Job Interviews

[Bogun]

Ok, got a job interview this friday at a big company. Looked at lots of sites on the internet giving tips for interviews, and looked through my universities career resources, but when it comes to the question that is bound to come up, "what are your weaknesses?", I still draw a blank. I understand that your not going to answer with something like "I'm an alcoholic", or "I'm a kleptomaniac, so please put me near the cash", but the aim is to show your weakness in a positive light. Conversely its not too smart to reply that you have no weaknesses. Nor do I want to say something bland like "I work too hard".

 

So anyone thats dealt with this question in an interview, what kind of things did you say? I'm not looking for examples to use, I'm just trying to get an idea of what works and what sucks.

[TUDOR]

A weakness that can also be seen as strong point is always key for example:

 

weakness? I tend to be a work aholic.

 

As an employer that would be seen as good thing but collegues or friends are the ones that would see that as a not so good thing. The employer is the one that matters in the interview. Good luck!

[Bogun]

hmmm thanks for the reply but tudor did you read everything i wrote???

 

Nor do I want to say something bland like "I work too hard".

Its too simple to say that you're a workaholic, too obvious, too lame. Any HR person with some experience would immediately put a cross against you for saying this.

[TUDOR]

hmmm thanks for the reply but tudor did you read everything i wrote???

 

 

Its too simple to say that you're a workaholic, too obvious, too lame. Any HR person with some experience would immediately put a cross against you for saying this.

 

I use to be a recruiter and this question does not define your interview by any means, it is often just a question to see if you are dumb enough to make any comments like "I'm an alcholic" or disclose any thing you wouldn't have other wise without the question.

 

Don't dwell on a perfect answer to this, I'm a workaholic or I'm a perfectionist are what a hiring person would like to hear over some made up answer that looks as though you are trying to hard. Instead focus more on the counter part to this question as to what are your strengths. Those answers are the ones the hiring person will be paying much closer attention to.

[Enema]

hmmm thanks for the reply but tudor did you read everything i wrote???

 

 

Its too simple to say that you're a workaholic, too obvious, too lame. Any HR person with some experience would immediately put a cross against you for saying this.

 

Exactly... that sort of line has never, ever worked.

 

Pick a quality that is a minor fault and can be easily corrected or overlooked.

 

Like, learning new processes. Say that you don't pick up a new process straight away but like to sit down and take your time with it. It takes you a little bit longer to learn new things but once they're there, they're locked away.

[933KJL]

I would go with somethign innocuous. "There is nothing major that comes to mind at this point. One area that I wish I was bit more refined in is keeping my desk clean. I tend to work on several tasks at the same time and cleaning my desk always seems to slip to the bottom of the list"

[AlmostMarried77]

I would go with somethign innocuous. "There is nothing major that comes to mind at this point. One area that I wish I was bit more refined in is keeping my desk clean. I tend to work on several tasks at the same time and cleaning my desk always seems to slip to the bottom of the list"

 

i'm in agreement with this, you have to use an actual weakness and don't try a smart answer.

 

I am actually a disorganised person, so I use this as a response however I then back that up with an affirmative action. Like this:

A weakness of mine would be that i find it against my nature to be tidy and keep things especially my tasks organised and prioritised. It can sometimes have an impact on my work but I've found that by keeping a list of my tasks written down in front of me I can focus a lot better AND I get a real sense of acheivement as i cross each one off.

 

Another thing to remember about interviews is that unless its someone from HR interviewing you (unlikely for any technical jobs) is that they will probably have not had any training in how to interview and there is a good chance that they could be nervous too! So relax and also remember that its very important to get on with the interviewer. Chill out, be friendly but mentain a proffesional attitude at the same time.

 

Without knowing what sort of job your going for it's difficult to give any more advice

[Hot Coco]

I've always said that my weakness is prioritizing..that I always think it's ALL important! It's always worked for me! I say it in a laughing way, like a joke...not seriously. Then they move on to the next question!

 

Hey Tudor I was a recruiter too and then managed a temp agency!

 

People always answered the same thing to that question..nothing original so you have the right idea Bogun! Go for something different.

[JayKay]

I remember interviewing people to replace me at a job I left 5 years ago.

 

I agree that saying 'I work too hard' is cliched and sounds like something you'd get from a 'How To Wow Them at Your Interview' handbook.

 

 

You can be truthful without giving away too much if you focus on specific skills (things that can be learned or taught) such as;

 

"I never learned how to create a PowerPoint presentation and I realize they are probably very useful in this field. So that's something I plan to work on"

 

 

"I meet a lot of spanish-speaking people in my line of work and I wish I knew more than just basic conversational spanish. So I am taking a night class to get better at it..."

 

 

"I haven't had a lot of management experience and I realize this job involves delegating responsibility. Fortunately, I have a very strong mentor I can call on for guidance and I do plan to attend a management seminar next month"

 

 

In other words, focus on something you are currently working on improving

and that will benefit your employers.

[slubberdegullion]

JayKay has a lot of good suggestions.

 

Something else you may try which you also may be able to incorporate into some of those suggestions could be a task or function which is not relevant to the job. For instance, if your potential employer is, say, a real estate office, then you could say something like, "I've tried to learn computer coding but it's not something that comes natural to me."

[Mz. Pixie]

Jay Kay is right on with this one.

 

One that I use in financial services has been,

 

" I always tend to be passionate about my job- I look at it like it's my money vs the company money and that makes me take it more seriously"