what's your weakness?

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arw

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How do you answer that STUPID interview question? I hate it! :mad: I have a pretty good answer but it always comes out wrong. :tsk: Who is really going to say an actually weakness anyways? :|

I have an interview tomorrow morning and I'm sure someone will ask that question. I hope it's the first one so I can get it out of the way!
 
you pick something that could be interpreted as being a strength. ie., you say that you're too persistant and you work too hard sometimes.
 
the book I have says to say that I'm a very hard worker and expect everyone around me to work just as hard...or something like that. But I always end up saying it wrong. :| And on the last interview the guy then asked what I do when I know someone on my team isn't working as hard as me. I dont' know what I said but I know it was awful.
 
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just tell them that U2 is your weakness :wink:


j/k. you probably shouldn't tell them that.
 
This is the question that can make or break it for you.

A good way to answer this question is two-fold. First state what the weakness is and then the steps you have taken to correct it.
use an example that involves the workplace. Everyone has weaknesses, your potential employer is looking for red flags that might stop you from being able to do the job you were hired for. Stay away from personal things like 'I'm not a morning person' or 'I really like beer'.

Good luck
 
IWB made a good suggestion. Someone told me once to use something very neutral like saying "I dont have the paper to show my experience and I feel even though I have these skills in blah blah blah, I would like to achieve many more things in this area such as [course blah blah]".
It's a worry as you can never tell how an interviewer will interpret what you say.

Good luck arw :hug:
 
yes, I used to say the same thing as IWB suggested

unless I had already decided during the interview that I didn't want to work there
then I said I had sex on my mind the entire day
 
It's simple. Don't admit you have any weakness. Employers want superman anyway, so why not give it to them?

They'll learn soon enough, when their new gung-ho hero employee turns out to be merely human, just like the last 40 or so whose jobs were exported to Bangladesh.
 
i always say I'm a perfectionist and sometimes get caught up in the details and have to remind myself of the big picture and what the main goal is here.
 
UGH I hate that question. I've been asked that one time and I didn't know what to say. So I said that my greatest weakness was that my work had to be perfect. I was asked this for a job at a grocery store. Go figure :shrug: LOL
 
Salome said:
yes, I used to say the same thing as IWB suggested

unless I had already decided during the interview that I didn't want to work there
then I said I had sex on my mind the entire day

:lmao:

Say your weakness is not being able to come up with answers to interview questions asking what your weakness is. :up:
 
good luck!

fah said:
This is the question that can make or break it for you.

A good way to answer this question is two-fold. First state what the weakness is and then the steps you have taken to correct it.
use an example that involves the workplace. Everyone has weaknesses, your potential employer is looking for red flags that might stop you from being able to do the job you were hired for. Stay away from personal things like 'I'm not a morning person' or 'I really like beer'.

Good luck

Fah has nailed it here. I have gone through "Interview coaching" and all of the coaching I have had has told me to answer the question like this. The "coaching" has also said, like others have said here, is to find a "strength as a weakness" such as "overachiever" or "taking on to many projects."

Like Fah said, always provide examples and solutions. They call it "behavioral-based interviewing" and the interviewers are looking for SPECIFIC examples and exactly how you dealt with the problem and what the outcome of the problem was.

Most "big" companies use this interviewing technique.

~ "zoney!"
 
I hate that question. I have tried to do what Fah suggested, say what you think your weakness is, and then highlight the steps you haven't taken to corret it. And if you haven't taken any steps to correct it, BS like there is no tomorrow.

"I believe my biggest weakness is perfection. Once I get started on a task, I try to work at every little detail, many times, not focused on the bigger picture. I have been working to correct this using time managment to help me focus on the whole project, rather than the task at hand."


I hate interviews.
 
Dilbert had a great answer to that question:

"Sometimes I work so hard I turn invisible. If I appear blurry right now, it is because I am multi-tasking."
 
Yes, that is the question that I always dread. And unfortunately beer, ice cream and musicians is not what they are wanting to hear about.

:wink:
 
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:D Well they didn't ask me that question at all today. :shrug: Maybe because they already asked me on the phone last week. But they didn't ask me any typical questions. They had "situations" and wanted to know my past experiences in those situations and what the out come was. It was a very relaxed atmosphere compared to the interview I had about a month ago where the question was asked and I thought I choked on my answer.....I didn't get that job :| But this seemed a lot more relaxed and I was waiting for the question and felt I was ready to answer it but they never asked. Oh well.....
 
Oooohhh, now I know why I didn't get that job where I answered that question with a long, long sigh, half-closed eyes, and the words "well... there is this certain guy with this wonderful Australian accented baritone voice to die for..."
 
ABEL said:
just tell them that U2 is your weakness :wink:


j/k. you probably shouldn't tell them that.

:lmao:

My weakness is I am basically very lazy and a clock watcher. I like to party at night and not get up in the morning. But I'd never tell any employer that! :lol:
 
I think it's the world's stupidest question, because who's kidding who...all these employers KNOW that you are BSing, and pretending to be a perfectionist! Why not just focus on the STRENGTHS, which is much more important anyway! :shrug:
 
Mrs. Edge said:
I think it's the world's stupidest question, because who's kidding who...all these employers KNOW that you are BSing, and pretending to be a perfectionist! Why not just focus on the STRENGTHS, which is much more important anyway! :shrug:

Actually, most of the time it's to see how you respond to a tricky or off-kilter question. If you are able to smoothly answer it, it shows that you are able to think quickly in pressure situations. And that you're good at bullshitting, which is an always important business skill!
 
I was in an interview once. I told them my weakness was my all-too human needs for relaxation and time alone with friends and family. They sacked me on the spot.

But they hired me back when I promised to outsource my family to India and start pulling the legs off cockroaches.
 
I have another interview tomorrow with a different company. I never get nervous until I think about this lame ass question. I hope they don't ask me :mad:
 
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