What is your weakness best answer

How should one respond when asked, "What is your biggest weakness?" in the most appropriate manner?

In spite of how often it was asked, this interview question never yielded a definitive response.

Are we to assume that you will deny that you own one? Or you might be completely transparent with the recruiters and reveal your most true deficiency.

The correct response is neither. What you need to do is frame your flaws in a positive light in order to flip the circumstance to your favor.

And no, we do not mean claiming anything ridiculous like "I'm a perfectionist" or something along those lines.

Do you want to know how to answer the question "what is your biggest weakness?" with confidence when recruiters put you on the spot?

This post will demonstrate that very point to you!

Why do interviewers ask, "What is your greatest weakness?" and what are interviewers looking for?

To begin providing an appropriate response to "what is your biggest weakness?" the first thing you need to do is comprehend the rationale behind why recruiters ask the question in the first place.

When recruiters ask you to name some of your most significant flaws, they are seeking for the following three things in response from you:

Honesty. They want to know whether you are trustworthy enough to disclose a true vulnerability so they can judge you accordingly. Bear in mind that if you are employed, the subject of your professional shortcomings will inevitably come up in some form or another; thus, it is in your best interest to disclose these shortcomings in advance.

Self-awareness may be defined as the capacity to evaluate oneself and identify the aspects of oneself that need improvement.

Willingness to grow and become better. Everyone, even recruiters, is susceptible to certain flaws. Because of this, people do not anticipate you to tell a falsehood about it. However, what recruiters do anticipate is that you will be eager (and actively working) to make improvements.

When you are aware of exactly what the hiring managers want to hear from you during the interview, the question doesn't seem as challenging, does it?

Now that we've covered it, let's move on to the next major step:

The Correct Response to the Question "What Is Your Greatest Weakness?"

To begin, let us point out the glaringly apparent.

No matter what the question is, you should never respond with "Weakness?" I do not have any vulnerable points.

Everyone has something that they struggle with. If you deny having one, it only demonstrates that you are not self-aware, which is, as we have discussed before, a red signal for potential employers.

Instead, you should take a constructive approach to your shortcomings.

And no, this is not the same as trying to make a strength seem like a flaw by saying something like, "I'm simply TOO detail-oriented."

The following is what we mean when we say, "frame your deficiencies in a positive light":

You shouldn't lie about your weaknesses, but if you have to select one, choose one that isn't particularly relevant to the job you're going for. If you want to get a job as a creative writer, you probably shouldn't include in your application anything like, "My weakness is that I'm poor at writing."

Talk about the efforts you're doing to better yourself and share your progress.

To get things started, you probably shouldn't answer the question "what is your worst weakness?" with any combination of the following skills: accurate communication; attention to detail; teamwork; and successful teamwork.

Because each of these abilities is necessary for the position, pointing them out as areas of improvement would do more damage than good.

Instead, you should focus on identifying a true shortcoming that you have, talking about it in an honest manner, and describing the steps that you are doing to improve (or planning to).

This is how you can go about doing that:

To get things started, you probably shouldn't answer the question "what is your worst weakness?" with any combination of the following skills: accurate communication; attention to detail; teamwork; and successful teamwork.

Because each of these abilities is necessary for the position, pointing them out as areas of improvement would do more damage than good.

Instead, you should focus on identifying a true shortcoming that you have, talking about it in an honest manner, and describing the steps that you are doing to improve (or planning to).

This is how you can go about doing that:

This is an excellent response because:

It offers a genuine flaw as a response, but it is not a flaw that is necessary for the stance.

It details precisely everything you've done to better yourself over the last several years.

In addition, this response does a good job of mentioning a quality that is required for the position, and that quality is attention to detail. A significant point in your favor is the fact that you were able to work one naturally into your response.

5+ "What Do You Consider to Be Your Greatest Flaw?" Examples of Responses

#1: A lack of previous work experience

If you have just graduated from college or are interested in making a career change, this is often an excellent response to provide.

Take for instance the scenario where you have just graduated from college and are looking for work as a graphic designer.

You may argue that you do not have sufficient experience with a certain piece of software since you have been honing your skills on another one.

In such a situation, if someone were to ask you, "what is your biggest weakness?" You may respond something like this:

Since I've mostly been utilizing CorelDRAW to hone my drawing abilities, I don't have much experience with the most recent version of Adobe Illustrator. On the other hand, taking into account that they are both design programs, I believe that I could quickly become proficient with Adobe.

