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I Have an Interview Next Week

TalonStrike

TalonStrike

Senior member
What should I say when the employer asks me to name a negative or a weakness about myself? They always ask something like this. I think I should probably like put a positive spin on a supposed weakness, but I am not sure exactly what I should say.
 
Dunno, but your question to your potential employer should be a strong one. Not "what is it like working here" but more like "When is the right time to sell and get out of this business?" or "How many layoffs have you personally prevented?" or "What do your employees fear?"
 
bobdole369 said:
Dunno, but your question to your potential employer should be a strong one. Not "what is it like working here" but more like "When is the right time to sell and get out of this business?" or "How many layoffs have you personally prevented?" or "What do your employees fear?"
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Your comment does not benefit this discussion.
 
Man, I never ask that question. Such a waste of time, but if they do, just try and think of something relatable to the job. Don't pull something out of your ass that has no bearing on what you will be doing there.

Or something decent to do is to bring up a weakness you had in the past, how you identified it, and how you worked on overcoming it so that it's no longer a weakness.

Hopefully that helps a little bit.

KT
 
"What are your crimes!?"

---

I read one interview tip site that basically said anyone who asks such a question is basically asking you to lie, and is either inexperienced in interviewing, or is a bad interviewer. You either act like a dumb-ass and give an honest answer, or you put a positive spin on it that is transparently dodging the question.


Just tell them you insistently call soccer "football" and move on.
Edit: Actually, just do what Keith said ^^^
 
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Jaepheth said:
"What are your crimes!?"

---

I read one interview tip site that basically said anyone who asks such a question is basically asking you to lie, and is either inexperienced in interviewing, or is a bad interviewer. You either act like a dumb-ass and give an honest answer, or you put a positive spin on it that is transparently dodging the question.


Just tell them you insistently call soccer "football" and move on.
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what are some examples of putting a "positive spin on it that is transparently dodging the question" you can think of?
 
Tell them a weakness that everyone can associate with and how you are resolving or working on that weakness. For example:

I have a bit of stage fright. However, I am attend Toastmasters every week and participate in every meeting that I can. I have improved enough so I can give a presentation, but I'm still working on my "ums" and "uhs".
 
Jaepheth said:
"Sometimes I work too hard"

that kind of bullshit.
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Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Something like, "Sometimes, I work too hard and take on many responsibilities."

But then the employer might ask something like, "Oh, you take on too much? Are you not able to accomplish everything you set out to do then?"

Then I would say, "No. But it can be stressful at times."

something like that.
 
Jaepheth said:
"Sometimes I work too hard"

that kind of bullshit.
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The point of the question is to see if you can examine yourself, identify your weaknesses, and then take action against those weaknesses. Employers seek employees that actively improve themselves.

The interviewer will recognize BS answers as what they are, BS. Don't lie, just answer truthfully. Of course, don't admit to stupid weaknesses like, "I'm always tardy", "I spend half my day on ATOT", etc.
 
Don't mention character weaknesses. Instead, find a skill that you would consider a weakness. For me, I generally say I'm not great with the MS Office suite (only know Word, PowerPoint, and very basic Excel). Then, it's nice to mention how you can overcome this (and other) weakness if needed. For example, I usually mention my ability to easily research something I don't know in order to improve my work if needed.
 
OulOat said:
The point of the question is to see if you can examine yourself, identify your weaknesses, and then take action against those weaknesses. Employers seek employees that actively improve themselves.

The interviewer will recognize BS answers as what they are, BS. Don't lie, just answer truthfully. Of course, don't admit to stupid weaknesses like, "I'm always tardy", "I spend half my day on ATOT", etc.
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But saying "I work too hard" would be honest.
 
