Job Interview Questions/Great Answers (Part 7)

“What is your biggest weakness?”

If your immediate response is, “I thought I was wrong once in my handling of an important work project - but of course I found I did everything right. I do tend to underestimate my skills.”

Don’t say that.

Interview dynamic

In crafting your answer you should understand interview protocols. Recruiters must make a judgment about you. S/he has only the resume and interview to form an opinion. The interviewer will then come up with a “hire/don’t hire” recommendation.

That’s it

Normally there is no appeal. You’re still in the running or you’re gone. References will not be checked unless you are a finalist.

Self- flagellation is not good

Negative comments you make about yourself are remembered and will weigh heavily. Positives might be overwhelmed by admission - by you - of serious flaws. Interviewers accept a tad of selling and even some ‘historical embellishment’. So they must look for reasons to balance your skewed viewpoints.

More dark secrets?

Information that counters your expression of wonderfulness unfortunately tends to be remembered. There might also be a feeling that if you so readily admit to such weaknesses when your role is to impress, might there be even deeper negatives not mentioned? After all, you aren’t expected to admit your worst inclinations.

Interviewer - not your confidant

Obviously you should respond with something that will show you are human but will not cause you to be eliminated as a viable candidate. Your interview goal is to get the offer.

There is little reason to admit your less than stellar quirks. The recruiter is not your confessor, priest, rabbi, counselor, or new buddy. You’re only interviewing for a job, for goodness sake, not salving your conscience.

The recruiter, as employer rep, does not mention employer’s weaknesses, nor should s/he. Consider the tyrannical boss (AKA ‘firm but fair’), declining sales, pain in the tush co-workers, possible plans to relocate, and unmentioned OT demands. It is not the time for full disclosure on either side. Neither has any obligation to reveal all.

Matchmakers

S/he is your negotiating counterpart where both must determine whether the match would work. Many goals of each side are unavoidably antagonistic. And that is OK. You want paid time-off; they want you to work; you want more money; they would rather not; you have a family to worry about; they only need your talents, not your personal problems.

However each needs what the other might have or there would be no point in meeting.

Weaknesses don’t preclude great performance

You might be fully capable of aceing the job even with some negative baggage. Of course, the recruiter might over-weight admitted weaknesses and eliminate you - to the detriment of all.

Consider Martin Luther King, Roosevelt, Ghandi, Stalin, Hitler, Kennedy - they were undisputed charismatic leaders. They also had a few flaws - right? They met many of the goals set forth in their 'jobs'.

Sounds silly, doesn’t it?

Everyone has weaknesses, (except thee and me, of course). The point: are those weaknesses relevant to job success and can the recruiter discern the critical ones vs. the merely unlikable ones?

Don’t say this:

• “I have a hard time getting up in the morning because me and my friends party a lot (I’m very social) and I usually don’t get to bed until late. I am a night person but I can get to work on time and work hard.”

Or

• “I get along with most people. But if pushed too much, I sometimes, lose my temper and push back. On a couple of occasions I had co-workers who wouldn’t back off so I taught them a lesson. I regretted it but things settled down. I was a Navy Seal, as mentioned in my resume. I sometimes have a short fuse so I go to great lengths to be tolerant. But I don’t like to be taken advantage of.”

Even if you simply want to ‘clear the air’ and want to start off with a 'clean slate', don’t.

A better answer - without lying?

Consider the following, after which I will talk about the overall theme in answering this rather intrusive question - what are your greatest weaknesses?

• "My biggest weakness, I guess, is that I get upset with team-members who are not careful on a project or who do not hold up their end. I'm very goal oriented. If someone on the team is not doing their part, I tend to do what they were supposed to do. I know that might offend the person but I won’t let the team fail because of one person’s neglect. I should be more patient, maybe, and just stick to doing my part well."

Weakness not a weakness?

You hope the interviewer won't see your self-described 'weakness' as a weakness at all since the team-project success is in the employer's interest. In addition, team self-discipline is often much more effective than management’s exhortations to improve.

Or

• “Some of my friends can forget work-problems the moment they walk out the door. It’s almost like they have a built-in switch. They turn it back on the next morning and do good work. I wish I could do that. I sometimes wake up at night thinking about a problem at work. I finally had to leave a pad of paper next to my bed to make notes since often the solution comes to me in the middle of the night and I would forget it by morning.”

One more time: you hope the interviewer won't see your 'weakness' as a weakness since your action is a plus for the employer.

Self-interest is the gospel

Self-interest job search means both you and the employer are there to reach disparate goals. If that is not possible, the deal won't work. Each must offer the opportunity to the other to do that or the employment arrangement will end or at least deterioriate.

Rehearse your role - you're the unavoidable star

If you practice a few approaches to the question prior to the interview you can avoid stupid responses. We are not suggesting lying although it is up to you if you want to take the risk. We are also not suggesting a spilling of the soul under the questionable “Let's start out with a fresh slate”. If you say things like that you will probably not have a relationship to 'start out' with.

Ask the employer about its weaknesses?

Did you ever think how the recruiter might react if you asked the same question about the employer? (More about this in later hubs)

That’s it for now. See you again in the next Hub?