Why Do Interviewers Ask About Weaknesses?
Hiring managers ask about weaknesses to get a sense of how well suited you are for the job. Be honest but carefully choose the weaknesses you want to discuss in a job interview. Pick a weakness that is not critical to the job and shows your ability for self-reflection and growth.
How to Answer Interview Questions About Weaknesses?
What should you discuss when asked to improve your weaknesses? Weaknesses can be difficult to talk about, so you need to be cautious when sharing examples of your weaknesses. You don’t want to eliminate yourself from contention for the job because the interviewer thinks you are unqualified. You also don’t want to come across as arrogant or perfectionistic, as no one is perfect.
You want your answer to be honest but as positive as possible. Be careful when answering questions about weaknesses (and pitfalls), and you will be able to demonstrate how you are a good fit for the job.
Focus on the steps you are taking to improve your weaknesses and avoid mentioning weaknesses in skills that are considered critical for the job.
If you think carefully about the job beforehand and prepare an answer, you will be able to stay positive while being truthful.
List of Weaknesses
What are the best weaknesses to mention during an interview? There are different categories of weaknesses you can choose from when answering interview questions about your weaknesses.
Hard Skills
You can mention a hard skill as a weakness you have. Hard skills are job-specific abilities that can be easily measured. These skills develop through school and other training forms. Examples of hard skills include computer skills, finance, mathematics, and more.
Soft Skills
Soft skills are important for most jobs. Unlike hard skills, they are more challenging to measure accurately. These skills include your personality traits, communication abilities, and social skills.
Interpersonal Skills
You can mention a weakness related to your ability to interact with others. Of course, you want to ensure that you do not come across as someone who cannot work well with colleagues. Choose a specific issue you face, then talk about how you are working to improve this type of interaction. Examples of interpersonal skills that can be mentioned as weaknesses include conflict avoidance, covering for coworkers, expecting too much from colleagues, expressing excessive frustration with underperforming employees or coworkers, presenting to large groups, public speaking, being overly critical of others’ work, overlapping client issues, and being overly sensitive.
Work Ethic
You don’t want to say that your weakness is that you “work too hard.” This will come off as insincere. However, you can explain how you tend to overdo certain things at work. This will show that you work hard, but it will be a more honest answer. Examples of weaknesses related to work ethic may include leaving projects unfinished, providing excessive details in reports, jumping from one project to another (ability to multitask), taking credit for group projects, overcommitting to responsibilities, micromanaging, being too demanding, procrastinating too much (as long as you meet all deadlines), being overly helpful to others, and working exceedingly long hours.
Academics
You can also point out an academic skill as a weakness. This is especially a good idea if you have been out of school for several years, as the employer can evaluate you based on your work experience instead of your academic background.
Of course, do not highlight an academic weakness that is directly related to the job. For example, if you are applying for a job as an engineer, do not say that your weakness is a specific engineering subject. Some examples of weaknesses related to academics may include coursework (a specific course you struggled with), writing essays (be sure to emphasize your strength in other forms of writing), being overly involved in extracurricular activities (if you are a student or recent graduate), and spending too much time on school assignments and standardized tests.
What
What to Say During the Interview
Focus on non-essential traits for the job. When considering the weaknesses you will mention in the interview, remember that you should focus on traits that are not essential to the requirements of the job you are interviewing for. For example, if you are applying for an accounting position, you do not want to say that your weakness is mathematics.
Stay positive. It’s important to try to remain positive. You may also explain how your weakness can be seen as a positive in the job. For example, attention to detail is good for many positions.
Reinforce your action plan. You should explain how you overcome your weakness or how you plan to overcome it. This is especially helpful when your weakness is a hard skill that can be easily learned. Your answer might even be phrased as “one skill I am currently working to develop.”
Share your strengths. In addition to being prepared to mention your weaknesses, it’s also important to discuss the strengths that qualify you for the job during the interview. It’s also vital to do your best to sell your qualifications to the interviewer so that you are a strong candidate for the job offer.
Be honest. Finally, while you want to be positive, you should also be honest. Answers like “I don’t have any weaknesses” will come off as insincere.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the hardest job interview questions to answer?
Some of the hardest job interview questions are open-ended requests like “Tell me about yourself.” To be prepared, make sure you can quickly summarize your skills and work history and connect your qualifications to the job.
How can I impress the hiring manager during the job interview?
The best way to impress the hiring manager is to be prepared for the job interview. Research the company, practice answering common job interview questions, and arrive early and dressed appropriately for the interview.
How do I answer the question “Why should I hire you?”
Don’t get flustered by this question, which is partly intended to see how you respond under pressure. Match your qualifications to the job, and highlight the skills and abilities emphasized by the employer in the job description.
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Sources
The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts in our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we verify facts and keep our content accurate, reliable, and high-quality.
SHRM. “Interviewing Candidates for Employment.”
Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/list-of-weaknesses-2063805
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