TalonStrike said:
What should I say when the employer asks me to name a negative or a weakness about myself? They always ask something like this. I think I should probably like put a positive spin on a supposed weakness, but I am not sure exactly what I should say.
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I hope yours goes better than the one I had today. 😱

Be careful about picking a "weakness" that is actually a positive -- don't, for instance, say that your biggest weakness is that you don't know how to say no or that you work too much. Instead, pick something that won't impact your job much or at all. For example, say something like "I think my biggest weakness is speaking in front of large groups, but I've done x, y, and z to try to improve." NOTE: Don't say this if the job involves lots of speaking. 😀
 
TalonStrike said:
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Something like, "Sometimes, I work too hard and take on many responsibilities."

But then the employer might ask something like, "Oh, you take on too much? Are you not able to accomplish everything you set out to do then?"

Then I would say, "No. But it can be stressful at times."

something like that.
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No, don't use the "I work too hard/too much" line as a weakness. Pick something completely unrelated to the job at hand and say that's a weakness.
 
Sometimes I get nervous around the biggest of the big-wigs, but i dont let it show.

or

Well, the wife says i drink too much coffee!
 
I can only speak for myself, and I'd never even ask such a stupid question, but I would never hire someone who lied to me or acted as if I'm gullible/stupid in an interview. Telling me that your biggest weakness is that you "work too hard" is an insult to my intelligence.

I've never encountered that question in an interview, but if I did I would give an actual weakness and explain what I do to mitigate it.
 
Just don't say anything lame like "I work too hard." I approach it by stating what I truly think I am weak at but counter that with things I have done or steps I will take to strengthen those areas.
 
I'm looking for a job and I've been asked that during a couple of interviews. My answer is truthful. Basically I say that sometimes I'm working on a task and I'll get into it and try and work a solution that is not really correct, like I was going about it the wrong way and maybe I'll figure it out but it would take longer than it should or is not efficient. So to avoid that, I like to have a peer to talk, or just step back and approach it differently. And that being aware of basically going down a dead end path I can avoid it.
 
IndyColtsFan said:
No, don't use the "I work too hard/too much" line as a weakness. Pick something completely unrelated to the job at hand and say that's a weakness.
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I don't know about that approach...but I guess it's better than that line. I guess it depends on the interviewers but if I do end up asking a question like that to a potential candidate, it's usually to see if they are introspective. I usually find that the best employees are the ones who are aware of their weaknesses and attempt to overcome or compensate for them. The worst employees/coworkers have been those who have been completely oblivious to what they lack.
 
it's a terrible question, even more so when used just to see how you respond to it. perhaps you can say that when you recognize a weakness, you try to correct it, and you can give an example or two
 
bas1c said:
I don't know about that approach...but I guess it's better than that line. I guess it depends on the interviewers but if I do end up asking a question like that to a potential candidate, it's usually to see if they are introspective. I usually find that the best employees are the ones who are aware of their weaknesses and attempt to overcome or compensate for them. The worst employees/coworkers have been those who have been completely oblivious to what they lack.
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I don't ask questions like that when I interview because it is a stupid question that anyone with an ounce of common sense can prepare for and successfully dodge.
 
IndyColtsFan said:
I don't ask questions like that when I interview because it is a stupid question that anyone with an ounce of common sense can prepare for and successfully dodge.
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Same here. I wouldn't normally ask that unless I completely run out of legitimate questions and I still have time.
 
It's a dumb interview question but it almost always does get asked. I always give a very truthful weakness that doesn't add value to the job. For instance, I'm a project manager.

"One of my biggest weaknesses is that I'm not a good salesperson. I'm an analytical personality and when I work with stakeholders I like to collect and present all the information they need to make a decision. I can cheerlead something I really believe in but I would probably fail miserably if I had to sell someone on something I don't honestly believe is the best solution."

Tells them about my personality, my fit for the job requirements (analytical), my approach to working with executives (data-oriented) and does tell them about a limitation that, depending on the job and culture, could be a legitimate reason not to hire me. I'd hate a job that required me to sell half-assed solutions anyway so if they decide based on that weakness that I'm not a good fit then it works out for me all around.
 
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