How to Answer: What are your weaknesses?
12. What are your weaknesses?
The Goal
When an interviewer asks about your most significant weaknesses, they are looking for evidence that you are aware of your shortcomings. They also want to know that you embrace opportunities to grow and improve. The goal of your response is to show the interviewer that you are self-aware, reflective, and can readily identify areas for improvement.
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
What to Avoid
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 interviewer might wonder if you can meet your deadlines or if you are frequently late to work. For this reason, it's best to choose weaknesses that will not impact your ability to succeed in the role.
It's also important to give a thoughtful response. Avoid cliche or overused statements like:
- I work too hard
- I am a perfectionist
- I am a workaholic
- My flaws are also my strengths
- My greatest weakness is chocolate (insert uncomfortable chuckle)
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Pro Tip
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.
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
How to Answer
The interviewer wants you to be honest about your weaknesses and, at the same time, they want to see that you are proactive when it comes to improving yourself. 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.
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 January 8th, 2022
Answer Example
"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."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Admin Example
"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."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Manager Example
"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 teams' 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."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Sales Example
"My areas of weakness are around documentation. I sometimes get so wrapped up in my cold calling or into 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."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Retail Example
"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."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Teacher Example
"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 in these areas."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
Marketing Example
"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."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022
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