Job-Hunt Intelligence - Answer This Job Interview Question: What's Your Greatest Weakness?

Published: Tue, 01/17/17

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Smart Email: How to Use Email Like a C-Suite Executive

By Laura DeCarlo

"What's your greatest weakness?" is the question that no one ever quite knows how to prepare to answer.

This single question has the power to determine in one swift blow whether you are a potential asset or a liability to a prospective employer. Luckily, there is a solution – prepare in advance for this dreaded question, and you will tame the monster!

Today, many HR professionals consider this question old-fashioned and pointless. Who would admit to a genuine weakness in a job interview? But interviewers who do ask this question often see it as a test of the candidate's interest and preparation. So, being ready for this question is the best strategy.

The Smart Two-Part Answer

Notice in the example answers below, each answer has two parts:

1. The confession of the weakness, and...

2. The recovery -- how you managed yourself to minimize the impact of the weakness, or (more risky) the plan you have for recovery.

Be sure to present these weaknesses in terms of how they impact the employer.

See the examples below. Adapt them to your situation and the employer..

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Sample Job Interview Thank You Email

By Gus Lawson

Imagine what it’s like to be in control of your job search, where you don’t feel like the days are wasting away and you’re not making progress.

Having the right systems in place can help you feel like you’re in control. When we feel like we’re in control, we actually do gain more control, and we are more confident about our situation. When we are more confident, we are more successful.

It’s possible to regain control. Here are seven tips to help you regain comfort in your job search activities.

1. Establish Your Success Criteria

What will make you feel successful as you’re looking for your next opportunity? Get specific.

Start with interviewing, and work backwards. Here are some sample ways to measure your success. Tailor these. Make them yours.

  • Number of interviews scheduled this week.
  • Number of phone screens with recruiters this week.
  • Number of introductions to your target company or potential hiring managers this week.
  • Number of people who actively shared your resume this week.
  • Number of engaging conversations you had this week.
  • Percentage of former colleagues who responded to your request to reconnect this week.
  • Percentage of companies responding to your online application this week.
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Making Email Work for Your Job Search

The 10 Deadly Job Interview Mistakes
and How to Avoid Them)

By Susan P. Joyce

As anyone who has been in a job search for a while knows, being invited to a job interview is not something easily achieved. Becoming one of the few "job candidates" rather than being part of the usually gigantic crowd of "job applicants" is a major victory.

Unfortunately, too many job candidates blow their interview opportunities, wasting all that time and effort. Don't be one of those candidates. Never assume that the job offer is "in the bag" simply because you were invited for an interview!

Avoid These Common Interview Mistakes to Land That Job

What you do during a job interview is viewed as a "sample" of your work. Everything you do is being judged because they don't know you (unless you are one of the lucky referred candidates).

Show them you would be a great hire. Don't make these mistakes:

Mistake #1: Appearing uninterested.

This drives employers crazy. Most employers have more applicants than they need or want.

READ MORE​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Editor’s Choice
To help you stand out in your next job interview, Jeff offers a recruiter's perspective on how to answer the frequently asked job interview questions. Even the “boring, standard questions” can have unique and useful answers. You should think hard about how you can differentiate yourself from others every step of the way during the interview. This article helps you understand how to give your best answer when you are asked these questions.
There are good times to interview and bad times to be interviewed. Determining the best times to schedule your job interview requires understanding the psychology of hiring managers. Typically, H.R. works with a hiring manager to set the series of short-list candidate interviews within a contained time frame, usually two weeks at the most. On these days interviewing becomes the manager’s focus, and interviews can start as early as 7AM and go as late as 5PM. Picking the best day and time are important -- here's how to do that.
There are many reasons why the phone doesn't ring within 24 hours of the job interview. Most employers have a process in place that usually have other candidates to interview, followed by meetings of all the relevant people involved in the hiring process to discuss the candidates. Before you hurt your chances for a job by calling too often or not often enough, read this article for some important do's and don'ts, to keep your job search moving forward.
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