Charleston JobSpot

I always hated this question. They always have it on those sample interview question sheets to prepare yourself for an interview. This question always feels like a trap. How do you say what your weaknesses are without costing you a chance at the job, but still sound like you're actually human?

Doing some quick research on Google, you'll find that you always want to spin this answer in a positive light. To every ying there is a yang, so for every weakness there is a strength. So show your interviewer your strengths by revealing your weakness.

Emurse blog has a great little list of sample answers that I thought would be helpful. Here are some samples that Emurse listed:

Perfectionist
“I’m a perfectionist and sometimes focus too much on details. I now try to take a few minutes near the end of each day to focus on the overall scope of whatever project I’m working on. I find by stepping back and looking at the bigger picture I’m able to wrap things up and move on easier.”

Deadline/Estimating
“I tend to be overly optimistic about deadlines, which means I have to make a conscious effort to plan more for the unexpected.”

Not good with details
“I’m not the most detail oriented person. I’m really great with ‘big picture’ things and have learned to surround myself with people stronger at dealing with detail work than I am.”

Not good with customers
“One of the reasons I like being in the back office setting is that I rarely have to directly with customers. I like people, I’m just not the best sales guy in the world. I feel I’m much better suited in a support role.”

Hate paperwork
“I really have a dislike for paperwork. I’ve found it’s easier for me to address the issue if I set aside specific times during the day to fill out forms. If I break it up into small portions, it’s not so bad to deal with.”

Linda Matais at Resume Resource cautions about using canned answers. They're boring and recruiters may not even ask that question outright. I definitely suggest to do some real evaluation on your workstyle and not to use these answers exactly. My response to the question has always been that I tend not to assert myself and my ideas enough. I used to keep my ideas to myself especially when I was unsure of how my ideas or thoughts would be received. It was even something that my manager at the time brought up in a performance evaluation. So after that, I joined a committee to help brainstorm and plan some of our online strategies, I would run my ideas by a coworker to get feedback, I started speaking up in meetings when I thought appropriate or had a fitting thought and took steps toward changing that weakness. So at my next interview, I could honestly point out instances where I had overcome that weakness.

As with any interview, you should be prepared and know what you want so that you can accurately answer the questions being asked of you. You want to answer honestly and accurately so that you are matched with the right job and company for you. That way you'll be in a career instead of just a filler job. So use the samples to get ideas on how you'd like to answer. If you have a question, please feel free to ask in a comment or through the JobSpot Chat. I'd be happy to try and help.

Posted by Rosie Reilman, Internet Sales Specialist