what is your weakness :: tricky question in interviews

 

How do you reply to 'What are your strengths and weaknesses' in an interview?

Source http://wiki. answers.com/

• For your weakness, just pick one that is not going to disqualify you from the job, and then follow up with - this is what really matters - the examples of what you are doing (or have done) to fix your weakness. The most important point here is to show that you learn from your mistakes and your weakness, and you are taking the corrective action to fix the situation - and stress that! For example, if the job does not require public speaking, you can say that your weakness is you are afraid of speaking in front of the public. Then tell the interviewers that you have joined a Toastmaster club or public speech course to overcome the problem. Remind them that when you identify a problem, you actively take actions to correct it, and that is how you do things.

• Don't try to use a cliche or try to present a strength as a weakness by saying your weakness is that you are a workaholic. No one will believe that answer. Being too emotional will make the recruiter wonder if your interpersonal skills are lacking. Give a true weakness but one of modest size. Shows that you have taken steps to correct the weakness. For example you want to improve your MS Excel skills so you are taking a course on that now.

• I used to have trouble with procrastinating, now I have learned to write down a list of things that I need to do, and keep a calender to keep track of deadlines. I have found that this not only helps me to finish things on time, but it has also helped me to be more organized.

• For my weakness, I always say that some people say I'm over-friendly. You can't go wrong with that one. Usually, the person interviewing is like "Oh, that's not a bad thing at all."

What's a 'Weakness'? A Way to Show Strength
Source : http://www.washingt onpost.com/
A Common Interview Question Can Be Used To Boost Your Image
By Lily Whiteman
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, June 25, 2006
What's the most odious job interview question of all? Many would say it's the old "what are your weaknesses?" question -- which is still frequently asked in interviews for all types of jobs, from internships to professorships.
But even interviewers who use the weakness question recognize its limitations. "No one realistically expects to get brutally honest answers like, 'I'm below-average intelligence and difficult to work with,' " said Heidi McAllister, a local environmental educator who has hired dozens of professionals into government and nonprofit organizations.
So why do interviewers keep asking a question that -- without the help of a truth serum -- rarely elicits full disclosure? Because interviewers say that even skewed answers can help reveal whether applicants possess key qualities such as self-awareness, humility, sincerity, zest, and skill in managing shortcomings and mistakes.
By reflecting such qualities in your response, "you can really distinguish yourself and stand out from the pack," said Robin Sawyer, who helps screen applicants for a D.C. nonprofit conservation group.
Sawyer said, "The worst answers are 'I don't know' or 'I have no weaknesses' -- which I hear frequently." (Sorry, Superman, the credibility meter just hit zero.)
"When I get unbelievable or evasive answers, I suspect that the applicant isn't the straight shooter I want to hire," McAllister said.
What, then, is a strong answer to the weakness question? Conventional wisdom has long recommended responses such as "I'm a perfectionist" or "I'm a workaholic, so my boss has to peel my fingers back from my computer one by one every night to make me go home." But by now, interviewers recognize those canned cliches as such, McAllister said.
Therefore, to remain credible, many interviewers now suggest counterbalancing a true but noncritical gap in your knowledge against your desirable traits. For example, Rajul Pandya, who manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research's internship program, hired an applicant who described how she had bolstered her understanding of a technical issue by taking classes and requesting additional job assignments that addressed the issue.
Her answer won over Pandya because "I want to hire people who can say, 'I've thought about what I don't do so well and have taken action to do it better.' "
Similarly, Peter Feldman, an adviser at Plan International Cambodia and an experienced interviewer, recommends tackling weakness questions by saying, "In my last job, I underestimated the importance of X. So in the future, I'll focus more energy on that."
McAllister advises "showcasing your commitment to staying current in your field, a prized quality." Say: "I try to continually update my skills. This year, I'd like to take training in the latest techniques in X, so that I will do Y faster and more efficiently."
Alternatively, Erin Weinman, a federal information technology project manager, recently landed a choice job after acknowledging, "I've never worked for this organization before, so I have a lot to learn about it. But I offer new perspectives and energetic approaches."
You can also conquer such questions by packaging strengths within weaknesses. Nancy Bachrach, an advertising account manager for a national publication, has impressed hiring managers by revealing that her inclination to quickly complete projects can cause errors, so she double-checks and proofreads all her work.
In addition to confronting open-ended weakness questions, you may be asked about skills that you do, in fact, lack. "Don't just say, 'No, I can't do that,' " advised Howard Hyman, who directs a large federal accounting office. "Give me reasons to believe in you: Explain how your knowledge, willingness to do extra and ability to learn quickly will help you improve. Describe how you'd swiftly catch up and have done so previously."
And what if you sense that an unspoken liability, if left ignored, may silently doom you? Perhaps, for example, you suspect that you're perceived as too young, too old, an outsider, too entrenched, overqualified, overly aggressive or too passive.
"Anticipating a concern is a good idea because it shows insight and that you're on the same wavelength as interviewers," said Ray Kurzweil, founder of nine high-tech companies and a best-selling author. But he warned, "Don't reveal key weaknesses that interviewers wouldn't otherwise notice."
Join Lily Whiteman on Wednesday at noon for a live online discussion about interviewing for government jobs, part of the week-long Hiring Squad special feature athttp://washingtonpost. com/jobs.