The One Question That Ruins An Interview

Most HR representatives and recruiters agree on one thing: that few candidates arrive at the interview prepared to answer the one question that is usually asked, “What is your greatest weakness?” Although the question is seldom phrased like that anymore, it does not matter how they word it because the response has to be the same. The interviewer wants you to tell them your weakness, where you need to improve, where you are not as strong in technical skills or management experience, or something. Candidates get flustered with this question more than any other, and for no good reason.

Most of the time, the person asking that question does not even want to know the answer. They ask the question because they want to see how you answer it. After listening to responses from thousands of candidates, and discussing the issue with dozens of clients, I am convinced there is only one way to answer the question, and that is by being honest.

Honesty is an abused virtue. The only time you see or hear of someone being honest is when they are apologizing for already being caught. The one thing in common is that the “honesty” part only surfaces after the guilty party is exposed. People are forgiving souls though, and if the apology is well written and presented sincerely, all ends well. Being honest and authentic to yourself will resonate with an interviewer.

This Is NOT an interview - This is the end game to your job search

You do not get that second chance in an interview. In an interview, you are stuck with what slipped out of your mouth, so you had better be prepared. This is not difficult. You should know what your weakness is. People have probably been telling you all of your life—parents, spouse, co-workers—and by now it should have sunk in. If you do not know it, think hard about the term “self-awareness.” In any case, it does not matter because that weakness you are about to blurt out is nothing the interviewers have not heard before. In fact, if you did not know this, here is another secret for you—everyone has a weakness. Even Superman can be hurt by kryptonite. The reason you are being interviewed is that the company thinks you might be able to help them solve their problems by providing a skill set that they are in need of. They brought you in because of your strengths and accomplishments—accomplishments that you achieved even with your weaknesses. If you show them you can solve their problems, fulfill a need, add value, or be a diligent and mindful worker, you will stand a good chance of getting the offer. Being honest with this response will go a long way toward getting the offer because they will know that, if you can be honest about your weaknesses, they can probably trust your other responses.

Don’t Try To Be Clever

The worst possible response would be to try to pass off a weakness as a strength. I have seen people recommend doing this, and its garbage advice. If the best answer you can come up with is that you are a perfectionist or that you work too hard, you have far bigger problems than you realize. So, how do you answer the question? I am not going to tell you how to answer the question. No one but you can do that. Be thoughtful and recognize your weakness so that people can relate to it since it is a legitimate weakness that your weakness can possibly resonate with their own personal experiences. The difference is you have shown that you learned how to deal with it. I once coached someone for an interview for an entry level, surgical technologist position at an eye center. His weakness…eyes. As a student, he never had the opportunity to see ant ophthalmic procedures. When interviewed he was completely honest and stated the obvious. He was quick to follow up that he has been researching all the procedures and has familiarized himself with all of the instrumentation, even sought out continuing education modules on eye surgery to see the newest advancements and techniques. He mentioned that, while he has no paid experience, he also comes with no bad habits, some excellent clinical experiences, excellent aseptic technique and a strong surgical conscience along with an adaptable and positive growth mindset. The interviewer loved his answer and the CST who had never touched a jewelers’ forceps or a 10-0 suture was offered a job with 8-10 ophthalmic procedures a day.

Preparation

You should practice your response so you are comfortable discussing it, but do not make it sound like a rehearsed speech. Also, be prepared for the interviewer to probe deeper. Some interviewers like to dig a little to see if there is any fluctuation in your answer or if you try to back off when pressed.

Interview Rule #1 - Stay Positive... ALWAYS!

The “what’s your greatest weakness” question is your opportunity to shine. One way is to demonstrate you are a positive person by nature. Everyone likes a person with a positive nature. Remember you are in the interview to make yourself desirable for hiring, so you might say, “I rarely sit there and think of myself in those terms, nevertheless, I do want to respond to your question,” or something on those lines. Notice by the way I did not say, “I rarely sit there and think of my weaknesses.” Here is a rule of thumb that always applies: Do not use or repeat negative terms, even if the interviewer throws it out there.

The subtleties of grammar are of great importance and that is why you should be prepared to answer the questions ahead of time, so you do not slip up and say one word that can put a thought of doubt in the interviewer's mind that you are not the perfect candidate for the offer. Here are a few other rules I suggest you follow for efficient interview preparation.

Interview Rule #2 - No Superlatives!

Keep it singular. Superlatives such as “weakest” or “worst” or “biggest” indicate the greatest degree of whatever is it describing. “Worst weakness” is the weakness of the highest degree implying there are other weaknesses of varying degrees but weaknesses nonetheless. That begs the question, “What are some others?” Likewise, “need most to improve” implies there are others areas for improvement. In any case, try this as an alternative, “If I had to come up with one...” (No negatives, no multiples.)

Interview Rule #3 - No Absolutes!

The absolute, as in “My weakness is...” states the weakness exists unconditionally: utterly fixed and not likely to change. It be better to be a little less restrictive, something conditional like, “It could be I am…” Conditional responses suggest you yourself are not completely convinced of it. This type of response also accomplishes what the bungling technique of using a “strength” to describe a weakness consistently fails to achieve – your “weakness” may not be a weakness after all.

Interview Rule #4 - Keep It Real!

Your “weakness” should be one (singular) that is subjective – of your person. Humanize it! “If I had to come up with one (singular) it might be (non-absolute) somewhat (qualifier) of a lack of internal patience (human). I seem (unconvinced) to have strong tendencies to expect the same from others I do from myself (human). Not just in terms of results – I am smart enough to realize not everyone has the same level of skill, abilities and education (real). I do however, expect others to give their best effort, and if that’s not there, then yes, that might (conditional) bother me to some degree.” Ah! “Bother me to some degree,” is human, non-absolute, qualifier, and conditional.

Another tact, similarly keeping it real, could be an incident resultant of some area where improvement was needed (potential weakness) that turned out to be a learning experience and later grew into a personal asset, thus giving you, once more, an opportunity to showcase strength.

Bottom Line

Proper interview preparation can be completed by simply doing your homework. Think critically and be honest with yourself. Ask friends or colleagues the same: Critically and honestly, what they think may be your one weakness. When you have the answer, internalize it. In other words, take it to heart. If you do not, your response may come across like a sound bite, no matter how long and hard you practice sounding unpracticed. When you speak from the heart, you won’t sound, “rehearsed,” you will sound “aware” – conscious of yourself, a characteristic we all

Always be honest, even if you think it might hurt your chance for an offer, although it probably will not. To summarize, here is what to do when you are asked the question:

• State your weakness.

• Let the interviewer know you are aware of it.

• Show them you have figured out how to deal with it.

• Show them that solution worked.

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