How do you answer 'What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses' in a job interview?

Answer 1

The interviewer is probably not really interested in your weaknesses, but is just testing your ability to deal with a difficult and unexpected situation. Such questions are fairly typical of those you will be presented with when applying for a job

As with most things, it is all about preparation. If you fail to prepare then be prepared to fail. There are many 'standard' questions. There are no standard answers as most are asking about you personally. Because of that no one but yourself can answer many of the questions you will be asked. Think about such questions in advance and have your answers ready. There are many sources of the type of questions you may be presented with. The internet and your local library being the main ones. Be positive; do not repeat what you have read in books or on the Internet. By all means read sample answers but do not repeat them verbatim. The person interviewing you will have read all those answers too.

There is more to having a successful job interview than just answering the questions asked. Many would say much more. First impressions count for far more than many realise.

Dress for the part. Be punctual and polite. Listen to what is being said. Answer only the question asked. (Don't ramble)

My weakness is water. I am afraid of water animals.

This is probably the most dreaded question of a job interview, and many consider it a stupid question. Why would anybody admit their weaknesses?

But it's a legitimate question. You can use this opportunity to shine ... or not. The interviewer wants to see:

• How you approach a difficult question
• Whether or not you recognize your weaknesses (we all have them)
• What you're doing about them
• Whether your individual strengths and weaknesses (they're usually related) make you the right candidate for this job

One common approach is to repackage your strength as a weakness, such as "I work too hard." The idea of using a weakness as a flipside of a strength is a good one, but it shouldn't be something so blatantly phony and self-serving. You need to make a real concession here, but one that won't hurt you too much.

The best approach is to:

• First decide on how you want to position yourself. Ideally, you should also understand what the interviewer is looking for.
• Then calmly and sincerely admit the weakness and what you're doing about it

Some examples:

• I'm sometimes a little too soft on the people who work for me. Usually I'm able to motivate and lead people to do great work, but sometimes when I fail, I have a hard time taking the hard actions to correct their behavior.
• Sometimes when trying to hit a deadline I'll get too tough on my co-workers, and then I have to come back afterwards and apologize. I've been getting better about this, I know the team is often more important than the deadline, and I'm trying to learn to make the deadlines without pushing others too hard.

You want to be careful here. You never want to sound:

• Phony and self-serving
• Egotistic, as if you don't think you have any real weaknesses
• Defensive

Of course, you also don't want to admit a weakness that's too big to get you hired, like "I always miss my deadlines." So play carefully, but try to admit a real weakness that's related to a strength, and that won't sound too bad.

When asked what your weaknesses are during an interview always try to make the end of your description a positive. For example, you can say that one of your weaknesses is that you sometimes get easily frustrated with yourself or others if a job isn't done perfectly. However, this is simply caused by your passion for your career and your desire to do everything as well as it can be done. This way, while you admit to becoming frustrated, you show that it's only because you care so much about your job.

More input:

• This can be a difficult one. The best way to answer would be to chose something that can be turned around to look like a strength. Example: "My computer skills were lacking a little, but I took a computer class and got my skills up-to-date."

• If this is for a job interview, then you should always turn your weakness into a positive. Say, one of my weakness' is that I do not quit until I get the job done. Or, I am a perfectionist. I want to make sure that everything I do is perfect and in the right order. Good luck to you:) Find weaknesses that are also strengths- for example: I do not care for paperwork, so I try to get it all done by 10AM so I can go on to other things.

• The question is how to answer the question without making it look like you have a weakness that might prevent you from getting hired. At the same time, you don't want to mention a weakness that isn't really a weakness and simply tell the interviewer what you think they want to hear. Trust me, an experienced interviewer has heard every cliched answer to this question and will know when you are feeding them a line. The purpose of asking this question is firstly to see how you handle a stress question and secondly how you actually respond to it.

• Here are some guidelines for responding when an interviewer asks what about your biggest weakness:

1. Answer the question honestly. It's always best to answer any interview question honestly (obviously) but this is an especially important one. Making up a weakness that isn't really a weakness will most likely be very noticeable to the interviewer. If they think you are lying, they may ask you for another weakness which will cause you even more trouble trying to think of one off the top of your head.

2. Don't mention a big weakness that could cost you the job. Your goal here isn't to lie of course, it's simply to present yourself as best you can. We all have weaknesses but it doesn't mean we tell an interviewer everything that we do wrong. If for example you are interviewing for a project manager job, it's probably best not to mention that you have trouble getting along with people since you're going to be constantly working with others.

