Top Interview Questions - 2. What is your greatest weakness?

Time to talk about this rather intimidating question that often catches interviewees off guard. It is a tough one and even for a seasoned person like myself, when asked this question it is unnerving. 

So your interview was  going well. Then you get asked this dreaded question. Answering this question can be a challenge, even harrowing. But the rewards if you get it right are worth it! If you get it right you would have considerably boosted your chances of landing the role.    Interviewers ask this question to find out how self-aware you are. Knowing your areas of personal strength and weakness allows you to build on them and identify areas you can improve. There is no perfect answer. It’s about how you handle yourself. 

The worst answers are trying to dress strengths up as weaknesses. It will make you appear deliberately insincere and your panel might even think you’re lying. The following are all examples of bad answers:

* I’m a workaholic
* I’m a perfectionist
* I don’t have any weaknesses

In my experience the following 3 are the best answers because they all show self awareness:

* I’m scared of public speaking
* I’m quite self-critical
* I don’t delegate enough.

These answers are even better if you can explain what you’ve done to overcome you’re weaknesses. For example:

* I’ve joined Toastmasters and am learning to love speaking to audiences.
* I’m working with a life coach to solve the problem of being self-critical. She/he has given me these strategies, which have proved useful.
* I have signed up for a leadership course to learn how to delegate effectively 

It’s critical to show that you have emotional intelligence and that you are working on your weakness. Be aware of the role. “I don’t delegate enough” might not be a good choice if your role relies on delegation.  If you’re just moving into this area and show you are willing to learn it could be an ideal choice.

Also think about how you word your weakness. “I’m no good at managing people” sounds better as “I sometimes don’t give my team sufficient encouragement.” 

I have found this article particularly helpful - What Is Your Greatest Weakness Job Interview Question. There are more examples of good answers in here and further tips.

My next blog will delve into the 3rd most important question commonly used in interviews - 'Tell us about yourself'. This can often be a very open ended and tricky question. Once more, how you handle yourself will be the key to impressing the panel and landing the role.