It does not just tell
the interviewer about my weakness — it tells a story.
Here are some general guidelines you can follow when preparing to respond to
interviewers about your weaknesses.
Not exact matches
That's good advice not just because understanding our
weaknesses can help to turn them into assets but also because job
interviewers — and others — are no longer willing to accept non-answers
about the state of your
weaknesses.
For example, if an
interviewer asks
about your greatest
weakness, Welch says you can respond by saying something like, «I've always wanted to be a better public speaker.
Bernard Marr, a global enterprise performance expert and a best - selling business author, writes in a LinkedIn post that the reason some
interviewers like to ask
about weaknesses is to gain insight into how self - aware you are.
Many reference calls are simple exercises because the
interviewer already knows (or thinks she knows) what a candidate is good at and can make an educated guess
about their
weaknesses.
In responding to the question
about a
weakness, it is critical to provide the
interviewer with a
weakness you have already acknowledged and you used in order to develop a new strength.
In a study of interpersonal interactions, interview subjects who opened up
about their perceived
weaknesses scored higher marks with the
interviewer when they tackled it early on during the interview.
After all, what interviewee has never been asked to talk
about their strengths and
weaknesses or to tell the
interviewer a little bit
about themselves?
The
interviewer will get the impression that you're proactive
about your
weaknesses.
For example, if the
interviewer asks
about your
weaknesses as a copywriter, you can address them within the context of how frustrating a writer's bad grammar might be for the editor he or she works with.
For instance, talking
about your
weaknesses might not be your favorite thing to do, but you can impress the
interviewer by telling them what you'd like to improve on.
Interviewers do not really care
about your
weaknesses, work gaps or even choices in the past.
Second, be ready to explain any
weaknesses in your work history that an
interviewer might ask
about:
If you don't have the ability to speak spontaneously
about your
weakness, the
interviewer may feel that your responses is over-rehearsed and may lose trust in you.
A question that
interviewers love to ask in interview is
about what you believe your
weaknesses are, so you need to have something prepared to answer that inevitable question.
This can be responded with a clever technique by asking the
interviewer what their anxieties are
about your possible
weaknesses.
Consumer goods
interviewers are likely to focus on your reasons for applying for the vacancy at that firm, what you are currently thinking
about your career plans, your strengths and
weaknesses, and your skills.
Always use information that will put you in a favorable light - unless it's absolutely essential, avoid anything that will prompt the
interviewer to ask questions
about your
weakness or something else that could be unflattering.
The
interviewer will probably want to know
about your
weaknesses as well as your strengths.
Questions
about your
weaknesses also help the
interviewer understand how well you know yourself.
One of the critical moments in an interview, that can create an uncomfortable atmosphere, is when the
interviewer wants the interviewee to speak
about his / her
weaknesses.
Every person has some or the other
weakness, so do not assume that the
interviewer will be getting a negative signal as you tell him / her
about your
weaknesses.
Youll be asked to tell the
interviewer about yourself, your qualifications (especially as they pertain to the specific opening), your professional background, your likes and dislikes, your strengths and
weaknesses, and your goals.
Just like when an
interviewer asks
about your
weaknesses and you're job is to spin it into a positive, your job is to spin your unemployment into a beneficial experience.
If the
interviewer asks
about your
weaknesses, you need to be very careful regarding this.
The
interviewer might ask what your boss would say it is, or s / he might ask
about a project where something went wrong (indirectly trying to ferret out a
weakness) or ask why you left a certain company (even more indirectly probing for problem areas).
This question is a staple of the job interview process, and if an
interviewer asks you to identify your biggest strengths, you can rest assured that a question
about weakness is coming next.
While the clichéd question «tell us
about your strengths and
weaknesses» does not apply to many jobs now, you may be asked this particular question as the
interviewer would want to know how much stress you can handle — or how well you perform on a high volume day.