How to Answer: What are your weaknesses?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Product Owner job interview.
7. What are your weaknesses?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
In managing the success of a project in Scrum, product owners are responsible for a wide variety of duties. Companies hiring product owners consider candidates from several different backgrounds, including project management, project development, engineering or computer science. They are aware that any candidate they consider will come with their own unique set of weaknesses and they want to hear that you are aware of yours. As you answer, make sure to spell out a plan for how you will attack your weaknesses if you emerge as the top candidate and are offered the job.
Written by Karrie Day on May 15th, 2023
1st Answer Example
I feel I could improve upon my data analytics skills. I am very comfortable working with the tools used in my current role, but there are a number of powerful business intelligence tools I would like to work more with in the future. I have used Tableau and Microstrategy, but I know there are features I am not yet an expert on. I like to encourage my teams to use a data-supported approach when making decisions, and the process is more valuable when you have the system experience necessary to find the right information at the right time.
I am currently researching Power BI and I plan to learn about several additional tools over the coming months. Do your teams leverage any specific analytic software?
Written by Karrie Day on May 15th, 2023
2nd Answer Example
One of my weaknesses is that I have limited experience working with Jira. I am comfortable using other backlog management tools, but I know Jira is the main software used by the teams here.
I have recently watched several helpful instructional videos. Many of the backlog management features are similar to what I am used to. While it might take a bit of time to get started, I feel confident I will be able to quickly bridge this gap in my knowledge with minimal impact operationally.
Written by Karrie Day on May 15th, 2023
3rd Answer Example
One of my professional weaknesses is giving administrative tasks the time they deserve. I tend to dive into working with my clients and teams to design and deliver important product functions without saving time for timesheets and organizational tasks.
I have been working on this issue for the last year or so and I have made a lot of progress. I developed a list of user stories to improve my workflows and I am incrementally making changes. I feel much more organized and it has been helpful to take care of administrative tasks as I go.
Written by Karrie Day on May 15th, 2023
4th Answer Example
"I think my first obvious weakness is unfamiliarity with the executive team and key stakeholders that I would be working alongside and supporting in this role. Upon hire, one of my first goals would be to set up one-on-one meetings with all key staff and stakeholders that I would be working with to ensure that a trusting relationship was established and initial goal setting takes place. The second biggest hurdle I know I would have to overcome is familiarizing myself with the business process in the public sector of this state. With my experience being in software development and manufacturing, becoming a new student of this industry is something I greatly look forward to."
Written by Samantha Brown on January 8th, 2024
About the Author
In the early 2000s the cross-functional application development teams I was a part of began the transition from waterfall to agile. This was tricky for several reasons, but one of the biggest hurdles involved figuring out how our traditional roles of analyst, project manager, engineer, tester, and customer translated to the scrum-based model.
While I would like to tell you making the move to scrum was an easy and seamless adventure, it wasn't. I was working with a talented group and many of them were subject matter experts with well-developed leadership skills. Our thoughts about accountability and authority did not align with the Agile Manifesto and we had to rethink our entire approach.
Honestly, I hated working in the product owner role at first. I felt like a great deal of my authority to specify how features should work was usurped. My teams and I were spinning on conversations about stories written on notecards that I could have avoided altogether with a well-delivered set of requirements. I had to ask my clients to completely shift the way we worked together and ask them to trust in my ability to ensure they would get all of the features they needed without them signing off on anything. Do not get me started on the pain that was learning how to estimate user stories as a team...
Over time, things got better and I learned to appreciate the power of scrum. I no longer authored 300-page requirement documents or change requests. I had the opportunity to deliver and test functionality in a controlled setting while embracing changes that added value. Ultimately, the experience I gained as a product owner, scrum master, and leader of agile projects represents a cherished and invaluable time in my professional journey.
I genuinely appreciate the work of talented product owners, and I enjoy partnering with them in my current role as a career coach. I hope this Q&A set assists you in proving your worth to your prospective employer, and I encourage you to check out several of our other helpful sets written by experts using the links below.
Learn more about Karrie Day