You have entered your interview. Everything is going very well. You think you’ve nailed every question they have thrown at you. You are confident that the job is yours. Then this happens…
“What would you say your greatest weakness is?”.
Oh no!
The most important thing to remember about this question is that it is not really about your weaknesses. Though this question is not asked often during interviews it is still important to be prepared for it. When an interviewer asks what your weaknesses are it is best to be prepared. This is a tricky question to answer because you do not want to make yourself seem unfit for the job, but you also want to be honest with your answer and not to seem cocky.
- THE FIRST STEP IS FIGURING OUT WHAT YOUR WEAKNESSES ACTUALLY ARE
When making this decision keep in mind that what your prospective employer is actually trying to figure out is if you are a good match for the job and how well you will fit in with their organization. At this point you are just brainstorming potential words that could describe some of your shortcomings.
- THE NEXT THING TO DO IS TO CHOOSE 3 WEAKNESSES FROM YOUR LIST
When choosing which weaknesses to talk about be sure that you chose ones that either have been improved, can be made positive, and/or will not affect your ability to perform the job. You want to take this question and give it a positive spin.
- AFTER DECIDING ON YOUR WEAKNESSES, YOU WILL WANT TO STAND OUT
Try to come up with some unique ways of saying your weaknesses. For example, an interviewer probably hears that someone is a perfectionist a lot, so try saying that you are detail oriented instead. Other examples include saying that you are dedicated to your work rather than that you are stubborn, that you are self-confident instead of arrogant, and that you are realistic instead of negative. You can use any of these and give them a positive spin and more detail to better answer your prospective employers question.
- DON’T FORGET PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
At this point it is best to practice saying these points in response to the question. Have a friend pretend to be the interviewer so that you can get to a point where you answer the question with ease and in a natural way.
Now back to your interview. You take a deep breath and remember that you are ready for this. You answer the question and know that your preparation was entirely worth it.
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