This is a question that has been tripping up inexperienced candidates for decades. It preys on arrogance and naivety alike. But for a seasoned insider, answering the question of “what are your weaknesses” is easy.

Table of Contents

1. Why interviewers ask this question
2. General strategy
3. Things you should do
4. Things you should avoid
5. Examples
6. Alternative versions of this question

Why Interviewers Ask This Question

Interviewers are trying to measure two things with this question, your self-awareness, and your self-motivation. Are you self-aware enough to detect a flaw within yourself, and are you self-motivated enough to work on correcting it?

General Strategy

The best answers to this question come from an honest assessment of yourself. What is something negative about yourself that you need to improve? Once you have that figured out, then you need to develop and implement a strategy to correct that weakness. Finally, turn that assessment, along with your corrective action, into a narrative that shows the interviewer that you are aware of that weakness and actively working to minimize or correct it.

Here is a list of common weaknesses to consider:

1. Public Speaking
2. Organization
3. Patience
4. Delegation
5. Memory

Things You Should Do

Be honest. We all have something that we could improve on. If your answer to this question is “Nothing,” then you aren’t getting the job.  

Things you Should Avoid

Don’t be too honest.  While honest answers are the best answers, there is such a thing as being too honest. Don’t tell the interviewer that you are entirely unproductive before lunch or chronically running behind throughout the workday.  

Avoid cliché answers. Don’t tell the interviewer that you work too hard, that you’re a perfectionist, or that your standards are just too high. These are all slightly different versions of saying you have nothing that you need to improve on, and if your answer is “Nothing,” you aren’t getting the job.

Don’t be arrogant.  People view arrogance as an unfavorable trait in all but a few careers. Avoid any answer to this question that an interviewer may misinterpret as arrogant.

Examples

Example 1

I have a terrible memory. I always have. So I make sure I write things down: notes, to-do lists, agendas. I used to be that person carrying a stack of notepads with me to various meetings. Thankfully OneNote is a fantastic application, and I don’t have to store all of those notes in paper anymore. Have you ever read the book “Getting Things Done” by David Allen? It’s a great book. It completely changed my way of thinking, and I’ve embraced even more the idea of getting all my thoughts and to-do items written down and out of my head.

Example 2

Organization has never been my strength. I was the kid growing up with clothes everywhere and chaos all around me. I’ve learned two valuable things about why that is. One, it is significantly easy to stay organized than it is to get organized. And two, I have to work on it every day. So at the end of every day, I have a 15-minute cooldown session where I put things away and close out my day. And then at the end of every week, I do a similar activity, but for a full hour. Keeping to this routine, I find I stay in control of the chaos, and I’m able to remain productive throughout the week.

Alternative Versions of This Question

• What would your staff say are your weaknesses?
• What would your boss say are your weaknesses?