Discussing a weakness in a job interview

How often do we dread the question: What is your weakness? We never know exactly how to answer that question and it is also quite sad because often times we don't know what are greatest weaknesses are or how they impact our career.

In order to have a successful career, it is paramount that you are "aware" of your single biggest strength and your single biggest weakness. You must be honest with yourself and not only look at "generic" weaknesses like - I work too much or I'm a perfectionist. Great corporate cultures are cultures where people can put themselves out there. If you are meeting with an organization that is truly looking for the "perfect" candidate, I would advise you to run the other way.

Think about this - maybe you aren't the best external spokesperson, maybe you're not the most detail oriented person, or maybe you are often misunderstood because you are non-communicative. You need to look at these areas of development carefully and address them. So, the answer to the question - what is your greatest weakness, can certainly be an honest open answer. You may want to follow it up with how you compensate in this area.

For example, my personal weakness at work is that I'm don't utilize the best level of detail skills. My strength is that I am big picture-long term focused. I compensate for my weakness by surrounding myself with great detail oriented people.

It's interesting because sometimes a strength and a weakness are rooted in the same area.

Xodus Advantage serves as expert partners to individuals from the time they contemplate a potential career/job change, through the planning and transition phases. We specialize in making the change process positive and practical by empowering the individual to excel in their job campaign strategies. We are committed to seeing a successful career transition.When individuals find themselves on the job market or interested in a career transition, they are typically very uncertain. It is always nice to offer them the “voice of calm” plus real-world practical strategies to accelerate their down time during the transition.

For a free 30 minute consultation, please contact:
Lori Harbeck - lori@xodusadvantage.com
Janet Blumen - janet@xodusadvantage.com