In this tutorial, I will teach you how to answer the very difficult interview question, what is your greatest weakness answer samples. If you have a job interview coming up for any role or any organization whatsoever, they will ask you this question. But don’t worry, I am going to teach you exactly what to say to pass. To help you answer the tough interview question, what is your biggest weakness? I will cover four important things.
- First and foremost, I will tell you why the interviewer is asking you this question.
- I will then tell you the weakness is that you must avoid when responding to the question.
- I will then give you three really important tips for giving a brilliant answer.
- I will then give you 11 great weaknesses that you can use during your job interview.
Let’s get straight into the presentation, and I will help you to answer the question.
Why is the interviewer asking you the question, What’s your biggest weakness? Well, they are asking you the question for three reasons.
- The first reason is they want to see that you are self aware you understand your weaknesses because if you understand them, then you can take steps to improve.
- The second reason why they ask you the question What’s your biggest weakness is because they want to assess whether or not you are an honest person. Now those people who say I don’t have any weaknesses are not being honest. We all have weaknesses. It’s really important that you do give one, but that you give one that is not a match for the job description.
- And finally, they want to hear that you have a plan in place for improving upon your weakness.
Now, there are three weaknesses you should avoid when responding to the question.
- The first one is you should never say my weaknesses that I’m not very good at working with people because in all job roles, you have to collaborate with other people and you also have to deal with customers or clients. Never say my biggest weakness is I am not very good at working with people.
- The second weakness to avoid is that you should never say my weaknesses. I’m not very good at timekeeping. Now, in any job, you have to be a good timekeeper. You have to turn up to work on time so you have to be punctual and you also have to be good at completing tasks and projects on time as required by the employer.
- And the third weakness that you should always avoid is to never say my weaknesses. I’m not very good at managing multiple tasks or projects because again, in any job role, you have to be able to manage multiple tasks and take on lots of different roles and responsibilities so make sure when you answer the question. You avoid those three weaknesses at all costs.
Now, before I come on to those 11 great weaknesses to give during a job interview, here’s three really important tips for structuring your answer.
- Tip number one Make sure you do give an honest weakness. That’s very, very important because the interviewer will respect you if you are honest about your weaknesses.
- Tip number two Never say I don’t have any weaknesses because I am a perfectionist. Now, a lot of people say that during their job interviews when responding to the question, What’s your biggest weakness? But that is a guaranteed way to fail the entire interview so don’t say I’m a perfectionist, I don’t have any weaknesses.
- And tip number three? This is really important. At the end of your response, you should tell the interviewer that you are taking steps to improve upon your weakness.
Let’s now jump into those 11 great weaknesses you can use during your job interview, and you can choose one of them which is most applicable to you.
I have 11 great weaknesses that you can use in a job interview. Now, all of these weaknesses are fine to use, so I will give you the weakness and I will then give you an example answer. When you find the one that’s most applicable to you, make sure you take a note of the response that I give.
Weakness number one
Here is my sample answer for weakness number one.
- My biggest weakness is the fact that I focus too much on detail when carrying out projects or tasks.
- I am a detail orientated person, but one approach. Object has a tight deadline. This is not always helpful.
- I am trying to be more mindful in situations like these on how I’m learning to focus more on the end goal of the project or task the I am responsible for.
so saying that your weakness is the fact that you focus too much on detail during projects or tasks is a really good one to give.
Weakness number two
Weakness number two is to say that you find it difficult to ask other people for help when needed. That’s a really good weakness to consider giving, so I would say
- I take great pride in my work, and when I encounter problems.
- I always try to figure things out for myself. However, I do understand it would be more beneficial to seek advice from other, more experienced people in my team, and I am taking steps to improve in this area.
That’s another really good weakness to say that you find it difficult to ask other people for help or guidance when it is needed.
Weakness number three
Weakness, number three is to say that your biggest weakness is the fact that you struggle to let go of projects. That’s another really good one.
- I would say I tend to get so engrossed in projects when I am working on them and I don’t want to let them go.
- I do understand this is not always helpful to my employer’s goals, and I am learning to finish a project and then move straight on to the next one.
Weakness number four
Weakness number four is to say that you are not very good at giving people feedback. That’s another really good one.
- I would say if someone asks me for feedback, I would rather avoid it as I don’t want to hurt their feelings.
