Answering the, “What are your weaknesses” question with the right answer isn’t always the way.
Interviews are all about showing skills and qualifications. You prepare to answer the most common questions about the skills needed for the vacancies. One of the questions that is different is the question about your weaknesses.
It is different as you need to carefully select your weaknesses andpositively discuss themr to prove how you have overcome these weaknesses.
What are the reasons behind the “What are your weaknesses” question?
When interviewers bring up the topic of weaknesses, it can make candidates feel anxious.
But you should know that this question is a Gift! You have the chance now to say how good you are in the ways you were expected to show a weakness inside.
By acknowledging a personal challenge, candidates can demonstrate their openness to feedback and dedication to self-improvement. It’s important to select a weakness that is relevant to the job and highlight the steps taken to overcome it.
So, using this question well as articulating a well-crafted response to this question can leave a lasting impression on interviewers and indicate a mindset focused on continuous development
What are the 2 perfect ways to nail “what are your weaknesses” Q?
1-You either focus on your weaknesses which you have managed to overcome or turning your weakness into positive skills is key to getting the job.
Your interviewer is expecting to hear how you have noticed your weakness and your action plan to control it. To answer the interview question about your weaknesses you should consider a couple of points:
- Focusing on a weakness that communicates strength and a positive attitude towards your work.
- You should not just mention your weakness without following up on your answer with steps to reduce your weakness’s effect on your productivity or performance.
- Highlight your action plan to deal with your weakness and how you assess yourself from time to time.
- Provide positive aspects of your effort and skills that will weigh the weakness you are about to discuss.
- Avoid denying to have a weakness. That will leave a negative impression on your interviewer as everyone has their weakness and denying to have one reflects a lack of self-awareness.
2-Address your weaknesses as areas of improvement or point out that you have managed to develop to get the better of your weaknesses.
6 Examples of Job Interview Weaknesses
- Too Much Focus on Details.
- Getting Nervous with Deadlines.
- Welcoming Help at any time.
- Difficulty in Request Support.
- Developing a Certain Skill.
- Achieving Work-Life Balance.
Preparing for your job interview provides you with an advantage in your interview. It helps reduce stress caused by interviews and proves your confidence and skills. Discussing your weaknesses can be challenging without proper research and preparation. Here are some examples of job weaknesses to discuss during your interview.
1- Too Much Focus on Details
Your employer will appreciate your care about your job. If you are someone who gets caught up in details, you might find yourself missing a deadline or taking longer than expected on a task.
As discussed earlier, you need to highlight your weaknesses as an area of improvement. Elaborate for your interviewer how you have managed to make use of your ability to pay close attention to details into a strength point rather than a weakness.
One way is to shift your focus between details and looking at the bigger picture to balance the efficiency of the job and completing your tasks.
2- Getting Nervous with Deadlines
Your interviewer originally asked you about your weaknesses to assess your skills. If you show you get stressed from deadlines, it will prove your ownership of your work. It will be a chance to showcase your agenda of work that ensures not miss any deadlines.
Moreover, you can demonstrate how you tend to plan early for your tasks so you would have sufficient time before deadlines to account for adjusting or editing part of your work.
3- Welcoming Help at Anytime
Offering help to your colleague is a sign of your team spirit and that you want to share your knowledge and experience. However, it can be challenging to manage your time efficiently between completing your work and helping your colleagues.
If you feel you do not want to say no to someone asking for help, it might be a positive weakness. You can start explaining to the recruiter your eagerness to prioritize your work and offer help when you have a suitable time for it. Time management and task prioritization will help you avoid feeling work burnout.
4- Difficulty in Request Support
You might welcome helping others, but find it difficult to ask for help. Work is about teamwork and collaborating to achieve personal and business goals.
You might face a situation where you don’t have the needed expertise and it should be fine to ask for help. Being self-independent is a good trait, however, you should moderate it at worktoo finish tasks and avoid ending with a heavy workload that causes you to miss the deadline.
5- Developing a Certain Skill
The lack of a needed skill can be a weakness and can be your current development plan as well. Highlighting the skills and experiences you lack can show you are mature and self-aware. No matter how many years of experience you have, there is still a lot to learn and there is no shame in missing a few skills.
After all, we don’t have all the capabilities, but we certainly have many strength points we can use in our work. It is your chance to request from your interview to include career improvement programs where you can gain new skills and learn new tools and technologies.
6- Achieving Work-Life Balance
You might feel you are not doing enough at work and that working overtime will let you achieve more. On the contrary, you will end up feeling exhausted as you didn’t give yourself a chance to rest and spend some time away from work.
Employers will welcome your strong ownership but they know you will end up lacking the energy to keep up. You should discuss how you ensure meeting deadlines and completing tasks according to the plan so that you can feel satisfied and then you can enjoy your time off of work.
It is crucial to do detailed research about your interview. While questions related to your career are important to prepare for, otherbehaviourall questions show the aspects of your personality that recruiters care to understand.
