One of many favourite interview questions of hiring managers continues to be, “What’s your largest weak point?” This can be a powerful query all the best way round. In case you are too sincere, it’s possible you’ll get rid of your self from consideration and never get the job in any respect. However, in case you’re not sincere sufficient, it’s possible you’ll come throughout as evasive.
So, what are you able to do once you’re requested this query throughout a job interview?
The very very first thing to do is put together. There’s an excellent probability you can be requested this query, so give it some thought prematurely. Write down the way you would possibly reply the query, and observe your reply. Share your ideas with a buddy (or two), and get suggestions. Discover out what you possibly can do higher, and put time into perfecting your response.
Don’t give a solution that’s actually important to the job. For instance, in case you are interviewing to be a venture supervisor, don’t confess that you simply wrestle with group and are sometimes late on deadlines. These qualities are key to succeeding as a venture supervisor and would instantly get rid of you from consideration.
On the opposite excessive, don’t give a solution that’s not real. Many job seekers have a tendency to present solutions alongside the strains of, “I simply work so laborious. I can’t cease myself.” Or, “I’m such an overachiever and I’ve excessive expectations of these round me.” These solutions come throughout as not being genuine, and no hiring supervisor will wish to hear them.
As a substitute, I like to think about this query as a possibility to deal with the elephant within the room (assuming there’s one). For instance, I used to be as soon as requested to contemplate an element time teaching function with a big group. Through the job interview, the hiring supervisor requested me, “What’s your largest weak point?”
This was my response. “As , I don’t come from a human assets background, like many coaches do. That could be thought of a weak point compared. Nevertheless, I’ve intensive company expertise in lots of industries and lots of job capabilities – from engineering to advertising and marketing. I’ve interviewed for a lot of totally different roles myself, and I’m in a position to deliver my very own genuine expertise to the desk to assist job seekers do their finest.”
On this case, my hiring supervisor already knew that I had not labored in human assets. It was clear from my resume. She was in all probability attempting to resolve whether or not or not this distinction in my background was an issue. As a result of I introduced the difficulty up immediately, I used to be in a position to put it to relaxation shortly. It additionally gave me an opportunity to clarify why my very own distinctive expertise could be an asset to the group, and would possibly even give me a leg up on my competitors. My reply labored nicely and created area to speak overtly about my background.
There’s nobody proper option to reply this query. With a view to give your finest reply, put together prematurely. It’s going to can help you flip your potential weak point right into a perceived energy.
Angela Copeland is a Profession Coach and Founding father of Copeland Teaching and might be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
