“10 Clever Answers to the ‘What’s Your Greatest Weakness?’ Question in Job Interviews”

2023-05-07 01:27:58

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Von: Michelle Anskeit

It has become a trend to mention things like “I’m a workaholic” as a weakness in job interviews. © YAY Images / IMAGO

“If you ever say something stupid when asked the question because you’re nervous, just admit you’re nervous.”

Are you currently looking for a new job? Maybe your next interview is coming up, or you’re just preparing in advance in case you ever have one once more. I have to admit that the typical question regarding my weaknesses in one of my own job interviews caught me totally unprepared and I gave a really bad answer.

That’s exactly why I immediately read the comments when I saw the Post by Redditor u/hussainhsn found one that asked, “What’s a good weakness to use in a job interview?”

And honestly? My thinking regarding it was totally old-fashioned, because these answers are much cleverer than my last stand on it.

1. “When you move from one industry to another, your biggest weakness is that you don’t know the industry…yet.”

“When you’re younger, accept that you’re inexperienced as a weakness. Anything that shows you have the will to learn and develop.”

-JesseTBaker

2. “One reason I got a job is because I answered this question very honestly: I need to know why I’m doing what I’m doing.”

“I don’t like being told to do something without a purpose in mind or without knowing why. When I work, I need a goal in mind.

Some employers don’t like this because they want to see their employees as cogs in a machine that they control. I don’t like jobs like that and I don’t want them either. The position I applied to wasn’t that kind of job and they liked my answer.”

-JoNightshade

3. “I had an interview with a candidate once and she said, ‘Honestly? Cake. I can never say no to cake.’”

“She was so genuine regarding it and the answer honestly made us all laugh. We hate those typical corporate interview questions – it was more regarding finding someone who would answer the questions like a real person and also had personality showing through.”

-Sssnapdragon

4. “Word it in such a way that it is clear that you want to improve something. ‘At my last appraisal I received constructive criticism regarding X, so I’ve since done Y and Z to improve on that score.’

-abunchofsquirrels

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5. “I always say, ‘I don’t like letting go of unfinished projects.’ I think that shows that I’m really committed to the work I’m taking on.”

-Mathewdm423

6. “It depends on the job, but I sometimes say that I find it hard to delegate a task to someone else when I know I can do it well.”

“I prefer to do it myself and know that everything is done right.”

-m4vis

“It really depends on the spot. That would be a horrible answer if you’re interviewing for a managerial job.”

-MrDetermination

7. “Choose a skill that is not required for the position you have applied for, but is required for the position two levels above it.”

“Then say that it’s your major weakness, but that you want to learn and develop this skill from people who are good at it.”

-caldazar24

8. „[Wenn man sagt:] ‘I’m not good at interviews. That’s probably because I don’t have them often because I’ve usually stayed in my previous jobs for a long time.”

-AccountNo43

9. “When I was regarding to graduate from college, my father gave me interview tips because he is very involved in the hiring process in his department at the company.”

“His advice, which I’ve followed since then and has always worked well, was: The tip regarding naming a weakness that’s actually a strength is totally dead now. This is no longer seen as a clever ‘trick’, but rather that you’re trying to avoid the question.

People are much more likely to want to see some level of self-awareness. Of course, you shouldn’t say something totally bad, but you can share a real weakness and then explain what you’re doing to work on it or despite it.

For example, I often cite as a weakness that I can be forgetful, so I keep multiple calendars, reminders, notes, etc. to cover everything.”

-CinnamonSwisher

10. “If you ever say something stupid when asked the question because you’re nervous, just admit that you’re nervous.”

-NotFlappy12

And one last tip: Don’t do any of these 12 things that HR managers have seriously experienced in job interviews.

The answers have been translated and partially shortened and/or edited for better understanding.

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#good #weaknesses #mention #job #interview

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