Attack this head-on
Don’t beat around the bush when asked “What are your weaknesses?”
You need to answer this question honestly and be upfront.
There are plenty of articles across the internet describing how to answer this question, and for good reason. This question trips people up as much as any question in job interviews.
For example, here are a few articles focusing on common ways to approach this question:
- Indeed – “List of Weaknesses – 10 Things to Say in an Interview” While some of these options get too close to stating a strength as a weakness (which I recommend against later in this article), this still provides a few good suggestions.
- Zety – “What is Your Greatest Weakness?”
- The Balance Careers – “List of Weaknesses with Examples.”
To take a different approach and to help you prepare in a practical way, I’m going to share two key items:
- Why a hiring manager is asking this question and what they’re trying to figure out about you
- What you should (and shouldn’t) say are your weaknesses, including a framework to follow as you craft your response.
Here we go.
Why is an interviewer asking about your weaknesses?
We all expect some form of this question, but what are they really trying to figure out about you?
Speaking from my experience as an interviewer over the years, hiring managers are primarily looking for two things:
- Are you self aware?
- Can you learn and develop?
Are you self aware?
Hiring managers want to work with someone who can self-reflect and is open to feedback.
Giving a solid, truthful answer around a weakness or development area demonstrates that you know you have something to work on, or have worked on it in the past.
It’s also a good indicator that you are willing to accept feedback without getting defensive.
Can you learn and develop?
Simply knowing you have weaknesses is a start, but it isn’t enough.
The hiring managers also want to know – and see evidence – that you can build on that self-awareness to take action.
Specifically, when answering this question in an interview, you should focus your response on what steps you took to grow once you identified the area where you needed to develop.
Taking proactive, meaningful action goes a long way to ease a hiring managers hesitation that you may not have all the skills they need on day one.
What you should (and shouldn’t) say are your weaknesses
I’ve heard so many responses to this question that I can guarantee you it is easy to mess this up.
The good news is that it’s also possible to nail this!
Here are some tips to help you think through great examples and to avoid common mistakes.
What you should say
First pick a strategy
To keep things simple, here are three strategies you can choose from to start planning your response:
Strategy #1 – Focus on a weakness or development area that you have already conquered.
Strategy #2 – Focus on a weakness or development area that you’re actively working on, but is minor relative to the role.
Strategy #3 – Focus on a weakness or development area that makes you seem human, but isn’t a game-changer.
The exact skill or weakness is up to you. I argue that which one you use doesn’t matter, as long as you avoid the skills critical to the role (see my list of what to avoid below).
Now use this framework
Once you’ve chosen one of the strategies above, fit it into this framework:
- A couple years ago I started noticing that I [fill in the blank]… This demonstrates two things. 1) This isn’t too recent and 2) You personally identified the development area. Again – this shows self-awareness.
- I recognized that I needed to make some adjustments. This phrasing also indicates not only self-awareness, but an action-oriented approach.
- I came up with a plan and here are the steps I took… This shows that you can be proactive and are dedicated to self-development and growth. It also gives the interview a good picture of how you approach problem-solving (bonus!).
- Today, here’s how things are going. This brings the interviewer up to speed. You can share how you’ve overcome that development area or how you’re still working on it, depending on what strategy you chose. The goal is to share something tangible that has changed as a result of the steps you took.
What you shouldn’t say
When crafting a response, there are definitely some common traps to avoid. Here’s my list of what not to do:
- Do not, under any circumstance, say “I don’t have any” or “I can’t think of any” weaknesses/development areas. This is a huge, likely insurmountable red flag to the hiring manager. Someone who isn’t self-aware enough to 1) Know they have weaknesses or 2) Know that this looks bad in an interview isn’t going to get hired. You need to show some humility and self-awareness.
- Don’t use strengths as weaknesses. Please. Don’t do it. Some candidates are more obvious, others try to mask it a little more. Both come out sounding like someone trying to avoid the question. This is a time to demonstrate self-awareness and self-development, not sneak strengths into the question like a ninja. Don’t provide an over-the-top, Michael Scott (of the TV show The Office) type response, such as “My greatest weaknesses are that I work too hard, care too much, put in too many hours, etc.”. I still get responses like this on occasion, but not as frequently. So you will stand out for the wrong reasons if you do this.
Other mistakes to avoid
- Don’t use a weakness or development area that is obviously a poor reflection on your integrity or work ethic. This may sound obvious, but I once had a candidate respond with “My greatest weakness is that I just can’t seem to get to school and work on time. No matter what I try, I always find myself running late.” Props for honesty, but as I mentioned earlier, this isn’t what the hiring manager is looking for either. While they’re looking for self-awareness, they’re also looking for basic work ethic and skills. This isn’t a time to share huge shortcomings, thinking that’s what they’re looking for (I’d also argue that if you’re consistently late, you need to fix that ASAP!).
- Don’t use a weakness or development area that is in the top 3-5 skills that the hiring manager is looking for. If you haven’t already, check out the articles “The Top 3 Things Every Hiring Manager is Looking For” and “4 Simple Strategies to Confidently Answer ‘Tell me about yourself.'” In each of these I go into more detail about the importance and process of identifying the top 3-5 skills the interviewer is looking for. Bottom line – once you have your list, make sure the weakness you’re going to share isn’t on that list! While you want to show self-awareness, you also want to demonstrate to the interviewer that you have all the skills they’re looking for.
Conclusion
It is critical to know why interviewers ask “What are your weaknesses”, what strategies to use as you craft a response, and the common traps you should avoid.
If you prepare ahead of time, craft your strategy using the framework we reviewed, and avoid the problem areas, you won’t stress when the inevitable question comes up. Instead, you will answer with confidence and build a stronger case for why you should be hired.
Discussion Question
I’d love to hear from you! Join the conversation with the Equipped Community – we’re in this together! In the comments section below, share your thoughts on the following question.
What’s your strategy for sharing your weaknesses? Have you made one of the mistakes we listed?
