What Are Your Weaknesses?
The dreaded interview question, "So, what would you say are your weaknesses?" The best answer that I ever heard was from a friend of mine who used to answer "chocolate." When the interviewer would press, he would also admit to a weakness for hot fudge. But when the employer is too serious to be distracted by such answers or if you aren't comfortable taking a lighted hearted approach, then you need to be prepared to answer the question. Seven response strategies suggested by CollegeJournal are:
- Cite a weakness that, under the right circumstances, can prove to be an asset.
- Cite a corrected weakness.
- Cite a lesson learned.
- Cite a learning objective.
- Cite an unrelated skill deficit.
- Deflect by saying that, while you obviously have weaknesses, you aren't aware of anything that would interfere with your ability to do the job.
- Address the unspoken question by acknowledging the concern and asking if the interviewer is wondering if you're hiding a fatal flaw that should be uncovered. You may even want to review your qualifications and ask if there's a specific concern that you could address in greater depth.
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