This is often one of the most dreaded interview questions but it need not be so. Picture this:
You’ve been called back to interview number 16 (or so it seems), you know you’re nearing the end. Even the receptionist smiles, giving you a knowing glance as if to say: “We’ll soon be colleagues!” You can see the finishing line, you relax and then up pops the dreaded question: So, Kelvin, tell us about your weaknesses? OH NO! What to do? Phone a friend?
This question can trip up anyone; even those with the best laid out interview strategies. How do you answer this question without putting prospective employers off. Do you discuss the fact that you’re not a morning person and so this is your weakness or, do you take something really positive like being a hard worker and say this is your weakness and watch the recruiting manager roll their eyes to the heavens?
While this is not a question that can be answered in a short FB post, my advice is, turn the question around and make yourself look good. For example: say ” my weakness might be that I am often too hard on myself in that I am often not satisfied with simply meeting deadlines; I prefer to beat deadlines. By doing so, this enables me to have time to check my work, make sure everything is in order and after satisfying myself and my mngr, I can then move on to the next project satisfied in the knowledge that my colleagues and I are one step closer to meeting the company’s objectives…” How about that?
