I usually say that I am very blunt. Which is true.
Find something that is a natural weakness of yours that you’ve come quite a bit in overcoming (but still persists as a legitimate weakness). Focus the discussion on how far you’ve come in overcoming it.
My greatest weaknesses = chocolate, sushi
That’s a good one.
Q: What’s your weakness.
A: Identifying my weaknesses.
Speaking of BS, BS–here’s a story my friend told me. (I obviously can’t vouch for its accuracy.)
The interviewer asked him, “If you were miniature-sized, and put in a blender, and you knew that the blender was about to be turned on, what would you do?” I suppose the point is to find out his problem-solving skills.
My friend replied, “I would deploy my Wolverine-style adamantium claws and chop the blender’s blades up into little bits.”
The interviewer apparently did not like the answer. He said, “This is a serious question.”
The friend replied, “My answer is just as serious as your question.”
He got a letter a few days later saying that position had been filled.
Speaking of Blenders, I recently came across this thing called a “Sport Blender” in William Sonoma or some store like this. It was very overpriced, like $200 or something like that. It seems like you can call anything “sport” and charge a higher price nowadays. I think I should pioneer the “Sport House” and charge premium over the inferior non-sport house.
See, I think that’s kind of a thoughtless interpretation. If you had a significant weakness and did not address it, that doesn’t make you good at identifying weaknesses, that just makes you complacent. And if what are left after a process of addressing significant weaknesses are insignificant weaknesses, then by definition, they have no significance and aren’t worth addressing.
Patron, Ribs, Southern Belles.
But only while they’re young. All that delicious southern cooking is not kind over time…
I often sit on the other side of the table and would never ask this type of question.
^ Agree. I find more value on having a conversation and seeing if I could work with this person week in and week out.
Those canned questions that often get asked just baffle me from a point of view of useful insight. An example is, “Describe a time when you were about to make it rain in a strip club, but all of a sudden you saw your WIFE slip backstage. This struck you as odd given she said she was hanging with her ‘chickas’ this night. In any case, your homeboy Jamal has his hopes on you making it rain, so you hit the ATM to realize it only dispenses 10 bills. Darn you think, you wanted 1s. How do you balance these conflicting ethical, moral, and financial implications while ensuring, A. Your wife doesn’t see you at said club. B. You make it rain for your nigga 4 life Jamal. C. You don’t overdraft your checking given you can only pull 10s from the ATM, but still make it rain through the TIP DRILL song. D. Ensure you have enough lettuce left over to grease the legs open of the 10 back in the champagne room. What do you do?”
Nonsense. I think Honey Boo Boo’s mom is quite the hottie!
I wonder if an answer such as the following is acceptable:
“I’m kind of introverted when I meet someone for the first time but it doesn’t take me long before I get comfortable around new people”.
That works, but don’t say it if you are applying to a sales job.
To me, this sounds like the classic cop-out of: “This is my weakness. But I overcome my weakness quickly. So it’s really not a weakness.” Sounds like BS to me. And if I hear it, I know it’s BS. Of course, I don’t think I’d ever ask the question.
In interviews, I have found that it’s usually best to answer honestly. If you answer honestly and they like you, then chances are that you will get along there. And if they don’t like you, you probably wouldn’t have succeeded there in the long term.
Personally, I hate the question myself and also find it BS, so I don’t ask it.
I have been asked it myself several times though. I think bchad was kidding with this original reply. If you literally said that to someone, you’ll likely get dinged.
I’m not kidding, but if you deliver it the right way, people generally don’t notice what you’ve done, and even those who notice understand that that’s the game about how you field that question. They see that you’ve identified a problem and are aware of it, and taken steps to correct it. The little assurance that it won’t be a problem in your employment with the interviewer is what they are hoping to hear anyway, and so if you deliver the statement the right way, it goes down smooth. Even if you haven’t confessed that you turn into an axe murderer if repeatedly asked hackneyed questions from people who ought to know better, they’ve heard you do some self analysis and learned that you do work to overcome your limitations.
It’s not so different from what others have been suggesting.
Yeah, this question is just an interview game. No rational person will expect an honest answer. If you truly had a weakness, like “I am a raging alcoholic”, you’re not going to tell the interviewer that. The goal of the question should just be to get some insight into the candidate’s personality, and maybe to measure their ability to bullshit people, because face it - that is important in most jobs. Of course, you would still be a douche for asking that question.
bchad I was referring to these. If you literally said that 2nd line, you’ll get dinged.
Ah yes, those were jokes.