What is your weakness

Jump to section It’s More than half of job interviewers assess you You can’t control what they think. But you can control how you prepare for the interview and put your best foot forward. Recruiters want to know They’ll also ask you about your weaknesses. When this happens, it might feel like a trap. How do you spin a weakness into a strength? Thankfully, you don’t have to. The secret to how to answer “What are your weaknesses?” lies in honesty, self-awareness, and a genuine desire to improve. Job interview weaknesses: What they say about you Interviewers ask about your weaknesses to understand They like the “biggest weakness” interview question because your answer says a lot about your work values. Here’s what interviewers look for in a response: • Self-awareness. No one’s perfect, and employers want someone who can recognize their imperfections. Acknowledging your shortcomings shows maturity and that you take your work seriously. • Honesty. Interviewers can tell whether you’re speaking truthfully or lying to make yourself seem more competent. If you’re being deceitful this early in your relationship, how can they trust you once you’re hired? • A desire for self-improvement. Your weaknesses aren’t permanent. If you can show how you’re working to improve, interviewers will see someone who’s resilient and has a strong work ethic. Your response should address these three components. The goal isn’t to lie about your weaknesses — it’s to frame them in a way that highlights you...

How to Answer "What are Your Weaknesses?" in an Interview November 9, 2022 | By Dominique Vatin | Reviewed by Can’t think of good weaknesses to say in an interview? We’ve got you covered. In this article, we explain what interviewers are looking for when they ask “what are your weaknesses” and how to respond the right way. “What is your greatest weakness?” is one of the most Fortunately, with some practice, you can nail this difficult interview question and turn it into an opportunity to show your interviewer that you’re self-aware and actively working on your weaknesses. Why do interviewers ask “what are your weaknesses?” Similar to the prompt “ Like its more positive cousin, “ This is understandable because you don’t want to admit to any weaknesses that might make you look bad during an interview (just like you don’t want to talk about Here are a few tips for discussing your weaknesses in a job interview: How to answer “what are your weaknesses?” The following steps will help you think of a great answer to “what are your weaknesses?” that demonstrates your value as a candidate: 1. Choose a weakness that won’t impact your ability to perform the job The key to answering this question effectively is to choose a weakness that you can acknowledge and explain, but that isn’t crucial to your ability to do the job. To make sure the weaknesses you bring up aren’t vital to the job, check the job ad and identify what skills they’re looking for. Once you’ve identified what skills an...

Summary. Don’t take common interview questions lightly just because they’re predictable. Underpreparing for them can make the difference between moving ahead and moving on. One question that often comes up: What are your strengths and weaknesses? In this article, the author outlines clear steps for how to describe your strengths and weaknesses along with sample language to use as a guide. Some questions come up again and again in The strengths-and-weaknesses question may seem like the easiest of the bunch for job seekers to answer, given the classic responses associated with each: My strengths? Creativity! Problem-solving! Collaboration! My weaknesses? Perfectionism! I work too hard! I care too much! Though these answers may be true, they may also come across as trite and unoriginal, even scheming. That reaction may be perilous because Below are tips and examples to tackle this popular interview question in a way that leaves an original, authentic, and meaningful positive impression. It’s best to prepare two answers for each question, even though you’ll probably only use one. How to Describe Your Strengths When you share your personal strengths in an interview, the conversation is still as much about their needs as your abilities, so follow these rules to ensure your skills come across as not only impressive, but relevant, distinct, and proven. 1. Focus on a strength that is listed in the job description. There’s no need to guess what superstar qualities they’re looking fo...

If you’re too truthful, you might scare the hiring manager and blow your chances of getting the position. But if you’re not truthful enough, you’ll lose credibility. So how do you make it to the other side of this tightrope-walk of an interview question unscathed? Well, the first thing to keep in mind is why the question is being asked—and it’s not to trip you up. Instead, your interviewer wants to see if you’re self-aware enough to recognize a flaw, and then self-motivated enough to fix it. How you’ve responded to (internal or external) feedback on your weaknesses is likely how you’ll respond to future Answering this question can be a great opportunity to highlight how you've overcome a challenge in the past—or are actively working to do so now. After all, everyone has areas that could use improvement, but if you can describe how you've mitigated yours, you’ll seem strong, capable, and in charge of your professional development. OK, that’s great, you're thinking, but what do I actually say? To help you out, we’ve laid out how to answer this question, plus some weaknesses you might use and example answers for some of the most common ones. Read More: The Best Way to Talk About Your Strengths and Weaknesses in a Job Interview Luckily, you can construct your answer to this question with a pretty simple formula: • Clearly describe your weakness (preferably with specifics, not vague clichés hiring managers have heard hundreds of times). • Give a short example of a time your wea...

• Hiring managers ask about weaknesses in order to get a sense of whether you’re a good fit for the job. • Be honest but selective when deciding which weaknesses to discuss in a job interview. • Choose a weakness that is not essential for the job and that shows your capacity for self-reflection and growth. Why Interviewer Ask About Weaknesses So why do hiring managers ask this question during job interviews? In short, they can’t get a complete picture of you as a candidate by only In addition to learning about what you can do, the interviewer wants to know about what you can't do, or what you have difficulty with on the job. How you respond will also help the interviewer understand how well you know yourself, as well as whether you would be a good fit for the role. It also shows the interviewer that you know that nobody is perfect and that you're willing to work to improve your skills and excel. How To Answer Interview Questions About Weaknesses What should you talk about when you're asked what you can improve? Weaknesses are tricky to talk about, so you need to be careful when sharing examples of yours. You don't want to knock yourself out of contention for the job because the interviewer thinks you're not qualified. You also don't want to come across as too arrogant and perfect, because almost nobody is. If you decide to mention a hard skill, make sure it is not a skill necessary for the job. If it is a skill that is easy to learn, you might also mention that you are cur...