3. Don't evade the question. Don't try to avoid answering the question. Also be careful about giving a cliched weakness (ie. I work too hard) and then quickly stating how you deal with it. That looks too scripted and the interviewer has probably heard it one million times before. Admitting a real weakness but then stating what you are doing to improve yourself is preferable ie. "My presentation skills are not as strong as I'd like so I signed up for weekend presentation skills classes and also joined a Toastmasters club." Remember that the specific job you are interviewing for will help to determine how you answer the question.

4. Keep your answer factual and brief. Typically, stress questions such as these that put us on the spot tend to cause us to ramble on and speak for longer than we should especially if we're nervous. The best way to answer the question is to be well prepared and to know how you are going to answer the question before the interview. This will avoid you trying to think off the top of your head and saying more than you need to which could hurt your chances of getting the job.

5. Be careful about using "my biggest weakness is my biggest strength" as your response. Saying that "I'm a perfectionist" or something like that is another of those cliched answers that people often give to this question. It will probably come across as being scripted and the interviewer will most likely determine that you got the answer from an interview tips book.

• The question demands personal/subjective answer depending on the reality of my own trait and personality type: for instance mixing business with pleasure:

I spend both time and money on books , internet, technology and hardware on my free time for fun even though it is job related because I am so interested in these topics...

• Simple. Lightheartedly say hand made milk chocolates, fast cars and more hand made milk chocolates. When asked my dislikes I usually say smoking (unless it is the tax man on fire) and then it would be someone running up with a bucket of water to put him out.

• I have never been asked to give a serious answer.

• first of all, don't specify them as your weaknesses... just tell them you don't consider them as strong and they could use some work... that's what i would say... good luck on your interviews!

• You have to prepare an answer for this question for every job interview before you go. the most important thing about what you say is for it to be something resolvable, or an area in which you can improve and to show how you are trying to solve this or that issue. For instance, you can say that your written communication skills are not amazing, but you are currently (or planning to register) for a course in creative writing, or business communication, or professional writing, etc...

• The question "What would you say is your greatest weakness" in a job interview is a way to find out many things about you, Try to make it a positive reply. As a property manager I say "I care too much about my communities" this equates to my spending additional time on site at no cost to the company

This is always a difficult thing to do, because no one likes having to recognize their flaws.

Probably the most effective way would to be straightforward, but don't become "off-putting". Be honest with the interviewer, saying that you struggle with certain tasks (list maybe the number 1 thing that you struggle with most). After saying that then tactfully move onto a strength that you believes offsets your weakness.

If the interviewer continues pressing for more weaknesses don't appear offended, everyone has weaknesses so there is no use lying.

Here are a few major points to remember for a question like this;

1. Choose a true weakness that has elements of strength: example (a) "I have trouble reminding myself to be patient when met with resistance to technological change" - for jobs that will benefit from a self-motivated learner of the latest technology tools; example (b) "I am sometimes so curious I have trouble remembering all things will come in there time" - for jobs that will benefit from an innovate learner and team motivator whose curiosity is a contagious.
2. Be prepared for it - know your weaknesses ahead of time, if you reply with "I have no weaknesses" then the interviewer will most likely view that as self-absorbed.
3. Don't rush to answer the question, before you answer give it some thought on how you are going to present the weakness so that it isn't going to overshadow the rest of your interview.
4. Use humor if possible - that does not mean make the question into a joke. It means that you can't take the question to seriously, if the interviewer does have some sort of joke involved then give it a slight chuckle, but do not over do it.
5. And relax - When they ask you about your weaknesses don't start fidgeting or squirming about, that gives the impression that you have something to hide.

But the most important thing to remember in a situation like this is to be honest, but there is no need to tell them all of your little quirks.

Just keep it cool throughout the interview and you will have that dream job in no time!

This can be the most difficult question put by the interviewer to check out your honesty and your confidence level. Don't try to portray yourself as Mr/Miss perfect, as we all have some flaws. Just be careful, and state your weak point by adding that you are working towards improving it. For more details, check out the related link.

Use strengths that are applicable to the job position like punctuality, motivated, reliable, adaptable, communicate well with people and deliver and excellent standard of customer care.

The most important thing about delivering a weakness is to use something that can be overcome. That is the most important factor, for example "I feel that I lack the skills to being assertive, but however I am working on that by taking up horse riding lessons, because the key to horse riding is being assertive and leading where the horse is going" or "My weakness is not being able to drive but I am currently undergoing driving lessons" so something that wont put you in a position of not being hired like "I hate paperwork" when your applying for a secretarial job that is not a good answer.

Answer 2

Greatest weakness is that you are young and still learning. Greatest strength is that you are willing to do so.