Sometimes, “What’s your greatest weakness?” doesn’t get asked in those exact words. Interviewers have a lot of different ways to uncover your weaknesses or flaws. Here are several examples for how to answer interview questions about weaknesses.
What do you wish you’d done better in your career?
In this answer, tell a story that illustrates a time when you did something that you wish you’d done better, and then give an example of when you did do it better. See an example answer here.
What have you learned from your mistakes?
In general, keep this answer focused on character traits or universal truths that we all learn in our lives, such as communication skills or decision making. Use the STAR method to tell the story. Set up the Situation or Task you faced; talk about the Action you took, and then finish with the Result. Make sure your result is a positive one. See more detail here.
What was your least favorite part of your last job?
Everyone has something they dislike about their job. You need to answer the question but still remain as positive as possible. For best effect, choose something that’s a small, non-critical piece of the job. Even better, choose something that’s part of your old job but not the new one. See an example here.
What would your manager say was the area you needed most development in?
This is not what YOU would say is a weakness; this is what your BOSS would say is a weakness. One strategy you might use is to name something that nearly everyone needs some improvement in. And check with your boss to make sure you’re both on the same page. Find out more here.
Tell me about a failed project.
A failed project could easily highlight a weakness. What you want to do with this question is tell a story about a time when you learned something valuable from a failed project. See my example here.
What’s your greatest weakness?
This is the most direct way to ask about your weaknesses. Don’t go for the cliché and say that you’re a perfectionist. Choose a real weakness that you have, that you’ve also taken steps to address successfully. A good strategy is to choose a weakness that causes you a problem in your personal life that’s an asset on the job. One I choose is impatience. In my personal life, it gets me in trouble with my family. But in my work life, it causes me to work hard to complete projects quickly. See more ideas here.
Conclusion
In every instance, you want to give an answer that is a real weakness but not one that directly affects your job performance.
Not sure about your answers? Consider working with an interview coach. Find out more about interview coaching here.