Or, like this:

Because I haven't had the opportunity to put the knowledge of personal finance that I gained in college into appropriate practice, I don't have much expertise in the process of evaluating big quantities of financial data. Once I've had some actual hands-on experience in the field, I'm certain I'll have no trouble picking up the nuances of the job.

2. Working as a Team

Teamwork, or the lack thereof, may be a fully legitimate weakness, particularly if your profession does not entail interacting with a large number of people.

Even while the ability to communicate effectively and the ability to work well with others are intertwined, you must be careful not to confuse the two.

Because there are so few occupations in the world that do not demand strong communication abilities, it is probably not the greatest idea to come out out and say that communication is one of your weaknesses.

On the other hand, teamwork refers to the process of working closely with other members of a group to accomplish a shared objective, which is not always needed in every sector.

You may let the recruiter know about this deficiency in the following way:

"To tell you the truth, I'm not a good team player. Working with other people has always stifled my productivity, but working by myself allows me to perform at my highest level. This is one of the main reasons I decided to pursue a career in writing.

3. Putting Off Things Until Later

You may be shocked to learn how many individuals battle with the want to put things off until later. Because this (poor) behavior has been around for such a long time, there is even a page on Goodreads devoted to quotes about it.

Procrastination may be a double-edged sword when it comes to being a weakness. If you don't present it in the right way, potential employers may conclude that you are likely to miss deadlines or produce work of a poor quality.

Mentioning specifically how you've improved in this area, or how you want to enhance it in the future, is essential here.

Your response may be structured as follows:

Since I was a student, I have had a hard time controlling my tendency to put things off until later. I never thought it was a weakness since I never missed a deadline until I got my first job. In fact, I thought it was a strength. I only needed to put in the occasional 24-hour shift here and there. But after seeing how my procrastination on a job impacts the productivity of the whole team as well as the quality of the final output of a project, I concluded that it is a weakness that I should work on improving. I made certain adjustments to my work ethic, the way I approach projects, and the way I encourage myself to work, and as a result, I've noticed a significant difference. I no longer depend on the frantic rush at the last minute to get my job done.

#4. Impatience

The inability to maintain patience is one of those shortcomings that may almost be excused as a natural part of human nature.

Consider the implications. When you're hard at work, it's next to impossible to keep your cool and not lose your patience at some time or another. It might be because of a challenging assignment that you are unable to finish, or it could be because a teammate missed a deadline. The important thing is how you respond to your impatience and whether or not you allow it to affect your relationships with the people you work with or the clients you serve.

You may thus utilize impatience as a weakness as long as you frame it in a positive light as long as you are not working in a profession where it is vital to be patient (for example, if you are a teacher).

This is the procedure for doing that:

"There are times when I let my impatience get the better of me. When I'm working with a group on a project and I feel that we're not approaching the issue at hand in the most effective manner, I have a tendency to grow antsy and irritable. Because of the negative effect that this shortcoming had on my working relationships at my previous job, I've decided to take a class that would teach me how to be more patient in the office. I also make it a point to put patience into practice outside of the office so that it becomes second nature to me.

5. Criticism of oneself

Self-criticism is something that a lot of individuals struggle with.

At some moment or another, everyone of us has the experience of thinking that we could have done more or that we did not put our absolute best effort toward a certain endeavor.

Because of this, self-criticism is a flaw that you may utilize in almost every occasion when recruiters ask you what your biggest weakness is. Specifically, you might say that you are too hard on yourself.

The following is how you would go about doing it:

"My worst flaw is that I am very critical of myself. As a result, I often get the impression that I am not providing my absolute best and that I am disappointing the people with whom I work. Despite the fact that my superiors had not voiced any concerns about my job performance, this often caused me to overwork myself, reach the point of exhaustion, or feel inferior to my coworkers. During the course of the last year, I have been making a concerted effort to better myself by engaging in self-improvement activities.

#6. Multitasking

It's possible that multitasking isn't as beneficial as you believe it is.

While it's true that our ever-busier lives may sometimes lead us to believe that multitasking is fantastic, new studies have shown that it can substantially hinder job performance. Yes, our increasingly busy lifestyles can occasionally deceive us into believing that multitasking is amazing.

It is far more likely that you will make errors while you are working, you will complete your chores in a less effective manner, and your total productivity will suffer as a result.

As a result, the question "what is your biggest weakness?" is an easy one to answer with the ability to multitask.

The following is a response that you should provide to the interviewers:

"What is my failing?" I multitask too much. When I was working at my previous job, I first became aware that this was a problem; I had a hard time focusing on a single activity, and trying to do two or more at once caused my productivity to suffer. Since then, I've been paying attention to how I work, and I always make sure to identify and prioritize each of my responsibilities. Then, rather of attempting to juggle three things at the same time, I try to go through each of them individually.

