What is your biggest weakness?

When asked this question – or any variation of it (i.e. tell me about a time you failed on the job; if we talked with a past boss, what blind spots would he or she mention?; or what are your problem areas?) – it can make you feel like you’re in the interrogation room. As one of the leading recruiting agencies in Houston, Murray Resources understands that no one wants to reveal their weaknesses in a job interview, let alone talk about them at any length.

But the question often comes up, nonetheless. When it does, how do you deal? Here are a few tips to help you:

Be Aware of Your Weaknesses

Thinking about answering “I work too hard” or “I’m a perfectionist”? Don’t – they’reso overused, they’re almost cliche. Hiring managers know everyone makes mistakes and has weaknesses. Trying to disguise a strength as a weakness won’t fool them. Instead, know what your weaknesses are (your real ones) ahead of time so you’re prepared to talk about them.

Be Honest…But Don’t Shoot Yourself in the Foot Either

Hiring managers can spot a phony answer a mile away. But while you want to be honest and authentic, you don’t want to offer a weakness that can hurt your chances of getting the job. For instance, if you’re a bookkeeper, saying you’re bad at spelling likely won’t hurt your chances of getting the job. The employer is looking for someone who’s good with numbers, after all. Before your interview, take a look at the job description to ensure you don’t bring up a weakness that will take you out of the running for the job.

Put Your Weakness Into Context & Talk About How You’ve Overcome It

Rather than saying you’re impatient – and making it sound like you get annoyed and exasperated easily and all the time – put your weakness into a certain context. For instance: “I get impatient during meetings. But over the years, I’ve realized that they’re essential to ensuring projects stay on target. To make sure we don’t get off track during them, I’ve since started keeping them to 45-minutes or less and I always have an agenda prepared.”

The above example shows how you can explain how you’ve conquered your weakness – i.e. impatience during meetings. Don’t bring up areas you’re still working on or in the process of fixing.

Hiring managers don’t expect any candidate to be perfect. They simply want to take as much risk out of the hiring equation as possible. Knowing about weaknesses ahead of time helps them do that.

Need more help landing your next great job? Call Murray Resources. As one of the leading recruiting agencies in Houston, we can assist you with the entire job search process – from crafting a strong resume to preparing for interviews – all so you can find opportunities that are a great fit for your skills and background.

Ready to get started? Contact us today.