Talking about our Weaknesses in Interviews

This week I met with a client who has taken several years out of the workplace to care for her child. She is looking to return to a very similar job, where the recruitment process is structured and competency based, so we worked on interview preparation, and I helped her to plan answers to the types of questions she is likely to face. I had prepared a range of industry specific and general questions for us to tackle together and the area that was the most challenging was talking about her own weaknesses. And that’s not surprising! we often prepare for interview by boosting our self-confidence and pulling out the positive in everything we have done before. So how can you discuss your shortcomings with a potential

employer in a way that is authentic, meaningful, and that helps

you to get the job?

The key thing to remember is the reason why prospective employers ask the question – often it’s not to find reasons to give the job to someone else! They want to measure your self-awareness, and understand your commitment to your personal and professional development – what do you know about yourself, and what are you doing to get better at it?

Here are a few ‘model’ answers to the question ‘What would you say are your greatest weaknesses at work?”

“I’ve recently started an online learning module about XXX because I know that my knowledge in this area has a few holes in it”. You have opened with the positive action that you are taking and demonstrated that you understand the impact of this weakness for yourself and others.

“I find that I am easily persuaded by other people when I am making decisions about projects, so I have started using a few simple techniques to test my assumptions – I do XXXXX” By giving specific examples of what you have done, you give the interviewer an insight into your method of working.

“I sometimes find it hard to switch off from the emotional demands of the role when I go home. Over the last few years I have found that working openly with my manager and the team to share my concerns about particular XXXX is really helpful and I offer support in return” This answer shows that you care about your work, and that you recognise the importance of being part of a team.

What do you think about these answers, would they work well in your industry? What would you think if you were the interviewer?

P.S. An approach I wouldn’t recommend is the one my husband took in an interview for his first graduate job - thinking on his feet, the first thing that came to mind was his mum saying “you are very intolerant of people” so he told the interviewer “I am very intolerant of people” – though it actually worked in his favour as the interviewer didn’t think of himself as being very tolerant either!