How to Put Across Your Weaknesses in a Job Interview
They always tell you to sell yourself in a job interview. To make yourself shine, write and talk about your achievements and be self-confident (but not arrogant). So what do you do when the interviewer themselves ask you to under-sell yourself?
"What according to you are your strengths and weaknesses?"
The most frequently asked yet the most dreaded question in any job interview. Whether you are interviewing for a janitor's position or the CEO's, they want to know your strengths and weaknesses. They especially want to know your weaknesses though because there is always more than enough talk about strengths.
But if you are like most people, you won't be as comfortable 'honestly' talking about your weaknesses in a job interview without thinking that you've just blown your chance at getting the job! There is actually no way out of this one except to know perfectly well how to handle this question gracefully and professionally.
Interviewers don't care about your personal failures, and aren't looking to reveal some dark, secret axe-murdering tendencies. They just want to reduce their risk. Every HR manager worries about making a wrong hire and wasting the company's time and money. A bad hire reflects badly on them, your job as a candidate is to alleviate their worry.
Well, obvious things first- make sure you only bring up stuff that won't affect the job you are interviewing for. Don't say "I find it hard to delegate" when you are a manager, don't say "numbers aren't my thing" when you are an accountant.
Always make sure that they are business appropriate. Personal weaknesses are okay sometimes, but what these guys are really looking for are your weaknesses in the work place and how you've overcome them.
Second, put a positive spin on your admitted weakness for example, if you are not a very detailed oriented person, you could say, "I have always been a 'big picture' thinker and have to admit that I sometimes miss the smaller details. That is why I always have somebody on my team who is detail-oriented." This shows that you are self- aware and take ownership of your flaws.
However, please do not say things that are not true or fake to your personality. Take some time to get to know yourself a little better if you honestly can't come up with a weakness you struggle with. Interviewers are smart people and are trained to read candidates. If you try to lie through it, chances are you will not come out a winner. Remember, sincerity trumps super-smart but fake answers.
Third, don't say you're a perfectionist or you work too hard. Interviewers hear these examples all the time and often will ask for another example or just move on knowing you prepared for that question. Use the weakness question as an opportunity to share how you've overcome a professional challenge and how you now are better because of it.
Which brings me to- tell them how you've improved on past weaknesses. Share with the employer how you 'overcame' a previous weakness. Maybe you were a terrible public speaker and took a course to improve your skills. Or asked a co-worker to help you learn a new technology you were struggling with. Whatever the previous weakness you overcame was, it can be a useful tool in answering the dreaded question about weaknesses because it shows self-awareness, how you've improved on a less-than-desirable trait, and that you are constantly trying to polish your performance.
Fourth, make your interviewer your ally. If you're in the same line of work as your interviewer, chances are your interviewer has experienced some of the same trials you have and will appreciate your graceful handling of a familiar situation.
This is also a good opportunity for you to draw on your research into the organisation and the role you are applying for. If there are certain kinds of task you feel you do not excel at and these are not going to be key requirements, you could make these the focus of your answer. However, it's still worth trying to show how you manage when you are called upon to draw on skills that are not your natural strength. For example, if you are applying for a job where teamwork is going to be essential and you will need to support your colleagues and draw on their expertise, you could discuss a time when you have found it hard to keep going because you were working in isolation, and explain how you overcame this.
And lastly at the end of the day, interviewers appreciate honesty and effort, and this is the best way to show off those great qualities while answering this question. It goes without saying to not give a weakness that is a deal breaker - don't tell your future employer you have no clue how to use Excel if it is listed as a key requirement of the job.
So remember these tips for your next job interview and when you are met with this question again, you will manage to ace it without a doubt. Good luck!
"What according to you are your strengths and weaknesses?"
The most frequently asked yet the most dreaded question in any job interview. Whether you are interviewing for a janitor's position or the CEO's, they want to know your strengths and weaknesses. They especially want to know your weaknesses though because there is always more than enough talk about strengths.
But if you are like most people, you won't be as comfortable 'honestly' talking about your weaknesses in a job interview without thinking that you've just blown your chance at getting the job! There is actually no way out of this one except to know perfectly well how to handle this question gracefully and professionally.
Interviewers don't care about your personal failures, and aren't looking to reveal some dark, secret axe-murdering tendencies. They just want to reduce their risk. Every HR manager worries about making a wrong hire and wasting the company's time and money. A bad hire reflects badly on them, your job as a candidate is to alleviate their worry.
Well, obvious things first- make sure you only bring up stuff that won't affect the job you are interviewing for. Don't say "I find it hard to delegate" when you are a manager, don't say "numbers aren't my thing" when you are an accountant.
Always make sure that they are business appropriate. Personal weaknesses are okay sometimes, but what these guys are really looking for are your weaknesses in the work place and how you've overcome them.
Second, put a positive spin on your admitted weakness for example, if you are not a very detailed oriented person, you could say, "I have always been a 'big picture' thinker and have to admit that I sometimes miss the smaller details. That is why I always have somebody on my team who is detail-oriented." This shows that you are self- aware and take ownership of your flaws.
However, please do not say things that are not true or fake to your personality. Take some time to get to know yourself a little better if you honestly can't come up with a weakness you struggle with. Interviewers are smart people and are trained to read candidates. If you try to lie through it, chances are you will not come out a winner. Remember, sincerity trumps super-smart but fake answers.
Third, don't say you're a perfectionist or you work too hard. Interviewers hear these examples all the time and often will ask for another example or just move on knowing you prepared for that question. Use the weakness question as an opportunity to share how you've overcome a professional challenge and how you now are better because of it.
Which brings me to- tell them how you've improved on past weaknesses. Share with the employer how you 'overcame' a previous weakness. Maybe you were a terrible public speaker and took a course to improve your skills. Or asked a co-worker to help you learn a new technology you were struggling with. Whatever the previous weakness you overcame was, it can be a useful tool in answering the dreaded question about weaknesses because it shows self-awareness, how you've improved on a less-than-desirable trait, and that you are constantly trying to polish your performance.
Fourth, make your interviewer your ally. If you're in the same line of work as your interviewer, chances are your interviewer has experienced some of the same trials you have and will appreciate your graceful handling of a familiar situation.
This is also a good opportunity for you to draw on your research into the organisation and the role you are applying for. If there are certain kinds of task you feel you do not excel at and these are not going to be key requirements, you could make these the focus of your answer. However, it's still worth trying to show how you manage when you are called upon to draw on skills that are not your natural strength. For example, if you are applying for a job where teamwork is going to be essential and you will need to support your colleagues and draw on their expertise, you could discuss a time when you have found it hard to keep going because you were working in isolation, and explain how you overcame this.
And lastly at the end of the day, interviewers appreciate honesty and effort, and this is the best way to show off those great qualities while answering this question. It goes without saying to not give a weakness that is a deal breaker - don't tell your future employer you have no clue how to use Excel if it is listed as a key requirement of the job.
So remember these tips for your next job interview and when you are met with this question again, you will manage to ace it without a doubt. Good luck!
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