seven Incredible Answers to “What Is Your Greatest Weakness? ” — That Aren’t “Perfectionism”

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So , you’ve lastly got your feet in the door at the dream company. You have submitted the perfect continue and made the lasting impression throughout the phone screen. All of the there’s left to accomplish now is to conquer the hiring manager within the face-to-face interview.

As a well-informed applicant, you’re doing your study on the company and preparing your solutions to the most important job interview questions you can think of — the most notorious of them all being: “What is your greatest weakness? ”

A person want to respond, “I tend to work too hard, inch or “I feel too much of a perfectionist. ” That can very easily come across as scripted and insincere at best and lacking in self-awareness on worst.

On the other hand, you don’t want to react with weaknesses that will prevent you from succeeding in the role. For instance, when you are applying to be a project manager, you don’t want to admit that you’re, “not very good eventually management. ”

Fortunately, there are ways to solution this question that will help you demonstrate your value as a candidate. Here, we’ve cultivated a few incredible answers to the mainstay, “What will be your greatest weakness” query — and do not worry, these solutions aren’t “perfectionism”.

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1 . Choose a weakness that will not prevent you from doing well in the role.

When an interviewer requires, “What is your greatest weakness? ” they would like to find out:

  • Regardless of whether you have a healthy amount of self-awareness
  • Whether you can be open plus honest, particularly about shortcomings
  • Whether or not you pursue self-improvement and growth opportunities to combat these issues, instead of letting these weak points hold you back again

Ultimately, an individual use this question to show how you’ve utilized a weakness since motivation to learn a new skill or develop professionally. Everyone has weaknesses — your interviewer doesn’t expect you to definitely be perfect.

If you’re applying for a copywriting position along with little necessity regarding math skills, you may admit, “I have trouble with numbers, and don’t possess much experience with data analytics. While mathematics is not directly associated with my role like a writer, I believe it’s important to have a rudimentary understanding of Google Analytics to make sure my work is definitely performing well. In order to tackle this some weakness, I’ve been taking online courses in data analytics. ”

An answer like this displays the hiring manager that you simply recognize your locations for growth and they are able to act with them without being told to do this. This kind of self-starter mindset is a plus for virtually any team.

2 . Be truthful and choose a true weakness.

The solution “perfectionism” won’t cut it when speaking about your biggest some weakness is simply because it is not a true weakness. Perfectionism can never be attained — it’s a fear-based pattern that leads to short-term rewards like getting the job completed early and going above expectations. However , in the long-term, trying to attain perfectionism leads to burnout, low-quality work, plus missed deadlines. Burnout is one of the biggest contributing factors to decreased efficiency, turnover, and reduced employee engagement — all of which cost a business money, time, and talent.

Instead, choose a real weakness. Underneath the desire to do perfect work might lie a weak point of trust. Perhaps you don’t trust that will you’ll be able to make mistakes on the team, so that you strive to do almost everything perfectly. That’s an actual weakness that you can certainly overcome.

3 or more. Provide an example of how you’ve worked to enhance upon your weakness or learn a new skill to combat the problem.

Hiring supervisors don’t expect you to definitely overcome your weak points completely overnight. Later areas they must continuously work on to keep them sharp. Think of this this way — when you have dedicated six months in order to working out, you will not be able to stop 1 day and maintain your improvement. It’s an ongoing procedure that you have to work at.

By providing an example of just how you’re working to increase your area of weakness, you’ll give the interviewer the glimpse into a couple of positive attributes about your work style:

1 . You know methods to identify and reduce issues that come up.

2 . You’ve found a helpful means to fix a problem that you and maybe others on the team face, which means you can become an immediate resource towards the team.

four. You demonstrate self-awareness and an capability to look to others to offer you resources necessary for growth.

More often than not, you are going to need to look beyond yourself to overcome a weakness. Whether you look to your boss, the HubSpot Blog, or a mentor pertaining to help, the simple respond of asking for help demonstrates self-awareness and resourcefulness — 2 skills that are difficult to teach, but valuable to learn. Tapping into your own resources shows the particular interviewers that you can resolve problems when the solution is not yet obvious. That’s a personality trait that has a place on any team.

Briefly share an example of a time where you asked someone for help in an area that you have identified as a weakness. This gives the hiring team a clear picture of how you’ll work with the team to balance out that some weakness.

5. Do not arrogant and don’t underestimate yourself.

It is important you can do when responding to the question “What can be your greatest weakness? ” is exhibit confidence in your answer. (If confidence is your some weakness, keep reading. ) Even though you’re not probably the most confident person, I am going to assume you’re at least honest along with yourself. If you’ve determined an area of weak point and you’re certain about it, let that will assurance shine via in your answer. There are no need to feel ashamed about something you are genuinely not good at as long as you’re working to get better.

Before you start expressing a genuine some weakness to your interviewer, obtain comfortable with the varieties of answers that make employing managers want to work together with you. Take a look at the next examples and find some that fit your own personality and function style. Then, exercise reciting them aloud so they come naturally to you.

Listed below are seven examples of the way you might answer “What is your greatest weak point? ” and precisely why they work.

Here are seven types of how you might answer “What is your finest weakness”, and precisely why they work.

