What are your weaknesses?
What are your weaknesses?
Every human being has weaknesses, so it is perfectly OK for you to have some too. But, this is a common question which usually increases the anxiety level of the candidates. The interviewer is actually not interested in your weaknesses unless it is something which will directly affect the work.
What he is actually interested in is the way you deal with the question.
Now, depending upon the mood of the interview, I would suggest following 3 ways to deal with the question:
First way: If the interview is proceeding in a light mood, use your sense of humor & get out of it by saying something like “Icecreams are my weakness”. Off course, you have to accompany it with a right body language.
Second Way: If it is a serious discussion, offer a weakness which doesn't relate to the job under discussion. For example, you can say, I have been using a camera since childhood but I still don’t know how to repair it. If it is spoiled, I will need to take it to an expert.
Third way: Understand the requirement of the role under discussion and say that others accuse you of having that weakness but you think that it is important for your work. For e.g. "If you have applied for the role of an accountant which needs you to possess a good eye for detail, you can say, My colleagues accuse me of looking too much into the details while dealing with accounts but I know that any detail overlooked now can become a problem later. So, I am happy to possess this weakness.
Discussion
- RE: What are your weaknesses? -Farhana Afreen (09/22/15)
- Everyone has weaknesses and it is absolutely fine if you have some of them too. The key here is to make sure that your weaknesses do not hamper the work in the position for which you are being interviewed. Avoid mentioning any weakness that can be bad or harmful or can prevent you from being worthy of the job. Mention vague terms here and it would be absolutely fine but never those qualities that could impede the performance of someone in that position.
Do not try being very clever by making good things seem like a bad one by adding extra to it and making it seem like you are actually very good. Calling yourself overindulgent in your work, for instance, would not go unnoticed from the interviewer who must be already knowing this trick from years of experience.
Choose simple and common weaknesses like speech stammering in nervousness, impatience in stressful situations, etc. Make sure you only mention those weaknesses that can be cured by working on it and mention that you have been working on it.
"I believe that I need to work harder on perfecting my speech in nervousness and in stressful situation. I sometimes stammer in such situations and I have been trying to perfect it. I would also say that I have improved it but I would like to improve it further in times to come. Another weakness that I am working on is impatience in such stressful situations."
Do not try to avoid the question by saying that you cannot think of any weaknesses because they would simply think that you are hiding something serious from them or you are an overconfident person. - RE: What are your weaknesses? -Nupur Bhargava (05/13/15)
- This question is posed by the interview to assess your self – awareness and insights. The capability of accepting one’s weakness often points out your mellowness and astuteness.
It is important to answer this question wisely by not only highlighting your weakness but also giving the interview a message that you are trying to deal and cope with this weakness of yours. You could also quote examples of how you dealt with your weakness in your previous roles.
For Example: I am an introvert by nature but I am learning to manage this by making an effort to strike a communication with not only my team – members but also with my other colleagues on my floor. I have started to attend more and more of my official parties instead of running away from them.