Competencies That You May Bring Up During an Interview As a Weakness

You need to realize at this point that it is not so much about the issue as it is about how you convey the deficiency and the actions you're doing to improve on it.

If you are the sort of person who is honest and proactive about their weaknesses, it demonstrates that you are the type of person who displays drive and initiative, both of which are abilities that a large number of employers consider to be must-haves.

After this, have a look at the following list of soft skills that you might highlight as shortcomings to start you thinking about what your particular deficiency is:

Creativity

Task delegation

Humour

Spontaneity

Organization

Impatience

Taking up risks

Writing that is creative

Financial literacy

Foreign languages (or a particular foreign language)

A specific piece of software

Being much too forthright

Multitasking

Public speaking and presentations

Shyness

Time management

Sharing in the burden of duty

Self-criticism

Teamwork

Sensitivity

Taking on an excessive amount of duty

Taking up an excessive number of tasks all at once

As was said before, you are free to bring up any of these flaws in your application for employment so long as they are not directly connected to the position for which you are seeking.

If you want to work in television reporting, you shouldn't include a fear of public speaking, shyness, or inability to interact well with others as one of your weaknesses. Not having these qualities will severely effect your ability to accomplish the job (and will lead to you not getting hired).

Instead, you can try saying something like this:

"Want to know some of my flaws? Let's see... To begin, I wouldn't really call myself a particularly spontaneous person. I find it easier to be organized and operate according to a well laid out strategy. This may often work against me since it's difficult to constantly be prepared for everything may come my way. An additional one of my flaws is that I often take on too many tasks all at once. Because of this, the quality of my work is sometimes hampered. Because of this, I have made it a habit to establish reasonable objectives whenever I start on a new project and to delegate an increasing amount of responsibility to my coworkers.

Advice on How to Recognize (and Work on Improving) Your Weaknesses

Now, in the event that we did not make this point clear enough, it is essential to be as sincere as possible while responding to the question "what is your biggest weakness?" posed by recruiters.

This indicates that the weakness you choose to discuss should be genuine and not just a talent that you choose at random from a list since you believe it has no bearing on the job you are applying for.

You will have an easier time coming across as a self-aware and self-improving candidate if the shortcoming you describe is more genuine, and if the efforts you are doing to overcome it are also more genuine.

In the next part, we will show you exactly how you may accomplish this goal.

Learning to Recognize Your Weaknesses

Finding it difficult to identify your areas of weakness? Put the following questions to yourself:

Have any of my previous superiors spoken negatively on a certain facet of my job performance?

Was there ever anything you wanted me to improve, and if so, how did I go about it?

How have I been unable to perform the responsibilities assigned to me at work, and what have I done to become better?

In terms of my job, what is a particular activity that I dislike doing the most?

When I was still in school, some of my deficiencies included the following:

During the course of my academic education, did any of my teachers express particular disapproval of a certain aspect of my work?

Your primary vulnerabilities will be shown by the responses that come up more often.

Taking Account of Your Weaknesses

Now, if you aren't willing to go the additional mile and improve on your shortcomings, just being aware of them isn't going to get you very far.

And yes, you may take the easy way out and declare that you're doing anything to address your deficiencies only for the purpose of appropriately responding to the interview question, but sooner or later, it might hinder your performance at work.

Because of this, rather than just bringing it up during the course of the job interview, we strongly suggest that you give one of the following approaches to addressing your problem a shot:

Make use of resources that can assist you in overcoming your difficulties.

Sign up for a course now.

Ask for feedback

Talk things over with an expert.

Exercice the ability or skills outside of the workplace.

Participate in a workshop.

Learn on your own.

Consult with someone whose area of expertise is in the same area in which you struggle.

Key Takeaways

That was a lot of information to take in!

It is my sincere hope that at this point, you are well equipped to respond to the question "what is your biggest weakness?"

Let's go over a few of the most important things that were discussed in the paper, just in case:

When recruiters ask, "what is your worst weakness?" they want to know whether you are truthful, self-aware, and ready to do better as a person.

Answer the question "what is your biggest weakness" by picking a talent that isn't necessary for the job you're applying to and by focusing on precisely how you're going to overcome your shortcoming in practice.

You may utilize abilities like impatience, multitasking, self-criticism, and procrastination to your advantage while playing the role of a weaker opponent.

A response that is genuine goes a very long way. Because of this, the ideal way is to figure out what your true deficiencies are and then take actions to improve upon them proactively.