Weed out your weaknesses

[Badshah Mamun]

Weed out your weaknesses

You will be asked it, so how do you answer? David Wilson seeks advice on a recruitment staple.

Like death and taxes, the question is inevitable. Employers always ask it.

Candidates dread it because it cuts to the core of identity and can spark a swarm of doubts.

"What's your worst weakness?" the interviewer asks. Intimidated?

The good news is that the dreaded question may be more negotiable than you think. Recruitment experts who have asked and heard every question agree that it can be handled successfully but paint it as suspect.

One of the industry's most influential figures, online job search svengali Tony Lee, calls the question "more harmful than helpful". In response, just baldly admitting a weakness may win you points for honesty but dent your chances of getting hired.

"Conversely," Lee says, "if you give a flip answer, or respond with, 'Well, I don't really have any weaknesses,' you may be perceived as arrogant or lacking in candour or self-knowledge."

The interviewer may snipe that you clearly think you are perfect, putting you in a pickle. But relax. "Realise that most interviewers don't expect you to be perfect or reveal your true weaknesses. They're just probing for soft spots," Lee says.

So, he advises, counter by framing a weakness as a professional strength. Show how your shortcomings make you ideal.

Assume that you are detail-oriented - a workaholic - and that, when tackling key projects, you neglect friends and family. Then, switch the spin by saying you are meticulous and pursue projects until you iron out all kinks, even if that means overtime. "This way, you've cast your weaknesses into positives most bosses would find irresistible," Lee says.

The author of 101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions, Ron Fry, calls the probing question a landmine but agrees that it can be dealt with. Fry bolsters the case for turning the answer into a positive - indicate a tendency toward over-enthusiasm, he suggests.

An example he gives is that you claim that you need to learn to slow down and stop expecting others to be equally committed. Or you could confess that you need to strike a better work-life balance.

Or, Fry says, admit to a former foible - trouble waking up early, say. Then explain how you conquered the foible. Any overcome weakness you cite should be neither work-related nor - even worse - a key job requirement. Irrespective, try to relax because the point of the question is to see how the candidate dances around it. That is the true test, Fry says.

Another way to ace the question is just to tell the truth, Fry says - a point pursued by workplace psychologist Dr Karissa Thacker.

Honesty may sound "way out", Thacker says. Even so, it will separate you from the pack because the worst-weakness question is the one that candidates "BS" the most, she adds. Saying that you work too hard or could communicate more clearly makes you sound like everyone else. "Tell the truth!" she urges.

Still, beware of overdoing the candour. Avoid spelling out the roots of any weakness that you expose. In fact, forget applying for jobs that demand strength in an area where you are weak, "as you will eventually be miserable" (and leave a trail of resignations and sackings on your CV if the approach becomes a habit).

Accent how you have worked on any weakness that you choose to own. Be specific and behavioural. For example, Thacker suggests, you might say that you are no fan of administrative detail - poring over minutiae such as the 210th line of the budget will never be your strength. "So, when I need to do it, I do it first thing in the morning," you could say.

If all else fails and you feel floored, why not depart from expert advice and have a laugh, take a risk? You could answer the most dreaded interview question with a single sensuous word refreshingly free from corporate overtones: "Chocolate."


Source: http://content.mycareer.com.au/advice-research/interview/weed-out-weaknesses.aspx