How to Answer: What is Your Biggest Weakness? Interview Question

"What is your greatest weakness?"

It's a question interviewers love and candidates hate - with good reason. "Tricky" questions like this allow recruiters and interviewers to sort and rank candidates without having to do a lot of work. On many occasions, the potential candidate takes care of that for them.

This is when the real question is, how do you answer "correctly" the question that asks you about your weaknesses in an interview? This guide will explain step by step on how to do it and much more. We will cover:

• The two most common mistakes candidates make when discussing their weaknesses in an interview (I'll even give you some examples of what  not to do)
• The formula for mastering your answer to the question "What is your greatest weakness?" every time they do it (with examples of different weaknesses)
• A comprehensive list of weaknesses that you can use and implement in the formula and put together an answer that will stump your interviewer

If you're ready to turn this answer from a question that makes you doubt your worth to a question that will land you a job offer, read on!

Two Big Mistakes People Make When They Respond To "What's Your Biggest Weakness?"

When it comes to talking about our weaknesses in a job interview, candidates often fall into one of two possible traps:

• They try to mention a skill that they think the interviewer wants to hear (for example, "I work a lot")
• They are very honest about some weakness

Let's start with the first bullet. While the idea of ​​turning a "weakness" into a skill or strength is good, it is definitely NOT the right way to do it. Companies tend to figure out what candidates are trying to do when they take this route and it can usually sound pedantic or unprofessional. Here are some examples of bad answers in this category:

Bad Answer Example # 1

My biggest weakness is definitely the fact that I work a lot. In my previous job, my boss had to implement a rule in which I had to leave the office at 7 pm because I usually stayed until 9 pm, which yes, is that I win the award for the highest rating of sales like this that maybe it was not in vain, right?

Bad Answer Example # 2

My biggest weakness is probably wanting to do more than I have to. I love learning new things, helping my colleagues and always being on the sidelines of innovation. I usually understand and learn my role quickly, which allows me to take on other projects. Strangely, I can feel like I have a lot on my plate but I always have time for more!

In the first example, our candidate is trying to show that he loves his job and that if he is hired he will give everything for the company and will be an employee who dedicates hours and hours to work as well as achieving good results. However, your message sounds a bit arrogant.

In the second, the candidate is trying to show that they love doing more than they should, getting involved in new situations, and overcoming challenges. And yes, companies love this however, they will analyze this answer and discover a person who gives his life and soul to work which will reduce his performance.

Now let's talk about the following mistake which is very common and many candidates make - oversharing.

Job Interview Comic - The Wrong Weakness For Interviews

If you are looking to land a sales position and talking to strangers is not your thing, you may not want to share that with your interviewers. Sure, it's a weakness, but highlighting it will automatically disqualify you from the job. Here are two bad examples of people who were very honest:

Bad Example # 1

My biggest weakness is that I get paralyzed when I have to talk to someone I don't know. To be honest, I was scared to death the moment I walked into the room to talk to you - but you have been very nice, thank you - but yes, I was very nervous a little while ago. I really don't feel comfortable in those situations. But I am working on it.

Bad Example # 2

My biggest weakness is probably leaving for tomorrow what I have to do today. I've never been good when it comes to planning and scheduling my schedules, school / my previous job and I always finish everything at the last minute. That said, I've only missed a couple of deadlines - I'm very good at working under pressure. Not long ago I read an article that said that many people work better when they are under pressure. I operate a bit like this.

It is a bit painful to read those examples don't you think?

When you start a job at a new company, you will meet MANY people, people you have ever seen - colleagues, clients, competitors, etc. If your company thinks that you are paralyzed and you become a little weird, how can you be part of its culture or add value to the company if you cannot talk to customers who bring income to it? Example # 1 is going to put your resume in the trash.

Example # 2 sounds a bit like the popular kid at school who never studied but still got good grades. Even if you are able to work like this in your professional life, it is better to keep it to yourself. Companies are looking for someone who is organized and who works early so that their expectations are met.

Now I am going to teach you the correct way to frame your weakness so that it does not question your ability and that the interviewer loses interest in you.

How to Answer "What is your greatest weakness?" In an interview

When it comes to constructing the best possible answer to this question in an interview, we have to think about the opportunities that our answer can afford us. How can we use it to proactively handle objections, highlight specific expertise, and prove our worth?

I mentioned earlier that it's not too bad to turn one of your weaknesses into a strength during an interview - that's exactly what we're going to do, but we'll do it in a way that we can impress our interviewer (instead of sounding arrogant or unprofessional). In order to do that, we have to follow this 5-step formula:

1. Pick a challenge / difficulty you've been trying to improve on
2. Describe how this difficulty has been a real challenge for you in the past.
3. Talk about the actions you have taken to improve
4. Present the results you have obtained thanks to your actions
5. Talk about how others have recognized your progress

Now you know the "correct" way to answer the question, "What is your greatest weakness?" and thus be able to impress your interviewer and get a job offer!