As a You don't want to respond, "I tend to work too hard," or "I am too much of a perfectionist." That can easily come across as scripted and insincere at best and lacking in self-awareness at worst. Alternatively, you don't want to respond with weaknesses that will prevent you from succeeding in the role. For instance, if you're applying to be a project manager, you don't want to admit that you're "not very good with time management." Fortunately, there are ways to answer this question that will help you demonstrate your value as a candidate. Here, we've cultivated some incredible answers to the mainstay, "What is your greatest weakness" question — and don't worry, these answers aren't "perfectionism." You can also listen here. Best Answer for What is your weakness? Interviewers who ask "What is your greatest weakness?" want to know how honest and self-aware you are. They are also looking for evidence that you have a drive to improve upon your weaknesses. The best answers to this question sincerely explain a weakness and provide an example of how you are actively working on being better. • Choose a weakness that will not prevent you from succeeding in the role. • Be honest and choose a real weakness. • Provide an example of how you've worked to improve upon your weakness or learn a new skill to combat the issue. • Demonstrate self-awareness and an ability to look to others to provide you with the resources necessary for growth. • Don't be arrogant and don't underestimate ...

What exactly is the right way to answer “what is your greatest weakness?” For such a popular interview question, the answer was never really clear! 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. And no - we don’t mean saying “I’m a perfectionist” or some similar nonsense. • Why Do Interviewers Ask “What Is Your Greatest Weakness?” • How to Answer “What Is Your Greatest Weakness?” • 5+ “What Is Your Greatest Weakness?” Answer Samples • 49+ Skills You Can Mention as Weaknesses in An Interview • Tips to Identify (and Address) Your Weaknesses Why Do Interviewers Ask “What Is Your Greatest Weakness?” The first step to answering “what is your greatest weakness” correctly is to understand why recruiters ask the question in the first place. When recruiters ask you to identify your greatest weaknesses, they are looking for the following three things: • Honesty. They want to know if you're honest enough to give a real weakness. Keep in mind that if you get hired, your professional weaknesses will come up in one way or another, so being open about them in advance is the best option. • Self-awareness, or the ability to analyze yourself and recognize the areas where you need to work on. • Willingness to improve. Everyone has weaknesses - even recruiters themselves. That’s why they don’t expect you to...

• Hiring managers ask about weaknesses in order to get a sense of whether you’re a good fit for the job. • Be honest but selective when deciding which weaknesses to discuss in a job interview. • Choose a weakness that is not essential for the job and that shows your capacity for self-reflection and growth. Why Interviewer Ask About Weaknesses So why do hiring managers ask this question during job interviews? In short, they can’t get a complete picture of you as a candidate by only In addition to learning about what you can do, the interviewer wants to know about what you can't do, or what you have difficulty with on the job. How you respond will also help the interviewer understand how well you know yourself, as well as whether you would be a good fit for the role. It also shows the interviewer that you know that nobody is perfect and that you're willing to work to improve your skills and excel. How To Answer Interview Questions About Weaknesses What should you talk about when you're asked what you can improve? Weaknesses are tricky to talk about, so you need to be careful when sharing examples of yours. You don't want to knock yourself out of contention for the job because the interviewer thinks you're not qualified. You also don't want to come across as too arrogant and perfect, because almost nobody is. If you decide to mention a hard skill, make sure it is not a skill necessary for the job. If it is a skill that is easy to learn, you might also mention that you are cur...

What exactly is the right way to answer “what is your greatest weakness?” For such a popular interview question, the answer was never really clear! 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. And no - we don’t mean saying “I’m a perfectionist” or some similar nonsense. • Why Do Interviewers Ask “What Is Your Greatest Weakness?” • How to Answer “What Is Your Greatest Weakness?” • 5+ “What Is Your Greatest Weakness?” Answer Samples • 49+ Skills You Can Mention as Weaknesses in An Interview • Tips to Identify (and Address) Your Weaknesses Why Do Interviewers Ask “What Is Your Greatest Weakness?” The first step to answering “what is your greatest weakness” correctly is to understand why recruiters ask the question in the first place. When recruiters ask you to identify your greatest weaknesses, they are looking for the following three things: • Honesty. They want to know if you're honest enough to give a real weakness. Keep in mind that if you get hired, your professional weaknesses will come up in one way or another, so being open about them in advance is the best option. • Self-awareness, or the ability to analyze yourself and recognize the areas where you need to work on. • Willingness to improve. Everyone has weaknesses - even recruiters themselves. That’s why they don’t expect you to...

How to Answer "What are Your Weaknesses?" in an Interview November 9, 2022 | By Dominique Vatin | Reviewed by Can’t think of good weaknesses to say in an interview? We’ve got you covered. In this article, we explain what interviewers are looking for when they ask “what are your weaknesses” and how to respond the right way. “What is your greatest weakness?” is one of the most Fortunately, with some practice, you can nail this difficult interview question and turn it into an opportunity to show your interviewer that you’re self-aware and actively working on your weaknesses. Why do interviewers ask “what are your weaknesses?” Similar to the prompt “ Like its more positive cousin, “ This is understandable because you don’t want to admit to any weaknesses that might make you look bad during an interview (just like you don’t want to talk about Here are a few tips for discussing your weaknesses in a job interview: How to answer “what are your weaknesses?” The following steps will help you think of a great answer to “what are your weaknesses?” that demonstrates your value as a candidate: 1. Choose a weakness that won’t impact your ability to perform the job The key to answering this question effectively is to choose a weakness that you can acknowledge and explain, but that isn’t crucial to your ability to do the job. To make sure the weaknesses you bring up aren’t vital to the job, check the job ad and identify what skills they’re looking for. Once you’ve identified what skills an...