- Inexperience with specific software or a non-essential skill.
- Tendency to take on too much responsibility.
- Nervousness about public speaking.
- Hesitancy about delegating tasks.
- Discomfort taking big risks.
- Impatience with bureaucracies.
Are you supposed to deny that you have one? Or go all confession time on recruiters and share your most genuine weakness?
The answer is neither. What you do is turn the situation to your advantage by framing your weaknesses positively.
So, wanna know how not to miss a beat when recruiters ask you “what is your greatest weakness?”
Interview Question: “What Are Your Weaknesses?” And You Say, “…”
How to Answer “What is Your Greatness Weakness?”
When asked about your weaknesses, a good answer has two important parts:
How to choose a good weakness (h3)
Try not to feel singled out when you have to share a weakness during an interview. We all have our flaws, and that’s okay. You just have to choose the one that’s most interview-friendly.
Be aware of the job requirements and don’t cite a weakness related to any of the required skills or desired qualities. For example, if you are an accountant, don’t talk about hating math or lack of attention to detail. If you are in sales, don’t confess to being too reserved or lacking persistence.
By fixable, we mean it’s something you can improve through work and motivation. For example:
Fixable: “I get nervous when speaking in front of large groups.”
(You can get better through practice and learning new skills — and this is a common development area.)
Harder to fix: “I am very shy and often have trouble speaking up in meetings.”
(While there’s nothing wrong with being shy, an interviewer could assume that the candidate would have trouble collaborating in a team environment. This is a preference or personality quality that would be more difficult to change.)
Don’t feel like you have to go into great detail. Be brief and, most importantly, avoid sounding defensive or overly negative.
How to demonstrate that you are working on your weakness (h3)
Now that you’ve chosen an interview-friendly weakness it’s time to describe how you have already taken steps to improve in your area of weakness. Here’s why:
Use your answer to demonstrate your motivation to be the best at what you do. This is how to truly emphasize the positive when talking about your weakness.
“What Is Your Greatest Weakness?” Answer Samples
We’ve prepared some excellent written samples of how to answer the greatest weakness question and we’ve created a video with some helpful information and advice on the proper pace of speech, body language, and authenticity.
Why Do Hiring Managers Ask This Question?
So, why do hiring managers ask you to discuss your weaknesses? While it’s true that some answers could work against you – such as listing a skill that’s a core part of the job – the hiring manager isn’t typically focused on the capability you mention. Instead, they’re more worried about how you answer.
As the Balance puts it, the hiring manager is “looking for indicators that show you’ve been able to learn new tasks and handle new challenges.” It’s not about you not excelling in a particular arena; it’s about you having a plan for overcoming challenges.
There are also a few more aspects to this question. The hiring manager wants to see how well you respond to a question that’s intentionally meant to throw you off your game, for one. For another, they want to get insights into your self-awareness.
When you’re developing your answer, you have to delve deep into your own inner psyche and do some serious soul searching. If you’re trying to do all this in an interview with no prep, that can be pretty dang terrifying. However, with preparation and a few what is your greatest weakness answer samples, you can get moving in the right direction.
Why do interviewers ask about your strengths and weaknesses?
Interviews are fundamentally about getting to know you, says Muse career coach Angela Smith, founder of Angela Smith Consulting. “I know some people feel like the interview is trying to trip them up or put them in an awkward position, but at the end of the day it’s really about getting to know the person so that you can make the best decision that you can,” she adds. “When I ask those questions, that’s where I’m coming from.”
The actual strengths and weaknesses you bring up probably matter less than how you talk about them. “I’ve done a ton of interviews over the years and when pressed for it, I can’t really remember the answers,” Smith says. That doesn’t mean the questions aren’t important at all, it’s just that what an interviewer is evaluating likely goes deeper. They’re trying to understand what kind of employee you’d be and how you’d carry yourself in the role.
“For me it’s: Are they honest? Do they have self-awareness? Can they own their stuff in a professional and mature way? Is this someone that we can have growth and development conversations with? Are they going to hit a wall [when] it comes to giving them feedback?” Smith says. “How they answer that question really tells me the answer to all of those other things—and those are the things that matter.”
FAQ
What are 5 examples of weaknesses?
What are some behavioral weaknesses?
- Self-criticism.
- Shyness.
- Lack of knowledge of particular software.
- Public speaking.
- Taking criticism.
- Lack of experience.
- Inability to delegate.
- Lack of confidence.
What is a good weakness to admit to in an interview?
- Self critical.
- Trouble delegating tasks. Independent and untrusting, you prefer to do everything yourself because you do not trust others to execute tasks at your standards. …
- Overly critical of others. …
- Short-sighted.
- Struggle with Multitasking. …
- Impatient. …
- Indecisive. …
- Introverted.
