Your greatest weakness?

[rubytox]

I'd be surprised if a reputable company asks that Q though...its outdated & painfully overplayed.

Other companies, please take note of the above!

I once said that I hate when the boss breathes down my neck, which is true. I get grumpy and will make a scene when that happens. I got the job.

 

[noxibox]

I'd be surprised if a reputable company asks that Q though...its outdated & painfully overplayed.

It's right up there with where do you see yourself in X years.

 

[STS]

My greatest weakness, is that i HAVE no weaknesses

 

[])ragon_\/oid]

Pffft, I win... My Weakness is Cake (No, actual Cake, that is baked to mouth watering perfection)! I just can't resist at all... Must... Resist... Cake!

 

[Piesank]

I started off with a joke answer I said 'filing' which is but I don't think the interviewer liked it to much

Then I went on to say that I dislike confronting people and that it is something I'm working on - they went with a more experienced person so I don't think I'm gonna say filing again

 

[Cius]

I had that question asked to me last month by Standard Bank in an interview. Its an evil question for someone that is unprepared. After some thought I have decided a joke answer would have been best as the role had massive political elements to it (relationship management).

My answer today would be: Definitely Brunette's, and then after the laugh I would simply say you should be asking that question to my references, they are all honest people so ask them. In my experience most people don't realize what their greatest weakness is, but their friends know exactly what it is.

 

[Cube3]

Mmmm thats a tough one.... they say be honest, I say, make up something that makes you look like someone who is aware of their faults and works to overcome....

Personally my greatest weakness is cute girls at the office.... sigh.

 

[GazWrack]

Most people give a thiny veiled attempt at wrapping a strength up as a supposed weakness- eg I sometimes work a little too hard....

Don't speak about your vices and things you are struggling to overcome in your private life- uuuuh, well, uh, I tend to struggle with pornographic images on the internets and I have anger issues. That's none of their business.
Also don't speak about things that you can overcome with a bit of effort- ie I tend to day dream a lot and procrastinate.
When they ask what your weaknesses are, they are trying to understand what you are more suited to in your line of work. This will help keep you out of jobs that are not for you. If you get flustered talking to customers, you should tell them, because if you end up in telephone sales, you're going to be unsatisfied in your job.
So don't say it in an apologetic way- know who you are and how you function, and help paint a detailed picture.

So I would say something like I tend to be more creative working by myself than in a group. I'm able to see things in a way that other people often do not, but throw me into a room with ten other people in a group think session and I tend to fade into the background, and allow the more dominant personalities to push their ideas, even if I know mine are better. Lock me in a room for half an hour with a pen and paper though and I can come up with ten ideas that are usually very well received.

Good post. Agreed.

I used to mistake this type of question as a personal question rather than a professional or skill related question.

The part that I find funny is the "How do you plan to resolve it?" As if I have only just become aware of myself before the interview and now need to answer all of life's questions.

For instance; if I have the personality type that prefers to work alone, I'm not going to "resolve" that. It's who I am.

 

[TheMightyQuinn]

I tell them this:

 

[HavocXphere]

Other companies, please take note of the above!

It's right up there with where do you see yourself in X years.

Yep. To be honest though this question has the advantage of being fairly clear (assuming prepared).

My current employer brought in one senior HR person who can read people like a book. Said person then proceeds to ask a bunch of fuzzy questions. Terrifying as hell because you don't have a clue what you should be aiming at while being painfully aware of the fact that the person can see straight through you. Same with the psychometric testing...its not obvious what is being measured or how its being measured, so you can't even attempt to game it, let alone succeed at it.

I would simply say you should be asking that question to my references, they are all honest people so ask them.

oooohhhh thats smooth. I like that angle.

 

[krycor]

Usually I have a set of weaknesses I am working on or have encountered in current position. It's not always directly work related though.

My typical answer whether past or present weakness involves how I identified the issue and plan/method of correcting it.

It's similar to the suggested way of choosing a weakness that is actually a strength(used to be the way people did it but came across very prepared and false) but more introspective and gives insight on how you identify and tackle short comings.

 

[noxibox]

Yep. To be honest though this question has the advantage of being fairly clear (assuming prepared).

I always just made something up on the spot. It's still bull if I make it up beforehand, and more fun to come up with some nonsense off the cuff.

My current employer brought in one senior HR person who can read people like a book. Said person then proceeds to ask a bunch of fuzzy questions. Terrifying as hell because you don't have a clue what you should be aiming at while being painfully aware of the fact that the person can see straight through you. Same with the psychometric testing...its not obvious what is being measured or how its being measured, so you can't even attempt to game it, let alone succeed at it.

Doesn't mean you cannot distort their perception or test results.

 

[RexxGrim]

Not a question I'm accustomed to asking a person, but how did his cellphone "accidentally" find its way up your bum? I have a few scenarios playing out in my head and they all involve a midget, three boxes of d00swyn and a magician's wand...

I am currently looking for a job so I am taking notes while reading this thread. Is this question likely to come up in an interview and what would the correct response be.

 

[Picard]

I am currently looking for a job so I am taking notes while reading this thread. Is this question likely to come up in an interview and what would the correct response be.

If this question comes up during your interview you are probably not in the position to decline the job if it is offered to you.

 

[Dolby]

It actually never came up for the specific job I went for ...

But it's been asked before

 

[krycor]

It's one off common 20 questions asked. I never use to like preparing a well rehearsed answer but do prepare for it coming up. I've been told that the common questions are so common that failure to prepare/deliver a goodish answer in a reasonable time indicates to hr people that you are ill prepared.

 

[KleinBoontjie]

I would say my weakness is opening threads like these, expecting something else.....

 

[noxibox]

It's one off common 20 questions asked. I never use to like preparing a well rehearsed answer but do prepare for it coming up. I've been told that the common questions are so common that failure to prepare/deliver a goodish answer in a reasonable time indicates to hr people that you are ill prepared.

I suppose it depends how desperate someone is for the job.

 

[tsume]

women

 

[sjm]

I've interviewed more than 50 people in the last 4 months and I think I've asked this question twice. For me, it's more about how introspective someone is, how well they know themselves. The answer is not that important to me (unless it's an obvious red flag item), I probably wouldn't think worse of a candidate because of a weakness that they've brought out.

In an interview I'll be trying to get to know a person enough to determine whether they can do the job & if I'd want them on my team. In this regard, my interview questions are never pre-formulated & are driven by the interaction that I'm having with the candidate.