Job Search Rule #33 - Figure Out How to Answer the "Weakness" Question

At some point in every interview process you (as a candidate) will be asked about your weaknesses. This question can take many forms such as:

• What is your biggest weakness?
• When you think back to recent performance reviews you have received, what are some of the things you have been asked to work on?
• What parts of this job would be hardest for you?

Why do recruiters and HR folks ask this question?  There are a variety of related reasons - we do it to start a dialogue, to see how you view yourself, to see if you are the type of person that can take feedback and not take yourself too seriously, and sometimes just to get a feel for your personality.

Recently I've had 2 candidates give me rather lame answers to this question - notice how neither one of them embraced the chance to dialogue and build rapport with the interview team:

Candidate #1 for an IT Manager position delivered his answer to the weakness question with a mix of incredulousness and arrogance designed to impress: "Weaknesses?  If you're looking for a candidate with weaknesses then I am NOT your guy.  I know this job inside and out and I just don't make mistakes."

Candidate #2 for an Office Manager position gave an answer that had nothing to do with her: "My biggest weakness is people who won't respect diversity.  I cannot stand that."  When I clarified that I was wondering what her weaknesses might be with respect to the position, not what her co-workers weaknesses might be, she reiterated, "I can't work with people who aren't respectful." 

Since you know you are going to be asked the question, it's a good idea to have an answer prepared.  While your answer should be uniquely you, and tailored to the position you are going for, a good basic answer to the "weakness" question is:

Timely. It's an interview. You knew you would be asked about your weaknesses. While you may pause briefly before answering, you shouldn't come across as dumbfounded by the question and have to think for an extensive period of time before offering something.

Honest. Be real about what you are working on, don't make something up.

Direct. Speak to the weakness. Don't be cheesy and try to pitch a strength as a weakness (e.g., "I'm so task focused that I take on more work than my peers do and that makes them think I am competitive.")

Relevant to the Job.An interview is a business conversation. Use the chance to answer the question as an opportunity to demonstrate that you know how the job contributes to the success of the business. (E.g, "In this PR position, you're looking for someone who can pitch stories and get press for your clients. While I had an extensive network of media contacts in [my old city] I am new to this metro area, and I am still building my contact list.

Progressive. Demonstrate that you already have a plan in place to manage your weakness as it relates to the job. For example, the PR candidate above might conclude her answer with: "My colleagues in my old city have been gracious enough to help me make contacts here. I've already joined [local PR professional association] and I have been attending their networking events. I also know from articles i have seen about you in the press that you are the type of manager who will be able to give me great coaching on getting connected in this city." etc.

Have you ever heard or given a great answer to the "weakness" question?  Please leave a comment and let us know about it!

Comments

[Marcia Robinson - BullsEyeResumes]

Some interviews are truly painful aren't they? I met a candidate last year who said he liked to plan his work a month at a time and his weakness was that he would go ballistic if anyone asked him to change things around after he had set his schedule.

The position was to manage a residential hall on a college campus with 300 students. Going ballistic with changes would not have worked.

I really enjoy your blog.

Marcia

[Marcia Robinson - BullsEyeResumes]

I could not find an email for you, but would love you to Blogroll our site at http://bullseyeresumes.blogspot.com.

We have added you as a favorite for our readers.

Marcie

[Rachel Robbins]

I find that honesty is the biggest issue. They often come in with a setup answer that's bullshit. Do you think we can't tell you're lying?

If I hear one more person say "I'm too detail oriented" or "I can't leave anything unfinished" I'll scream.

[almostgotit]

Hoo, the "weaknesses" question.

Numero Uno: EVERY job applicant needs to be ready to answer this question.

Numero Duo: Can't employers think of another question? If for no other reason that we're all expecting it anyway? The variations this post suggests would be a TERRIFIC start!!

-

[MMG]

I must say, I've prepped for this question for all of my interviews, (even though I dislike it very much). The job I landed, scratch that, the job I *accepted* didn't ask that question. My boss is focused on utilizing people's strengths. When a question came up in my interview--I realized and mentioned it seemed like a positive spin on the "what is your greatest weakness" question. As I identified it as such, I was direct, honest, and by restating it in those terms I was able to have a great conversation with my future boss. I was able to learn alot about my now current employer's work culture, which happens to be a great fit for me, and has already led to a lot of personal and professional growth. This post is great in that it explains WHY this question is asked, and WHY we need to respond well (honest, direct, relevant, build that relationship!) Great post!

[Peggy]

Thanks all for the comments!

Marcia - I will e-mail you directly.

Rachel - I agree - the "I'm too detail oriented" answer is one of my least favorites!

MMG - I am so glad your new job is working out and you feel like you are growing professional and personally - now THAT is encouraging! ;-)

~ Career Encourager

[Kelly O]

Question - for those of us who truly are perfectionists and tend to get hung up in the detail, how would you suggest answering that question? It really is my biggest area of weakness although I've put considerable work (and a little therapy) into letting go of that perfectionism.

------------------------------
Kelly –

Thanks for your question – I appreciate your honesty. The challenge with discussing perfectionist tendencies as a “weakness” is two-fold. On one hand, you may come across as is you are trying to pitch a strength as a weakness. If the interviewer reads you that way, she may think you’re trying to fake your way through the question and it shuts down dialogue. On the other hand, if you try to insist that you really have taken perfectionism to the extreme that it is a weakness, the interviewer may be concerned that you are high-anxiety, or need to be in control all of the time. Neither of those personality traits works well in most workplaces.

Both of these challenges have the unfortunate result of coming across as “me-focused”, which is not a good thing in an interview. The interview – whether we like it or not – is an “other-focused” conversation – it’s all about what the employer needs and wants in the open position, and how you as a candidate are best suited to deliver on it.

All of that said, one approach to help you prep for the weakness question and keep the focus on the job at hand would be to take the job description, read it carefully and ask yourself the following questions:
- Which of these tasks would require that I get some training in order to be able to do it well?
- Which of these tasks would I really prefer to delegate if I could?
- Are there any terms/phrases in this job description that I don’t understand?

By thinking through questions like this, you should be able to come up with a reasonable answer to the weakness question that is tailored specifically to the job you are interviewing for.

Good luck!
Career Encourager

[Beth Robinson]

Well, Rachel, you wouldn't have to scream with me. Someday when I have to interview again my answer is the opposite - I have a tendency to get things 97% done. Capturing that last little niggling thing so that it doesn't haunt me later is my problem. Believe me, there are some jobs that I won't bother applying for because there are places where this is an extremely inappropriate problem.

[Elizabeth]

I am a Public Relations executive and I am honest about my need to have someone edit my work. In my business, typos and grammatical errors are an instant and sometimes fatal liability. I am a strong writer, great strategic planner and have many pr plans that I have designed and executed successfully. However, I am the first to admit that I always want someone to edit my press releases.

I have even paid professional editors out of my own pocket when my employers did not have the budget or I would trade colleagues my expertise for their keen editing eyes.

I see no problem in having a weakness - - we fail only when we do not find a successful solution to the problem.

[NM]

My last interviewer asked me what was lacking on my last performance review. I (honestly) told him I had an exceeds expectation review with no major areas for improvement yet was made to feel as if I didn't give an adequate answer. I haven't heard any variations on the "negative traits" question on an interview in years.

[job search]

Applicable advice. Although it's still somehow discouraging whn you're asked this question.

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In my experience looking for jobs, I can say that this was one of the most uncomfortable questions that I had to face. With the experience, you learn that you just have to act normal and be honest.

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