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The Weakness Interview Question

Have you ever been asked what your weakness is in a job interview? It’s a challenging question and certainly one that should be thought about before heading to an interview. Even with prior thought about the question, however, you still might not be sure what an interview actually wants to hear.

The Wall Street Journal featured a great article this week addressing this interview question. The article explains that “ideally, your reply also should exclude the word ‘weakness’ and cover your corrective steps.” The article also warns that answers to the question should take the company’s culture into consideration. In addition, there are some common responses that actual hurt an interviewee:

“Some people offer replies they mistakenly assume that bosses love, such as “I am a perfectionist.” That response “will be used against you” because you appear incapable of delegating, warns Joshua Ehrlich, dean of a master’s program in executive coaching sponsored by BeamPines Inc., a New York coaching firm and Middlesex University in London.”

Check out the article for examples of good answers to “the weakness question.”

How would you answer the question?

This entry was posted on Friday, February 6th, 2009 at 8:44 am and is filed under Finding a Job. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

3 Responses to “The Weakness Interview Question”

  1. liz Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 8:52 am

    I usually say that my weakness is lack of paitience. I like getting things done and get frustrated when I have to wait for something or someone else to complete a task.

    I always add that it is something I am working on and give an example about how I have worked on improving myself.

  2. lauryntrkfld Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:38 am

    Saying your a perfectionist is saying that your only weakness is being perfect, and that’s not a weakness.
    Here’s what I say:
    I am a terrible speller. At the same time I proof read everything, even e-mails. I also always use spell check.

  3. Elizabeth Says:
    February 11th, 2009 at 8:57 am

    I was just practicing responses to this question with my bf last night. This article will help alot!