Blog Post: Confessions of a Recruiter - Part 3

One of the most common and most difficult questions asked by interviewers is, "Tell me about one of your weaknesses."  This question may be phrased in a variety of ways such as, "What is one (or more) of your traits that are not as strong as some of your other traits?"  Regardless of the phrasing, beware of the trap that has been set. 

When I ask this question (yes, I like to set traps), I am mostly looking for two things.  The first and most important is honesty.  I want the interviewee to be "real."  I do not want to hear something that is not really a weakness but instead, is the interviewee's attempt to sneak in another strength.  If I hear, "I work too hard" or "I am too much of a perfectionist," I take off major points.  The interviewee was not being "real." 

On the other hand, you can be "real" and also scare the heck out of me and lose the interview.  If your answer is, "I am very lazy and often call in sick when I am healthy," you will score points for honesty but will definitely not get the job!  The secret is to find the right balance between "real" and "problematic."  That is up to you.  I won't give you the secret in this blog.  More importantly, it is your "real" trait, not mine.

The second thing I look for is what you have been doing to improve this "weakness."  Admitting to a fault and having the self-awareness to take action to improve that fault is a wonderful trait that will score you bonus points.

So prepare for this question and impress the interviewer.  It could make the difference of getting the job.