How to Respond When an Interviewer Asks About Your Weaknesses

A question about your weaknesses is a popular one during job interviews. Employers are getting to know you and attempting to assess how well you’ll fit with the job and the company. When asking about your weaknesses, they’re attempting to learn a few things. First—how self-aware are you? In other words, can you recognize what you need to improve and have you made improvements? And second—the way you answer this question can tell an interviewer a lot about your personality and whether you’d be a good fit for the job. All you need is a little practice and you can master the answer to this common interview question. Just follow this advice from one of the top staffing agencies in Savannah GA–Snelling Georgia Group.

How to Answer the Question: “What Are Your Weaknesses?”

No one wants to talk about what they’re not good at, let’s face it. Especially during an interview. So you can approach this question in different ways.

Say Something You’ve improved

You can describe a skill you weren’t great at in the past, for example, communication. This is a good time to share an anecdote about how you were having trouble and how it was affecting you. Then, explain how you recognized you needed to make an improvement and what steps you took to improve on your weakness. Good choices would be soft skills, or improving your on-the-job knowledge or experience.

Disguise a Strength as a Weakness

This is not as strong of an answer, because many interviewers are expecting this technique. However, it’s still an acceptable way to respond to the question. For example, you could say you’re a perfectionist and go on to explain how your attention to detail can sometimes cause you to keep working after the end of the workday to get things just right.

Be Authentic

Whichever way you choose to answer this question, be genuine. Choose something that really describes you and back it up with a short story to illustrate your point. Then, practice, practice, practice your interview answers as you prepare for the big day. You might choose to be “interviewed” by a friend or family member so you’re used to responding to questions out loud to another person.

Looking for Your Next Job?

Contact Snelling Georgia Group! We place candidates with jobs in Savannah, Georgia and beyond, and will work with you to find a placement you love. To learn more, contact us today!

 

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