and I have been working on perfecting this skill, will this skill perfected, I can be a great asset to your company.  As you can see, I’ve identified a weakness, told the interviewer how I recognized it as such, and explained how I was currently working on this weakness and how turning it into strength would benefit their company.

Select a technical weakness – This point relates to researching the job description and the company prior to the interview. If you have researched your job description and you see that the position requires you to use a certain program or system you haven’t used previously, this is your chance to explain this weakness to the interviewer. I call this the "safe" weakness question because you are displaying a weakness in regards to their current technology (think about it, how many interviewers expect their candidates to know the functionalists of their systems), this will not raise a red flag. Nine times out of ten, the employers are going to teach you to use their new systems anyway. For example, imagine you are applying for an accounting job that uses Yardi Payscan and you only have experience using Elite Systems. In this case, you might say, "I’ve noticed that your company uses Yardi Payscan. I have not used this system yet but I have experience using Elite Systems. I’ve learned the ins and outs of Elite Systems in a matter of weeks and I am sure I’ll be able to do the same with Yardi Payscan. I am a quick, efficient learner, especially when it comes to learning new systems. So I believe that this will not be a problem for me at all.  This answer can apply to any software or program.

Select a downfall in a previous company – This answer works extremely well if you are applying for a huge company but you only have experience in small groups or smaller companies. For example, I might say "one of my weaknesses is that I am not used to being employed in a company of a larger size. My previous job only had around twenty employees and was a rather small environment. However, although the environment was small, it allowed me to become an integral part of tasks that were not directly associated with my department. This opportunity allowed me to increase my multitasking skills and it allowed me to become a more integral part of many tasks outside of my own job description. I’m sure that your company values a person who is well-versed in a range of departments." With this example, you are showing the employer that, even though you are not used to working for a large company, you are willing to take the initiative to tackle other tasks that may stray from your specific job description.

How to NOT Answer this question?

Be very careful when answering this question because there is definitely a wrong way to answer it. Here are some errors many job candidates make when encountering this question:

Weaknesses that will actual hinder you from performing successfully – Although it is important to display an actual weakness, you don’t want to show you have a weakness that happens to play in integral part in the success of the position. For example, you don’t want to say that your biggest weakness is dealing with other people if you’re applying for a sales position. Giving an answer like that will probably signal the end of the interview.

Clichés – PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stay away from clichés such as "I am a perfectionist" or "I work too hard". Although these are strengths that can be considered a weakness, they don’t change the fact that everyone and their mother have used this response in an interview. Employer’s interview people frequently and have heard every answer in the book. Be sure to stay away from clichés and be original with your responses.  The best answers are going to come from your experiences.

Saying you don’t have a weakness – A common mistake among interviewees is the answer "I don’t have any weaknesses". You and the interviewer will immediately know that this is complete crap. Everyone has some sort of weaknesses. Boasting about not having a weakness is like saying you don’t have strength.  Just avoid this at all costs.

Example #1. (Trait Weakness)

Question: Tell Me About Your Greatest Weakness?

Answer:  One of my greatest weaknesses is time management. I am not implying that I can’t meet deadlines. It’s just that sometimes I tend to take on too much responsibility, which can sometimes conflict with the time I need to get things done. As soon as I noticed this problem, I began attending a few time management seminars. After doing so, I began keeping an agenda with me in which I would write down all my tasks based on importance and timeline. Doing this has helped me dramatically.

By giving this answer, you display that you do have a weakness that you are working to address. You also demonstrate that you have the ability to detect a weakness of your own and take the initiative to improve upon it.  Remember to not talk about a weakness that can hinder you from performing the job successfully.

Example #2. (Technical Weakness)

Question: Tell Me About Your Greatest Weakness?

Answer: From reviewing the job description, I can see that you’re using the ___________ software program. I have not used this program and I consider this to be one of my great weaknesses with respect to this position. Although I do not have experience using the __________ software program, I do have experience using __________ software. I learned how to use this program in a matter of days, so I’m confident it would not be a problem for me to adjust to the current system your company uses.

In this answer, you show that one of your weaknesses is the current software the company uses. You can back this up by telling the interviewer about a software program that you do have experience with and let the interviewer know how it will be easy to catch on to their current software.

Example # 3 (Weakness in Previous Company)

Question: Tell Me About Your Greatest Weakness

Answer:  I can see that your company currently has over __________ employees. The company I interned for only had around fifteen employees. I would say my greatest weakness pertaining to this job would be my lack of experience in working for a larger company. But the fact that we were a small company allowed me to become an integral part of many different departments. This helped me become very three-dimensional and I’m sure your company will benefit from this quality.

In this answer you took a downfall from a previous company and used it as a potential strength.

Please remember that when the interviewer asks you this question, they want to know what your greatest weakness is. The best thing you can do is be honest and avoid revealing a weakness that will hinder you. Also, the interviewer has heard all of the fluff answers, such as "I work too hard" and "I am a perfectionist". Be sure to avoid these responses and choose a realistic weakness that is not directly job-related. At the same time, inform the interviewer on how you have been working toward making it a strength and how this will benefit the company. Be sure that your answer sounds as natural and straightforward as possible.

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