The Most Dreaded Interview Question

Problem: The most dreaded question encountered during interviews is “Tell us about one strength and one WEAKNESS.”

Though many people can talk for hours on their strengths, they often break into a cold sweat when talking about their weaknesses. So how should you answer this question? It’s important to remember not to admit weaknesses during interviews because you never know how they might be perceived. Let’s say you are in an interview with six interviewers (that’s not uncommon, prepare for it). If your seat wasn’t hot before this question, it probably is now! As you look at all the faces focused on you, you start to think “there are six different people who can eliminate me from this position if I say the wrong thing. What’s the wrong thing?” That’s just it – those six people may have six different ideas of what it takes to do the job. If you mention any one of them as a weakness, you could eliminate yourself.

Solution: Why not admit an area you would like to improve? How about saying something like “I wouldn’t really call this a weakness, but an area I would like to improve is public speaking; and this is what I’ve done so far…” This way, you never say you are weak in public speaking (or whatever you choose), just that you want to get better; and you’ve also shown that you’ve taken steps to improve.

Other things to consider: Some people say “Well what if I admit a strength and make it sound like a weakness? What if I say my weakness is that I work to hard or that I get to involved in my work?” What’s the solution to working to hard or getting too involved – not working hard enough or not being very dedicated? Is that the image you want to leave with interviewers?
Remember, when it comes to interviews, you Always want to leave the interviewer(s) with a strong and confident impression of you – one that says you can handle the job, no matter what happens.

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