What is a good "weakness" for an interview

kayleebugs

I have an interview today and I always get stumped on the generic questions like "what are your weaknesses"...

What are some good ones that won't make me look horrible. Like I can't say "I get easily distracted by the bump"

Lerxie

Be honest. DO NOT give some ridiculous answer like "I care too much" or "I am a perfectionist." We see right through those.

PIck something you do struggle with (sometimes I still have issues with time management) but explain it in a fashion that shows you are working on it or tells the interviewer steps you have taken to encourage growth.

Good luck!!

roxannaway@aol.com

You could tell them that you tend to become too focused on a project and have to work harder at balancing work and home.

TexasLadyBug

?1)?Don?t list a strength instead of a weakness.??I?m such a workaholic that I?d ? probably be at your office working 5 hours of unpaid overtime a day.? ?I?m a ? ?perfectionist and always do everything right. I just can?t bring myself to make ?mistakes.???

2)?Don?t tell them a major weakness that might actually cost you the job.??I have a drinking problem, and I don?t come to work on time.? ?I don?t like working with other people. I spend my days plotting against coworkers.? ?I?m a screamer.? If the weakness is one that they aren?t going to want in an employee - honesty is not the best policy. Don?t come out and tell them all your major faults. Everyone has them, but you can?t go blabbing about them in your job interview just because they ask. People who do that don?t get jobs.3)?Don?t claim you don?t have any weaknesses.?Are you Superman? Kryptonite. Everyone has something wrong with them. Again, you are just refusing to answer the question - and that doesn?t win you any points and might get you called on it.
1)?List a weakness you?ve already overcome.?The point with this is to show that you?ve got the character to get around your problems and deal with them. Try to pick something inherent to you or related to where your resume shines - if you?ve overcome some obstacle on the way to success, point it out. Also try to pick something where you continue working at it, but you?ve basically solved the problem.?2)?List a weakness that can be eliminated.?If you can?t think of a weakness you?ve already dealt with, at a minimum list something that you?ll be able to deal with in the future - and make sure you tell the interviewer a list of steps you?re taking and will take to solve that weakness.?3)?Admit something minor that doesn?t really affect your job.?This isn?t as good an answer as the first two. But if you can?t think of anything good to say, at the very least you want the question to go away without hurting you. So confess to something that won?t scare them off. You should be able to think of something that you can fix, however, and if you can?t - spend some more time thinking.

Lerxie

Texas - Can I copy that and keep it? LOL

EastCoastBride

As said- be HONEST.  We can't give you a weakness- you need to do a little self-introspection and figure out something that is wrong about you.  read what Texas wrote- EXCELLENT advice on all fronts. 

Interviewers will absolutely see through the "I'm a perfectionist" crap.  They want honest answers showing that you are self-aware, and that you also work at becoming a better person.

I always say that I'm impatient- because I am.  And as an IT trainer, that isn't a great trait to have.  However, I have very clear examples of how I overcome it and deal w/ it when teaching a class where the people are pushing my last nerve. 

skoorbnibor

I would so much rather a truth that I can coach to, than a bs answer. I hate hearing the perfectionist or balance stuff... I also can't stand someone who declares a true weakness, such as procrastination, without a real example of who they overcome it.
Good candidate: I tend to procrastinate, but I have started to assign myself smaller, more manageable goals in order to make a project go more smoothly.When I was working at X, my goal was to complete Y by Z, and I found by breaking the deadlines up, I was able to complete the project well before Z and that allowed me to also include ZZ.

Poor candidate: I am a procrastinator. But I do my best work under pressure.

Me: Give me an example of a time you procrastinated and it affected the outcome of a project. What would you do differently should you have the opportunity to do it again: 

poor candidate: um............um............um..............well, as I said, I do my best work when I am under pressure, so I make it work for me. 

Not only did poor candidate not learn from her so called weakness, but she didn't answer my flipping question! *that was a real interview!*

Poor candidate also wore jeans. Not only jeans, but they were too short, and she was showing off her ankle tattoo... of a pot leaf! : ) and don't get me started on her too tight too short top! lol

Judah'sMommy

sfl

skoorbnibor

btw, if you do tend to get distracted, use that! but also tell the interviewer what you have done in the past to overcome this issue... if you have yet to overcome it, tell how you plan to manage it.

For example, I tend to get distracted easily when I see other things to get completed, When I was involved in the A project, I keep seeing things in the B project that needed to be completed. I was able to work around this by sharing my thoughts about B with my coworker/boss/partner/assistant and  resume work on A. (but never BS, we can always tell!)

kayleebugs

skoorbnibor:

btw, if you do tend to get distracted, use that! but also tell the interviewer what you have done in the past to overcome this issue... if you have yet to overcome it, tell how you plan to manage it.

For example, I tend to get distracted easily when I see other things to get completed, When I was involved in the A project, I keep seeing things in the B project that needed to be completed. I was able to work around this by sharing my thoughts about B with my coworker/boss/partner/assistant and  resume work on A. (but never BS, we can always tell!)

 

Very good tips!  Thanks!  I"m super nervous now LOL

olivejuice127

I hate this question, it basically like saying ok, what wrong with you?

little__bit

olivejuice127:

I hate this question, it basically like saying ok, what wrong with you?

I don't think of it that way.  When I ask this question in an interview, I'm trying to gauge that person's level of self-awareness, his or her commitment to professional development, and ability to communicate effectively.

lollipop320

sfl