1 . Endurance

“I don’t have much persistence when working with a group — I am incredibly self-sufficient, so it’s hard when I need to depend on others to complete our work. That’s why We’ve pursued roles that require someone to work individually. However , I’ve furthermore worked to improve this weakness by enrolling in team-building workshops. While I typically work independently, it’s however important I learn how to trust my coworkers and ask for outdoors help when essential. ”

This answer functions because the weakness — the inability to be affected person when working with a group — doesn’t prevent your ability to succeed in the role given that it’s a job which rely on teamwork to achieve success. Additionally , you screen an eagerness to develop strategies to combat your own weakness, which is a crucial skill in the workplace.

2 . Organization

“I struggle with organization. While it has not ever impacted my performance, I’ve noticed my messy desk and cluttered inbox nonetheless could interfere with my efficiency. Over time, I’ve learned to set aside time to manage my physical plus digital space, and I’ve seen this improve my performance levels throughout the 7 days. ”

Plenty of people have messy desks. This solution works because from the relatable and fixable weakness. You remember that disorganization doesn’t interfere with your ability to do your job, which is crucial, but you also recognize it might make you much less efficient. To ensure you will absolutely performing at totally, you mention individual steps you’ve delivered to improve your organization skills for the sake of self-improvement alone, which suggests a level of maturity and self-awareness.

3. Delegation

“I’m incredibly self-motivated, and I sometimes find it difficult to delegate responsibility when I feel I can finish the job well myself. However , when I became manager in my last role, it became vital I learn to delegate tasks. To maintain a feeling of control when delegating tasks, I applied a project management system to oversee the progress of a project. This system enabled me personally to improve my capability to delegate efficiently. inch

This answer allows you to show an ability to pursue a new skill every time a role calls for this and suggests you will absolutely capable of flexibility, that is critical for long-term development. Additionally , you are able to showcase a level of initiative and leadership if you mention the productive implementation of a new process that allowed you to succeed in your past role, in spite of your weakness.

4. Timidity

“Oftentimes, I can be timid whenever providing constructive comments to coworkers or even managers, out of anxiety about hurting someone’s feelings. However , in my final role, my coworker asked me in order to edit some of his pieces and provide suggestions for areas of enhancement. Through my experience of him, I recognized feedback can be both helpful and type when delivered the proper way. Since then I’ve become better at offering feedback, and I’ve realized that my empathy can be used to my benefit to provide thoughtful, successful feedback. ”

This solution works because you’ve explained how you were able to turn a some weakness into a strength by means of real-world experience. Typically, timidity can be seen as a flaw in the workplace, especially if a role requires someone to provide feedback to others. In this case, you can easily demonstrate how timidity can be used as a strength, through thoughtful reflection and practice.

5. Candidness

“My straight-forward, straightforward nature has allowed me to succeed through the years as a team manager, mainly because I’m able to get issues done efficiently, and individuals often appreciate our honesty. However , We have recognized my bluntness doesn’t always serve my employees well when I’m providing feedback. To combat this, I’ve worked to develop empathy and deeper relationships along with those I handle. Additionally , I required an online leadership administration course, and worked with the professor to develop my ability to deliver feedback. ”

Oftentimes, areas of our personalities can assist us in certain parts of our work, whilst hindering us within others. That’s natural. However , you must demonstrate an ability to recognize when your personality disrupts the functions of your role, and how you are able to solve for that.

In this example, you first explain just how your blunt character allows you to be successful in some situations. Then, you mention that you understand your bluntness is visible as a lack of sympathy and provide examples of how you’ve attempted to solve this issue. Ultimately, your own awareness of how you could be perceived by others shows a level associated with emotional intelligence, that is a critical asset for a team leader.

6. Public Speaking

“Public speaking makes me anxious. While I don’t have to do much public speaking in my role as being a web designer, I nevertheless feel that it’s an essential skill — especially when I want to offer my estimation during a meeting. To combat this, I spoke with the manager and she recommended I speak at each team meeting for some minutes about our own project timeline, deadlines, and goals whenever developing a website for a client. This exercise has enabled me to relax and see public speaking as an opportunity to help my team members do their jobs successfully. ”

In this example, you mention a skill that isn’t applicable to the role, but one which a person nonetheless have been working to improve. This displays your desire to satisfy more business needs than necessary in your current role, which is admirable. Additionally , is actually impressive if you can display you’re willing to get in touch with your manager along with areas in which you want to improve, instead of waiting for your manager to suggest those parts of improvement to you — it demonstrates an amount of ambition and professional maturity.

7. Data Analysis

“I’m not great at analyzing data or numbers. However , I actually recognize this downside can prevent me from understanding how our content is performing online. In my final role, I setup monthly meetings with all the SEO manager to talk about analytics and how our own posts were executing. Additionally , I received my Google Analytics certificate, and I make it a point to analyze data associated with our blog regularly. We have become much more comfortable with data through these types of efforts. ”

In this instance, you’re able to show your own desire to go above and beyond a career description and actively seek out skills that could be helpful to the success of your organization as a whole. This type of company-first mentality shows the particular interviewer you’re dedicated to making yourself a precious asset, and consider your best to understand the requirements of the whole department, rather than just your role.

There’s Strength In Every Some weakness

Regardless of whether you’re bad with numbers or you tend not to speak up in group settings, there’s the strength behind every single weakness. The strength is in how you work to overcome this. Leaning on your teammates who excel in those areas is an excellent way to show that you’ll work well around the team and that you understand how to use your assets to solve problems. Using professional development classes shows that you’re ready to work toward improvement. No matter which of these solutions you share with the hiring team, they will be more than happy to help you grow plus exceed the goals of the role.

Editor’s take note: This post was initially published in December 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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