Talking Weaknesses During a Job Interview
Talking about your weaknesses during a job interview is a tricky situation that takes a certain degree of finesse. However, knowing that most job applicants have been in this exact situation should provide you with some comfort. We have compiled some tips below to help get you through the dreaded weaknesses job interview question.
Be Honest About Weaknesses
The questions about your weaknesses are less about the actual weakness and more about your ability to be self-aware. Don’t avoid this question by giving a non-answer. Instead, focus on a real error that you struggle in and perhaps provide ways that you are working on overcoming it. Nobody is perfect, and we all have room to grow. Being transparent about your weakness will demonstrate that you are genuine while your plan for overcoming it will demonstrate that you are a problem solver.
Discuss Your Strengths
Yes, the question is about your weakness, but oftentimes are weaknesses present themselves because we are so focused on something that we are really good at. For example, a weakness may be that you struggle with work and life balance, but a strength could be that are you especially excited about your work. Of course, you’ll want to be clear that the weakness is something that you are working to overcome and not something you are trying to give excuses for.
Talk About Experiences
When discussing your weaknesses, try to weave in a story about how that weakness has impacted your working experience. The idea here is to be open about the issue, but also show that you have insight into where things went wrong and how you can avoid it for the future.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Everybody should be prepared for this type of interview question. Even if the question is never asked, you should have a response ready in the back of your mind. Write down your response and practice it with other people or even just in a room by yourself. The more confident that you sound answer a question about your weakness, the more likely the hiring manager will identify that you have learned from it.
For more job interview tips, check out You Can Answer Tricky Behavioral Interview Questions.