- I do appreciate feedback is an important part of self-development and I have been trying to improve in this area by forcing myself to give people feedback when it is requested.
So to say that you are not very good at giving people feedback is another great weakness to consider giving during your job interview.
Weakness number five
Weakness number five on our list of 11 great weaknesses to give in a job interview is to say you find it really hard saying no to people. Again, this is one of my favorite weaknesses.
- I would say this has been a problem of mine because I always say yes to everything, even if I don’t have the capacity to do so.
- Now, in the past, I have sometimes become overwhelmed by taking on too many responsibilities.
- Before I say yes to things, I now take my time to assess my own workload, to make sure I do have the capacity to commit to the extra work responsibilities.
So saying that you find it hard to say no to people, you always say yes and you sometimes become overwhelmed isn’t have a great weakness to consider giving during your job interview.
Weakness number six
Weakness number six is to say that you lack experience in a certain area.
- I would say I currently lack experience in taking the lead on projects, but they see something I am keen to improve on.
- Now, if I am to reach my full potential, this is an area I need to gain experience in and I am keen to improve in this particular area.
So to say that you lack experience in a certain area is a really safe weakness to give during a job interview.
Weakness number seven
Weakness number seven is to say that you are sometimes too sensitive. This is a really good weakness to consider giving.
- I would say I am sometimes too sensitive and in the past I would take criticism personally. However, I do understand that for me to continually improve professionally.
- I need to view other people’s comments as constructive and productive so I am learning to be more mindful in situations such as these when people are simply trying to help me improve and develop.
That’s a really good weakness to consider giving in your job interview.
Weakness number eight
Weakness number eight is to say that you can sometimes be too judgmental of other people, so that’s a really good, honest weakness to give.
- I would say in my last role, I would automatically judge people if they were either late finishing a project or if their standard of work was not up to scratch.
- However, I have been trying to improve in this area, and I no longer jump to conclusions relating to other people’s performance. Instead, I try to offer my help or support so they can improve, which ultimately serves to help the team move forward.
That’s another really good weakness to give when responding to the question.
Weakness number nine
Weakness number nine and this is a really good one, is to say that you don’t yet have any leadership experience, and this is a really good weakness to give. If you are a fresher or a first time job applicant, so I would be saying.
- I currently have no leadership experience, but this is something I really want to improve on. If you asked me now to take the lead on something, I wouldn’t feel confident in doing so. However, to improve in this area, I would seek to observe.
- Observe how managers and team leaders tackle projects and tasks so I can then learn how to do it myself when the opportunity presents itself. That’s a really strong weakness to give in a job interview.
Weakness number ten
Weakness number ten is to say that you get stressed if a project or task ends up running over the deadline.
- I would say my weakness is the fact that I sometimes get stressed out if I think a project is going to run over its deadline.
- This is simply because I take pride in my work and I genuinely don’t want to let my employer down. However, I am learning to remain calm in difficult situations such as these and to focus on what I can do to help get the project finish on time and to the necessary standard.
That’s another really good, strong weakness to give when answering the question.
Weakness number 11 is to say that you are not very good at presenting to large groups of people. This is a really safe weakness to give when answering the question. So why would I be saying something like my weakness is my fear of public speaking?
- I would genuinely love to have the confidence to stand up in front of a group of people and give a talk. However, I am trying to improve in this area
- I recently purchased a book from Amazon on how to improve confidence when public speaking.
That’s a really good weakness to consider giving in your job interview.
There’s 11 great weaknesses to consider giving in your job interview. Tell me in the comments section below the article which one you are going to choose for your job interview.
Now the next thing to do is head through to my website and you can find full set of interview questions and top scoring answers, including the ones I’ve worked through together today so make sure you go through to the website because I’ve also placed more questions on there that I recommend you prepare for. There’s also some really important additional tips that will help you to polish your interview. Make sure you check those out.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the tutorial of what is your greatest weakness interview samples tutorial. As I said at the start, it’s really important because I can then help you not just pass every job interview, but I can help you to negotiate a salary, get a pay rise and also get a promotion and make sure you share your feedback on the comments section. That’s all I ask that motivates me to create more articles for you. It’s really good to connect with like minded professionals such as yourself. Thank you so much for reading, and I wish you all the best for passing your interview. Have a great day!