How To Answer Questions On Weakness

One of the toughest parts of the interview session is when your interviewer calls you on to talk about your weaknesses and expects you to answer honestly. What do you do? How do you answer questions on your job related weaknesses without blowing your chances of getting the job? The key is in how you address your weakness and how you relay your feelings to your interviewers.

Sometimes interviewers may view a certain trait of yours to be a weak personality trait. But to you it may not be a weakness at all. Your goal should be to explain to your interviewer how you view yourself as the possessor of this particular trait and how it should not be viewed as a weakness. Answering honestly from the heart will usually help the interviewer to understand where you are coming from. For instance, there may be an office worker who is perceived to be a quiet and somewhat reclusive individual. This will undoubtedly be viewed as a weakness among his or her workmates. But what isn't identified is his our her excellent listening abilities and problem solving abilities that are characterized by the fact that he or she takes the time to listen and reason through the problems imposed before them. This is a strength that beforehand had been thought of as a weakness. If this is the case with you, take time to thoroughly reason on your behalf and help the interviewer to understand that your "weakness" is actually your strength in the workplace.

Acknowledging your weakness is another way to properly answer questions about your job related weaknesses. Admitting to the fact that you are weak in some areas and that you are working to correct and strengthen your skills is great in establishing an honest reputation with your interviewer. True, it takes real courage to admit you have a weakness. But the reality of the matter is that you are willing and able to change it and become stronger in the areas in which you are lacking. It is also wise to cite success stories of how you have overcome certain obstacles due to your weaknesses. Having a weakness doesn't have to be a negative thing.

You could turn what is thought of as a "dreaded moment during the interview," and turn it into something positive. You could seize the opportunity to highlight how working on strengthening those weaknesses has made you a better person and a better employee. Your interviewer will applaud you for your courageous efforts to better yourself. Be sure to also mention to your interviewer any lessons that you have learned along the way in your quest for stronger job abilities.

But of course, you may be too uncomfortable answering questions on your weaknesses. In this case, you need to tactfully deflect the line of questioning. You could use humor in some cases to deflect an uncomfortable question. Also if it suits the situation, simply answer in a way that implies that you work better under a particular set of standards and protocol. Regardless, answering questions on your weaknesses doesn't have to be a dreadful occasion. As stated previously, you could turn it into a very good situation that could easily turn in your favor. Simply answer with the intent of gaining the interviewer's understanding and trust. Everything else will fall into place.

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