What are your weaknesses?
What Are Your Weaknesses
What exactly is the correct way to answer “What is your greatest weakness?” The answer to a question so popular is never really clear! Is it okay to deny that you have one? Or do you reveal your most authentic weakness? Neither is true. The key is to frame your weaknesses positively to turn the situation to your advantage. This article explains why interviewers or employers ask candidates, “What are your weaknesses?”, how to answer “what are your weaknesses”, as well as provide “what is your greatest weakness” answer samples you can use as inspiration.
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Why Do Interviewers Ask “What Are Your Weaknesses?”
As part of a personal interview, most of us have faced or will face at some point the question, “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
In an interview, you are asked a series of questions to gain an understanding of your personality, experience, and career background. They usually ask questions to get a sense of both your strengths and weaknesses. The latter can be challenging to answer, but it gives you a chance to demonstrate how you want to grow in certain areas. Essentially, they want to know if you are honest enough to talk about real weaknesses. When you get hired, your professional weaknesses will come to the surface in some way or another, so being upfront about them is the best way to handle them.
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How To Answer “What Are Your Weaknesses”
When people ask you what you can improve, what should you say? When dealing with weaknesses, it's essential to frame them in a positive light as it can be tricky to answer this question, so be careful when you provide examples.
You should choose a weakness that does not prevent you from succeeding in the role.
Choose a real weakness and be honest about it.
You can provide an example of how you have improved upon your weakness or developed new skills to combat the issue.
Make yourself aware of your own capabilities and be open to the support of others for your growth.
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What To Avoid When Answering “What Are Your Weaknesses”
It may be tempting to say "I have no weaknesses, and nothing holds me back from excelling." But no one is perfect, and hiring managers know that. Your interviewer will likely write you off as someone with a lack of self-awareness, overconfident, or unable to understand or learn from their mistakes if you respond enthusiastically to this question. It's also a good idea to avoid framing positive qualities as weaknesses in a job interview.
As soon as you've identified your weakness, you need to craft a response that highlights how you've turned it into a strength and have taken steps to better yourself, as this is the approach to providing the “what is your weakness” best answer.
See also: How To Develop Your Personality
What Are Your Weaknesses - Sample Answers
Now, let us look at the “what is your greatest weakness” answer samples so that you can learn from them and go about crafting your own “what is your weakness” best answer.
What Are Your Weaknesses Examples - Public Speaking
Example: A challenge I have always faced is public speaking. My problem is that I tend to focus too much on what other people think, but I need to realise that people are often more concerned with themselves. Upon being hired, my first objective will be to create a presentation for my team. My goal is to improve my confidence and comfort level in presenting the information. I plan to practice in front of family and friends and use their feedback to improve my public speaking skills.
Many people have a fear of public speaking, so this is an acceptable weakness to admit. Explain why public speaking is challenging to you, and what you plan to do to overcome this fear and become a better speaker.
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What Are Your Weaknesses Examples - Asking For Help
Example: Sometimes, I avoid asking others for help because I don't want to bother them. I'm beginning to realise that to learn new skills and balance my workload, I need to ask for help often. Besides that, I am also aware that I always welcome people's requests for assistance, so it is natural to assume that I am the same. It is my goal to be more confident in asking others for help in order to overcome this weakness. By helping others, I find that it makes it easier to ask for help myself.
It is quite common to ask for assistance when starting a new job. It is useful to ask for help when you have a heavy workload or lack certain expertise. You can use this weakness to show employers that you are aware of your reluctance to ask for favours. Let your answer to “what are your weaknesses” demonstrate that you are aware of the benefits of asking for help. Describe how you intend to gain more confidence in asking for help.
See also: Confidence Building Measure
What Are Your Weaknesses Examples - Lack Of Patience
Example: It's difficult for me to work with a team. Because I am extremely self-sufficient, it's hard for me to trust others. This is why I have pursued roles that require some degree of independence. However, I have worked to strengthen this weakness by enrolling in team-building workshops. Although I typically work independently, it's important I learn how to trust others and ask for help when needed.
Since the job doesn't rely on teamwork for success, this answer works because the weakness - not being patient when working with a team - isn't going to hinder your ability to succeed in the role. Additionally, you exhibit an eagerness to develop strategies to overcome your weaknesses, which is an important skill in the workplace.
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“What are your weaknesses” is a common job interview question that can be difficult to answer. But it's not an obstacle. It's a chance to demonstrate to the employer how you learn from criticism, how you're willing to make changes when you face challenges, and how you pick yourself up when you falter and fall. Whether you're bad with numbers or you tend not to speak up in groups, every weakness has a corresponding strength. The key is how you work to overcome it. By seeking help from teammates who excel in these areas, you can demonstrate that you'll work well in a team and that you're capable of utilising your resources effectively. A willingness to take professional development courses demonstrates you're committed to improving. Most employers would identify these qualities as strengths.
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Author- This article has been authored by Yashodhra Arora, who is a Counselling Psychologist, with extensive experience in career counselling for high school students.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The 5 personality weaknesses can be - Introverted, being too honest, having a hard time letting go of tasks until finished, being too critical of yourself and being an overthinker.
Generally, strengths are characterised by positive traits or abilities. They include knowledge, skills, attributes, and talents. On the other hand, weaknesses are the complete opposite. A weakness is a character trait or skill that is viewed negatively or as undeveloped compared to its strengths.
Empathy is a quality of being able to relate to another person's emotions, therefore, it is not a weakness. By expressing an emotion someone else feels, you're showing that you have experienced their feelings. You can use it to give advice on how to handle it, and that's an asset.
Some examples of students' weaknesses can be being impatient, disorganised, aggressive, getting easily distracted, etc.
Some examples of students' strengths can be being focussed, kind, creative, determined, cooperative, trustworthy, organised, etc.