What are your weaknesses

[shadeofgreen]

It comes up in every interview: The infamous "what are your weaknesses or things you could work on?" Today I had an interview and they asked me for three, and it caught me off guard. I had some standard answers I always use, but I got stuck after two. I mean, I have weaknesses, but I don't want to TELL them that I'm a raging slacker and I hardly ever make it to work on time in the morning, you know?

So what's your stock answer for this question?

[Tiff58]

1. I get easily bored, so I need a lot of work/projects to keep me busy.

2. I have a hard time saying no, which could cause me to have too much on my plate- but this has made me very good at prioritizing.

3. I have a hard time being satisfied with myself, so I am always wanting to learn more by taking classes or taking on challenging work.

Just make sure all of your negatives are really positives to your employer.

[hoodie]

1. I need very set routines and procedures to keep myself organized.

Now I'm not going to tell anyone at a job interview about my ADD, but I'd possibly mention a tendency growing up to fall into haphazard organization and inattentiveness. However, I WOULD stress that as I've gotten older, I've learned routines (I always check this first, and add things to my calendar the SECOND I see them, keeping a pocket PC for appointments and reminders etc.) Shows growth (I hope).

2. I tend to observe at first before jumping in.

I sometimes see this as a weakness because it may falsely portray me as a sideline sitter, but this does allow me to tailor my contributions to my environment and be more flexible with other people. I know who I'm working for and the needs of the population before starting projects.

3. I'm a morning worker, who tends to lose focus in the afternoon after eating lunch.

Easily solved. I get to work earlier than I need to, hit the ground running, and take late lunches to maximize productiveness.


Luckily I've never been asked this question. In the world of education, the questions are more situational and/or related to educational hot-topics and teaching style rather than personal or reflective.

[asm198]

I hate this question, because I never know how to answer. Although, this one (I get easily bored, so I need a lot of work/projects to keep me busy) is really good, so I may use that on my next interview.

[meatwad]

Well green kryptonite can kill me, but red kryptonite just makes me really horny and rebellious.

[awhitmer83]

I'm a control freak. I like working with other people, but I have a hard time letting someone else take the lead. That isn't designed to "look good" - it's just the truth.

I tend to procrastinate. I need firm deadlines to work toward, or I get distracted with other tasks. Again, just the truth.

It takes me awhile to warm up to new people. I tend to keep a safe distance from coworkers because I like to keep my personal life away from work. This one has the bonus of looking good while also being honest.

[Samwell]

2. I tend to observe at first before jumping in.

I sometimes see this as a weakness because it may falsely portray me as a sideline sitter, but this does allow me to tailor my contributions to my environment and be more flexible with other people. I know who I'm working for and the needs of the population before starting projects.

I am so stealing this one.

[sondra_finchley]

awhitmer, you sound like me. Only I have a bit of that ADD post lunch thing too. Today I had a ton of stuff to deal with and got in REALLY early ( like 5.15 am early). I held my focus up until 11.45 when I took lunch aaaannnddd... couldnt regain it afterwards. Whats up with that?

Im fine with working really early in the morning, but after the day is done, and lunch, im much more social. Maybe Ill try and keep to a very early morning schedule from now on- less distractions and I can maximize productivity. I feel embarassed that I lose focus so much- AND im a procrastinator, so the two combined is not good.

Also... I NEED to KNOW what is going on- not on a micromanagement level (when Ive had to do that in the past Im good at letting people handle things), but i have GOT to know what is in the pipeline, essential due dates, updates, etc, even if it isnt for stuff Im necessarily working on. I do keep a big calendar on the cube wall so I can see deadlines, that has helped immensely. I even started putting "fake" deadlines in to fool myself so I would start getting things done on time without a massive last minute rush.

[dacrunkest]

I find most of the people I work with to be far less wonderful as I am. In fact, many of them are worthless :).

[caostotale]

Well green kryptonite can kill me, but red kryptonite just makes me really horny and rebellious.

Now, this is the only answer here that I like, and probably the least bullshit-filled. It's a shame that a sense of humor has to be bottled up during most interviews so you don't trip any tact alarms with the lifeless androids who usually conduct interviews.

The ones that Tiff listed are absolutely barf-inducing they're so manufactured-sounding. But I guess that's what people look for. I yearn for the glory days where people didn't have to sound like QVC salespeople when they sold themselves.

[and1grad]

I dont think I would go with a stock answer. Just say something that sorta fits/is true and include what you'll do to either solve or work around it. I think the worst thing you can do with this question is come off as dishonest....unless "I tend to lie to supervisors" is part of your answer.

[Tiff58]

Now, this is the only answer here that I like, and probably the least bullshit-filled. It's a shame that a sense of humor has to be bottled up during most interviews so you don't trip any tact alarms with the lifeless androids who usually conduct interviews.

The ones that Tiff listed are absolutely barf-inducing they're so manufactured-sounding. But I guess that's what people look for. I yearn for the glory days where people didn't have to sound like QVC salespeople when they sold themselves.

Sorry to bother you. These are my real weaknesses, just communicated in a way that makes them sound like positives. Isn't that the point of an interview, to promote yourself in the most positive light?

[caostotale]

Sorry to bother you. These are my real weaknesses, just communicated in a way that makes them sound like positives. Isn't that the point of an interview, to promote yourself in the most positive light?

I wasn't trying to insult you. I just think that the idea of interviewers making interviewees create nonsensical paradoxes and navigate pointless semantic obstacle courses (I'm weak at x, but someone that makes me strong!) a tad ridiculous. While your answers to these may indeed be honest, I'd say that most of the time, this kind of pointless question yields an over-rehearsed bullshit answer from an interviewee, compiling bits and pieces of crap read on the internet and in those job-seeker manuals. I think the idea of people preparing answers like that undermines any truth that might be gleaned from the interaction itself, because all of the sudden, it has jumped from being an interview to being a performance.

[Tiff58]

I wasn't trying to insult you. I just think that the idea of interviewers making interviewees create nonsensical paradoxes and navigate pointless semantic obstacle courses (I'm weak at x, but someone that makes me strong!) a tad ridiculous. While your answers to these may indeed be honest, I'd say that most of the time, this kind of pointless question yields an over-rehearsed bullshit answer from an interviewee, compiling bits and pieces of crap read on the internet and in those job-seeker manuals. I think the idea of people preparing answers like that undermines any truth that might be gleaned from the interaction itself, because all of the sudden, it has jumped from being an interview to being a performance.

Point taken. :) I think that's very true. Because, yeah, basically everyone is going to pick their most "marketable" weaknesses, and it's not really a telling question.

[shadeofgreen]

Now, this is the only answer here that I like, and probably the least bullshit-filled. It's a shame that a sense of humor has to be bottled up during most interviews so you don't trip any tact alarms with the lifeless androids who usually conduct interviews.
I once answered the "what are your weaknesses" question with, "I really don't have any." It couldn't have hurt too much because they did offer me the job. It definitely wasn't a conventional, corporate environment, which is a large part of the reason why I was stupid not to take the job in spite of the sizable pay cut...