How to Answer the Greatest Weakness Question

How to Answer the Greatest Weakness Question

Join career expert and award-winning author Andrew LaCivita as he discusses how to answer the greatest weakness job interview question!

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SUMMARY
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It’s a winner…not.

Sure. It wins the dumbest question ever. This question is probably the absolute worst job interview question an employer can ask.

I have more than a decade's worth of statistical and predictive models that confirm your cultural fit, achievements, capabilities, skillsets, and strengths are what matters. (See my gold-award-winning book The Hiring Prophecies: Psychology behind Recruiting Successful Employees.)

Do Not as in never…

I can't control what the employers ask you. You can't control them either. But, I can help you prepare the best answers to this ludicrous question and you can control your response.

Do not—I repeat—DO NOT under any circumstance actually provide them a with a weakness. Never cite something you’re actually bad at. As in N-E-V-E-R.

If they're going to ask you this silly question, you don't need to justify it with an actual weakness.

Do not, and this might be contrary to what you’ve heard from other so-called experts, trainers, columnists or whoever, never provide them with a “strength!”

It's insulting enough they've asked you this question. Don’t compound the problem by insulting them back with, oh I don’t know, something like you’re too detail-oriented, too conscientious, work too much, work too hard, or do everything yourself because you don't know how to delegate.

How idiotic do you think these people are? Oh. Wait. They asked this question in the first place. Well, be above that.

Do not use negative words such as “I’m bad at this” or “I’m not good at that” and so on.

Do this instead…

The best way to handle this question, so that you're actually answering it and they view you as giving it the college try, is to cite something you’ve yet to have the opportunity to do.

Say something such as, “One of my areas for improvement is [insert whatever here]. I’ve yet to have the opportunity to perform this function, work in this industry, study these things., etc.”

They likely won’t penalize you for not having this experience, especially if it’s not germane to the job function.

Then make sure to…

At the end of your statement, make sure to add what you’ve done and are doing to gain experience in that area.

"…Even though I don’t have practical experience in that area, I’ve read [these] books, watched [these] videos, taken [these] training classes, and so on.”

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ABOUT ANDREW
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Andrew LaCivita is an internationally recognized executive recruiter, award-winning author, trainer, and founder and chief executive officer of milewalk and the milewalk Academy. He’s dedicated his career to helping people and companies realize their potential, consulting to more than two hundred organizations and counseling more than eleven thousand individuals. He often serves as a trusted media resource and is the award-winning author of Interview Intervention, Out of Reach but in Sight, and The Hiring Prophecies.

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ABOUT TIPS FOR WORK AND LIFE®
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Tips for Work and Life® is a weekly careers, hiring, and motivational show full of helpful job search strategies, career management and acceleration tactics, recruitment techniques, and self-help aids with the award-winning author, career coach, and trainer Andrew LaCivita. Tips for Work and Life® has been cited by several sources as a Top 5 Careers and HR Blog. Andrew includes these 7-20 minute multicast shows as part of his blog and podcast.

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[andylacivita]

Hi Everyone! Tell me what your greatest fears are when it comes to answering this ridiculous question! I'll see if I can help you squash them!

[ScottMcEwen]

I was asked that once. I said, “My greatest weakness? That would be chocolate”. We had a laugh. I didn’t get the job.

[can.slaughter]

"My biggest weakness is that I am poor"—which is true by the way :'( —"but you can help me to overcome it."

[yardmasterswealtheducation]

"What is your greatest weakness?"
"I don't know. Is there a weakness you would prefer I have? One that would make me well suited to the job at hand?"

[yvadroberts]

I answer that several times I said " Im pretty sure I have a lot of short comings, however I dont dwell on them but on how I can improved myself every time I came face to face with that. Its not how you fall but how you get up! I got the Job! Yey

[ttouran]

Last time I was asked that question, this is what I said to them: " I am a Berkeley MBA grad. We have practiced answering this question a zillion times as I was getting ready to come into the job market; what you will hear from me is that I will give you a very fluffy weakness, but then I will also tell you how hard I am working on improving that weakness, which will say nothing about my real weaknesses -because we all as human beings have them - and will tell you nothing about the kind of value I bring to your organization, so if you still like me to answer the question, I am happy to do it, but there may be better ways of assessing my fit." By the way, I got hired very

[michell]

Who doesn't detest this question. Its insulting and useless. I was just asked this question a couple weeks ago. I'm glad that you made it clear not to give them an actual weakness, only an area where you can improve or learn more about - SMART!

[dwainmcbain]

You are so refreshing OMG this should be part of high school curriculum!!

[ThePainterr]

I have found it effective to show how relative this question is e.g..a drill sergeant shouts at work (strength), yet does he do that at home with his wife (weakness)....so a strength may be a weakness in one scenario, a strength in another. Instead I ask them that if they catch me trending a weakness that they highlight it to me and then work with me on overcoming it by turning it into a strength through mentoring/training/etc. Yet if they see a particular strength they like they highlight it and see if they can use it more effectively to reach the business objectives set e.g. good leadership or sales skills, etc. Works every time! (Maybe because it's a curve ball back to them). I never mention any weakness/strength period...lol

[EssBeeQ]

Andy - I want to thank you because your several videos including this one helped me secure a great job offer after being laid off a few months ago. After months of interviewing and dealing with countless rejections, I accepted a job offer that is considered hard to get in my industry. I want to thank you for all your excellent job search and interviewing videos. So much value and so many nuggets packed in each. It helped me greatly to be prepared, persistent, selective and confident. Thank you for making a difference in people's lives!

[EarthPlanet]

I think this is the best advice I heard for answering this question! I have watched too many youtube videos but none of them was convincing. Now I understood how should I answer. Thank you very much 💐

[Pattygblanco]

This is one of the best interview advice ever! Thank you Andrew

[RosaBrandDesigns]

Andrew. You're a genius. Seriously. An absolute genius. I have struggled with this question for years, and always came up with some (pardon my French) bulls**t answer. I felt it was lame and I know they must have thought it was lame, even though I was hired in the past despite it.

I must have done something right because you came into my life. God bless you!

[noellezouari]

"How silly and ridiculous and ineffective is this question?" haha Loved how you tackled it, though. Great video, Andrew! Thanks for sharing

[tricks]

One of your best short videos, Andy! It should be required viewing for all job seekers!

[RamiChessBlog]

I think there's a life lesson here. I think they ask such questions to check the applicant's self-esteem health. Some applicants quickly submit and self-deprecate while others, narcissists, will say that they're perfect.

Both types engage in egotistical behavior, public self-praisal or self-criticism, instead of just existing, learning and improving, and being aware of the strengths and weaknesses.

It's a sad truth that these judgement-inducing questions are necessary because they reveal issues with character.

It's good to know how to evade this question. Great video. Thank you.

[canadianhotbod]

My greatest weakness is honesty.
Employer: I don't think Honesty is a weakness.
Me: I don't give a f*** what you think.

[Shay-ygnm]

"One of my areas of improvement is..."
Omg.. This guys is GOLD!!! I am using this!

[pontiac]

This was great input. I've been tracking my brain to come up with a "weakness" that isn't critical to the role I'm interviewing for, and is something I can spin positively and show evidence of improvement on. Your answer here about about really just needing experience and working toward the knowledge needed is beautiful in its simplicity. Mind at ease, thanks brother!

[barryspurlock]

This is the best advise I've found yet on the internet to answering the greatest weakness question.