What is your greatest weakness?
Your interviewer aims to gauge your emotional intelligence and experience level through your response to this question. Someone who is afraid of admitting to their weaknesses is less likely to grow and more likely to fear being judged or considered a liability. Whereas someone who shares their weaknesses and their focus on professional self-improvement showcases leadership potential, and growth potential, while positioning themself as a desirable asset.
"Sometimes I have difficulty asking for help from co-workers. I am a go-getter and am anxious to pass the career milestones in my career plan. But I want to do it all on my own, and in the past, I've struggled with having to admit when I've taken on too much and could use a little help. A while back I made a few mistakes, and I took responsibility for them, but it generated a little rework, and I can be hard on myself as well. I've learned it's okay to ask for help, and that's what teamwork is all about after all. I'm also better at time management, know how much I can realistically take on, accounting for when things don't go according to plan."
Another of their company values is humility, "Display willingness to learn from each other and from failures as well as successes. Never assume we are at the top of our game or underestimate our competition." So when thinking of a self-perceived weakness, avoid volunteering any skills that are required for the role. Avoid divulging too much personal information, and focus solely on your career progression. Evaluate where you are at with your current career goals, what you need to accomplish next to reach your trajectory, and the milestones you need to reach to progress toward your next goals.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
My greatest weakness is trusting my gut instinct and speaking up to superiors when I know that I may have a better solution.
Chad's Feedback
This is a good start, but it may be unclear to the interviewer what exactly you are identifying as your weakness; trusting your instincts or speaking up to supervisors? A better approach is to try to think of a hard skill, rather than a soft skill, as your greatest weakness. Be mindful the weakness you choose is not a core skill required for the position, and that you have an action plan in place for improving on the weakness.
