How to Answer: What is your greatest weakness? What are you doing to improve it?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Urban and Regional Planners job interview.
7. What is your greatest weakness? What are you doing to improve it?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
When hiring managers ask this question they are looking to see if you are honest, self-aware, and willing to improve. The hiring manager is also looking for indicators that show you've been able to learn new tasks and handle new challenges. So, this question is an opportunity to show that you've got the right assets for the job.
Written by Sue Oberliesen on March 27th, 2022
How to Answer
This answer should be focused on a work-related weakness but be careful not to say something you will regret later. Focus more on the positive. You should talk about a real weakness that you've been working on to improve. For instance, if you're not good at public speaking, but you're taking a course to help improve that skill, mention that in the interview. Or maybe you feel that you're easily distracted when working online, but you recently installed software that helps you stay on task. Answers like these show a desire for self-awareness, improvement, and discipline.
Written by Sue Oberliesen on March 27th, 2022
1st Answer Example
"In my last performance review, my manager asked me to improve my working knowledge of GIS. I have since signed up for a course which will be complete in December."
Written by Rachelle Enns
2nd Answer Example
"I have very strong attention to detail and sometimes, this can turn into a tendency to perfectionism. In the past, I found this leading me to triple-check every item on a spreadsheet, closely proofread emails to ensure I'd communicated what I was trying to get across in a clear, concise way, or fiddle with the layout of a presentation to ensure that it was perfect. I've since learned to successfully budget my time and gauge which tasks require and actually benefit from this level of precision."
Written by Sue Oberliesen on March 27th, 2022
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