What are your weaknesses?

"I believe my biggest area for improvement is in my proficiency with InDesign. I consider myself an intermediate-level user, but that is not as strong as I would like to be, so I'm working on improving. I have watched many YouTube tutorials and recently enrolled in an online course for advanced InDesign. I plan to be much more comfortable, confident, and efficient in my use of the InDesign program by the end of the six-week course."

"One specific weakness that I am focusing on right now 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 brevity by writing a draft first and then asking myself which words or points could be deleted from the communication. So far, I have noticed a marked improvement; however, I believe that clear communication is a work-in-progress and can always be improved and tweaked in some way."

"My professional weaknesses are around the topic of delegating to team members. I know what needs doing and how I would like to see it done, so it's often easier to do it myself. However, it can inhibit my ability to grow and my team's ability to grow. To change this habit, I have been training employees who are not fulfilling their requirements or meeting standards. Rather than re-doing their work, I will coach them on what I want to see and then ask them to try again. Since making these changes, I have noticed a decrease in my overtime hours and will continue to provide more employee empowerment and training opportunities."

"My areas of weakness are around documentation. I sometimes get so wrapped up in my cold calling or in the sales cycle that I forget to document my activity until the end of the day. I've spoken with my current manager about it, and we've developed a system where I set an alert every 2 hours to spend a 20-minute time block solely on the task of documentation in the CRM. After blocking this time for the past two weeks, I can see myself forming better habits already."

"I would say the area I need to focus on improving would be my Retail POS proficiency. I am proficient, and it does not hinder my ability to do my job successfully, but it's certainly something that I need to improve. I have started asking other managers to show me their tips and tricks, which has been very helpful."

"Areas of weakness that I have noticed include my skills when it comes to the more advanced use of our cloud-based education platform called D2L. I am learning how to customize learning 'shells' and accept student assignment submissions with greater ease. I have committed to watching tutorials for one hour per day in an attempt to become more familiar with these areas."

"I have good working proficiency in Photoshop; however, these skills are not as strong as I would like, and I'm always looking to improve. I have enrolled in an online Photoshop course, which will boost me from an intermediate user to an advanced user level in a matter of a few months, which is a goal that excites me."

Avoid sharing any weaknesses that are potential red flags or potentially suggest you would be a liability. Rather, it's best to choose weaknesses that will not impact your ability to succeed in the role. Choose a weakness that is not a core skill for the position. For instance, if you are interviewing for an administrator role, your greatest weakness should not be your Excel skills.

Avoid cliche or overused statements such as stating you work too hard, are a perfectionist (unless it infringes on your time management or prioritization of other tasks), or try to use humor to relieve any discomfort.

Some interviewers ask this question in singular form ("What is your greatest weakness"), and some will ask this question in plural form ("What are your greatest weaknesses"). While these are the most straightforward ways to ask this common question, your interviewer might also phrase the question as:

- What professional skills do you want to improve on this year?
- If we offered training in any area, what would you choose to learn?
- Which skills mentioned in our job description do you need to refine?

Be prepared to answer questions about your shortcomings in a variety of ways.

The goal of your response is to show the interviewer that you are self-aware, reflective, and can readily identify areas for improvement. The interviewer needs every candidate to be honest and forthright. When discussing your most significant weaknesses, 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. Also, prepare in advance, and try to identify any ways in which the company you are applying to can help further your development, and surpass any developmental goals or milestones nearing the horizon.

"I would say that a weakness of mine is not participating in the sessions as much as my patients. I too frequently wait until the end of the session and assign homework and materials for them to read for discussion in our next sessions. But my patients rarely read them, even if I loan them the book. Rather, I should be relating and validating their situations. Mirroring them and walking around in their shoes. Then sharing what I learned from these books in real time. I am working on this, and when I do it well, confidently, and out of my own nature, it has a real impact and my patients have real breakthroughs. But sometimes I struggle with jumping in and circling back to something I took note of. Like I said, I am working on this, but it has proven difficult to habitualize. Practice makes perfect."

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.

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