In every interview you have, you’ll most likely be asked the dreaded question: “What’s your greatest weakness?” Knowing how to structure your answer to this question will be crucial to your success as a candidate. Employers aren’t using this question to try to make you look bad, but instead to test your self-awareness and dedication to improving yourself.
Here’s how to answer “What’s Your Greatest Weakness?” and some examples of what you can say.
How do I answer the question?
To start off, realize that if the weakness you talk about is something that would make it difficult for you to perform an essential function of the job, your interview is likely to end quickly. For example, if you’re applying for a customer service role, you don’t want to say your weakness is working with people.That being said, the time to consider if your greatest weakness would make for a poor fit with a particular job is before you apply. When preparing to talk about your weakness, make sure it isn’t relevant to your position, especially not a skill that is required. Be aware of the essential qualities needed for the role, and be honest with yourself about whether it’s the right role for you. Then, when you face the question in an interview about your greatest weakness, you can speak more honestly and without fear of disqualification.
Once you know the weaknesses you want to acknowledge, the next step is structuring your answer positively. To do this, you should start off by stating the weakness and how you have noticed it in the past, with specific examples. For example, start off by saying:
“In the past, I’ve noticed that public speaking/speaking in front of large audiences has been a weakness of mine. It started at my first corporate level job, where I found myself getting antsy before presentations in front of large audiences, and sometimes losing my thought process or slipping up on my words.”
Following this, you should make it clear that you have acknowledged the weakness and are actively working on improving it. For example, follow up by saying:
“This is a weakness of mine that I was able to recognize right away, and have actively been improving on since.”
End your response with a positive statement on how you’re improving on your weakness with specific actions.
“For example, I’ve been putting extra effort into practicing presentations even in front of smaller audiences, to feel more comfortable and confident. I’ve also been recording videos of myself presenting and watching them through after to pinpoint how I can be a better presenter.”
Make sure to describe your weakness, acknowledge it, and show dedication that you’re improving. No hiring manager is expecting you to be perfect. Everyone has weaknesses and makes mistakes, but the important part is that you can recognize them and actively work to better yourself.
Phone interview coming up? Here’s how to prepare.
What are some examples of weaknesses?
Now that you know how to approach the question, you can brainstorm what weaknesses you can bring up that won’t affect your candidacy for the specific role.
Here are some of our ideas for weaknesses that you can mention in an interview:
Public Speaking. As mentioned in the example, as long as public speaking isn’t a key element to the position, it is perfectly okay to mention this as something you struggle with and are working on.
Being too self-critical. Being too hard on yourself is definitely a weakness, and one that many people struggle with. Use this as an opportunity to show that you set high expectations for yourself and acknowledge that sometimes, they may be too high.
Lacking confidence with industry-specific tools. It’s perfectly okay to mention a technical weakness that you might see being relevant. If the position requires using a specific platform that you don’t feel fully confident in, use this as a weakness and follow it up by explaining that you are eager and ready to learn the tool.
Being somewhat shy or introverted. While this may not be a great weakness for a customer-facing role, it is a great weakness to bring up in various office job roles. Many jobs don’t require you to be extroverted and talk to people on a daily basis.
Being competitive. This could be a weakness that can be viewed as a strength. While it’s not great to be overly competitive, a lot of employers love to see dedication and competitiveness in candidates.
Being disorganized. While this may not be a good choice for an office role or a clerical position, this would be a great weakness for a position that doesn’t put an emphasis on organization. It’s a harmful weakness that can easily be recognized and improved upon.
Be prepared to be asked THESE questions in your upcoming interview!
For more tips on all things job search and professional development, check out our Employee Tips or contact us at mglenny@franklinprofessionals.com.
