Answering the Weaknesses Question - Interview Tips

Answering the Weaknesses Question - Interview Tips - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats.

Many people get the "Tell me about your greatest weakness" question when they are interviewing, and this can be very stressful for people. My personal favorite answer that I have ever heard to "Tell me about your greatest weakness," or, "What is your greatest weakness?" is "chocolate," and then just a pause. Because a lot of people have chocolate as their greatest weakness, and it is a nice way to break the ice, and keep it a little bit more friendly, but then, of course, you do have to pull up and give them a real answer.

So, consider taking something that is a weakness, or a strength masquerading as a weakness. So, something along the lines of, you know, "I tend to be a perfectionist, and sometimes that can be a problem when I am meeting deadlines. So, the way I have dealt with this in the past is just to remind myself that I can only do my best possible work, start early enough, and give myself plenty of time to get it to a point where I am comfortable with it, and then, at some point, recognize that it is got to go out, because I have got to meet that deadline."

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Expert Series
• dallas
• united states
• Abundant Success Coach
• Robyn Feldberg
• Success Coach
• career tips
• interview tips
• job
• career coach
• Abundant Success II
• weekness
• strength

[geobeats]

How do you answer this question in an interview? Tell us in comments!

[gigwhipx10fast]

My weakness is job interviews.

[40977676]

You can't be serious.

That technique was so 10 years ago!

[angdis]

"Choclate" is the better answer. I don't understand why interviewers continue to ask such an insipid question. Does anyone who is not an idiot seriously expect an honest introspective answer? If I were to encounter that question I'd do one two things: 1) Dismiss it with an answer like "Chocolate" or outright refuse to answer 2) Answer "Like anyone else I make mistakes, but I take responsibility for my mistakes, learn, and move on." (holding specific incident in mind as an example for followup).

[drusha1]

wooooooooooooooow. this is a good one. disingenuine too

[MrChubbleyWarner]

@stupidjunk978 - yes, this is the best way to answer this interview staple IMO too

[stupidjunk978]

@geobeats The same way, take a positive "i work too hard"/"i care too much" and frame it as a sort of weakness