Here's How To Answer The Dreaded 'What's Your Greatest Weakness' Interview Question

You’re in the hot seat. The
conversation is going well, and
you feel confident that you’ve
made a great first impression.
Then, just as you think you’ve
crushed it, the interviewer asks:
“What’s your greatest weakness?”
All job seekers dread this question.
If you’re not prepared, it can trip
you up and throw you off.
Bernard Marr, a global enterprise
performance expert and a best-
selling business author, wrote in a
recent LinkedIn post that the
reason some interviewers like to
ask about weaknesses is to gain
insight into how self-aware you
are.
"The most cliché answers I have heard are
‘I am a perfectionist’ or ‘I work too hard,'"
he says. "Don’t give those answers, they just
show that you haven’t really prepared to
find a good answer."
Here are three strategies to consider when
faced with this difficult interview question:
Talk about weaknesses that don’t relate
to the job. Marr suggests talking about
minor weaknesses that don’t really matter
to the job you are trying to land. “It
acknowledges that you are self-aware and
have weaknesses, like all of us, but none
that are any real concern because they
don’t really matter for the job,” he explains.
For example, if you are applying for a job
as a medical transcriber, you might say that
you struggle with public speaking.
Avoid general statements. Try to provide
specific situations in which your weakness
might surface or be problematic. For
instance, instead of saying “I’m bossy,”
explain that you sometimes come across as
bossy when there’s a lot of pressure on you.
“This way you show that it is not a
weakness you have all the time but one that
you are aware of in that situation,” Marr
says.
Talk about past development
success. Another strategy is to avoid talking
about any current weaknesses, Marr says.
Instead, mention your ability to self-assess
and identify weaknesses, and offer specific
examples of how you found and dealt with
them in the past. Did you take a course or
participate in training sessions to improve
on a specific skill? Did you seek out
guidance from your previous boss or
colleagues? Did you simply make a
conscious effort to rid yourself of that
weakness? Tell the interviewer what you
did and the results of your actions.
Marr concludes by saying there are a few
weaknesses you should never mention in a
job interview. They are:
“I’m not a team player.”
“I’m not trustworthy.”
“I’m not reliable.”
“I have difficulty accepting feedback.”
“I’m not able to take initiative and work
independently.”