What Do You Think is Your Greatest Weakness

What Do You Think is Your Greatest WeaknessWhat is Your Greatest Weakness?What Do You Think is Your Greatest WeaknessThe recent blog post, 5 Really Stupid Questions from Interviewers, elicited several comments about that oft-asked and much-hated interview question What do you think is your greatest weakness? Heres my advice on how to answer.First, ignore the conventional advice to state a weakness thats really a positive job attribute, such as, Im a workaholic and I spend too many hours at work. Interviewers have been hearing that for years, and they see right through it.And the truth is, they really dont care what your weaknesses are. They care about how you handle the question and what your response indicates about you.The trick to answering this question is to identify a new skill youre learning or planning to develop something that is only a weakness because you havent yet mastered it.Heres a five-step response strategy for this questionHighlight your strengths for the position.M ention a new skill or area in which you are not yet as strong as youd like to be (dont use the word weakness.).Outline what youre doing to master the new skill and overcome your so-called weakness.Describe how this new skill will improve your value to the company.schliff with a question that will redirect the interview back to your real strengths.Heres a fill-in-the-blanks template to help you start formulating your responseWhile there are several strengths I bring to this position, including _______, _______, and _______, I would like to improve my knowledge of _______. In fact, I have been involved in _______ and _______ in an effort to master these skills. I feel this is important because it will allow me to deliver added results in the areas of _______.Heres how this example might sound if you were seeking a position in sales or customer serviceWhile there are several strengths I bring to this position, including a consistent record of being one of the top three performers in my previous position, strong industry knowledge, and outstanding interpersonal skills, I would like to improve my knowledge of geschftsleben finance. In fact, I have been taking courses in business economics and finance at the Institute of Advanced Training in an effort to master these skills. I feel this is important because it will allow me to directly relate the sales of products and services to a customers return-on-investment, and to recommend department cost-saving initiatives. Would you like me to elaborate on these ideas?Did you notice the question at the end? Asking a question will make the interview more conversational, help you gain more control, and keep the interview from becoming an interrogation.