12 November 2008
How to Handle the “Tell Me About Your Weaknesses” Question in an Interview
Posted by Nina under: Job Interviews; Military Career Transition .
By Daisy Wright
As career advisor to Radio Canada International’s The Link, and Torontojobs.ca, my role is to answer job search questions that listeners or readers send via email. One question that gets asked often is how to answer the strengths and weaknesses question in an interview. Last month, a jobseeker from Richmond Hill, Ontario, wrote:
“I have recently been to over 5 interviews in the past few weeks. During the duration of each interview the interviewer asks me what my biggest weakness is. I find it extremely difficult to answer this question knowing that it will somehow work to my disadvantage no matter what I say. Is there a way to turn this into a positive?”
This question is regularly asked at interviews, as the jobseeker above found out. One reason is that employers want to gain insights into the character of the candidate and make sure they are hiring someone who will be an asset to the company, not a liability. The candidate, on the other hand, needs to be prepared to discuss one or two weaknesses, as long as they are flaws that won’t affect his ability to do the job. The candidate should not give “canned” answers such as “I am a perfectionist” or “I am a workaholic”, neither should he say he doesn’t have any weaknesses as interviewers scoff at these types of answers.
So, one way to answer this question is to identify a work-related weakness that you are working on or a weakness that would not interfere with your ability to do your job. For example, suppose you are afraid to speak in public, and would like to improve in this area. You could say something like, “I used to be one of those people who would avoid all opportunities to speak in front of a crowd, but six months ago I took my mentor’s advice and enrolled in a Toastmasters’ program. Not only am I a more confident speaker, but I also volunteer for different roles in meetings and have improved my leadership skills.” An answer like this shows you are authentic and that you were able to turn a weakness into a strength.
Some employers use behavioural interview techniques to select candidates, and these questions sometimes prove more difficult for the candidate to answer because they are not as direct as “Tell me about your weaknesses”. Below is a shortlist of behavioural questions:
- Tell me a time when you lost your temper at work
- Give me a specific example of a time when you had to work with a difficult customer. What steps did you take to resolve the problem? What was the outcome?
- Describe a time when a team member openly criticized you for something? How did you respond? What could you have done differently?
- Describe a time when, despite your best efforts, you failed at something. What clues did you fail to see? What did you learn?
Even though these questions are supposed to assess competencies in team-building, customer service, and interpersonal effectiveness, the manner in which they are answered could reveal the candidate’s strengths or weaknesses.
The point here is that jobseekers should be aware that the dreaded “Tell me about your weaknesses” question does not have to be asked for his or her weaknesses to be revealed.
About the Author
Daisy Wright is an award-winning career leader, professional resume writer and author of No Canadian Experience, Eh? A Career Survival Guide for New Immigrants. She can be reached by phone at (905) 840-7039, by email at info@thewrightcareer.com.
Visit her websites at http://www.thewrightcareer.com or http://www.nocanadianexperience-eh.com
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