How to Answer: What is your greatest weakness, and what are you doing to improve in this area?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Morgan Stanley job interview.
15. What is your greatest weakness, and what are you doing to improve in this area?
The Goal
The hiring managers at Morgan Stanley are looking for evidence that you know your shortcomings. They also want to see that you embrace opportunities to grow and improve. The goal of your response is to show the decision-makers that you are self-aware, reflective, and can readily identify areas for improvement.
Written by Rachelle Enns on May 18th, 2022
Pro Tip
Avoid talking about weaknesses that are a red flag or potentially point to a more significant issue. For instance, if time management is a weakness, the decision-makers might wonder if you can meet your deadlines or if you are frequently late to work. For this reason, it's best to choose a weakness that will not impact your ability to succeed in the role.
It's also essential to give a thoughtful response. Avoid cliche or overused statements like:
- I work too hard
- I am a perfectionist
- I am a workaholic
- My weaknesses are also my strengths
- My greatest weakness is chocolate (insert uncomfortable chuckle)
Written by Rachelle Enns on May 18th, 2022
How to Answer
The hiring managers want you to be honest about your weaknesses. At the same time, they want assurance that you are proactive in improving yourself. One of Morgan Stanley's core values is to "Lead with Exceptional Ideas." This value includes "Leverage different perspectives to gain new insight," which requires constant professional and personal improvement.
Choose a weakness that is not a core skill for the position. For instance, if you are interviewing for a role in the Administration business area of Morgan Stanley, your greatest weakness should not be your Excel skills.
Perhaps you are watching YouTube tutorials to gain skills in a particular area. Maybe you are reading the latest-and-greatest books on the skills you wish to improve, or perhaps you are taking an online workshop to bridge a skills gap.
When discussing your most significant weaknesses, you must display your interest in professional growth. Be sure to maintain a positive tone, show confidence in your ability to improve, and demonstrate a desire for improvement.
Written by Rachelle Enns on May 18th, 2022
What You Need to Know
The average HireVue interview takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. This one-way video interview typically includes 3-5 questions. Depending on the HireVue parameters set by Morgan Stanley, the asynchronous interview platform will generally give you 30 seconds to prepare a response and up to 2 minutes to answer each question. It's important to note that HireVue stops recording as soon as your time limit is up, so it's better to run under time than overtime.
Written by Rachelle Enns on May 18th, 2022
Answer Example
"One weakness I'm improving is my ability to be concise when I send email updates to the department. Brevity has not always been my strongest point; however, I have been practicing by writing a first draft and then asking myself which words can be deleted. So far, I have noticed a marked improvement; however, I believe that clear communication is a work-in-progress and can always be improved."
Written by Rachelle Enns on May 18th, 2022