This is a question that really stresses people out in interviews.

Once you know how to answer it though, you can turn this question into a tool to increase your chances of getting the job.

Unfortunately, many people struggle with this question.

The main challenges with the question

It’s really not an easy question to answer (until you learn this approach)

Sometimes people struggle with it because

• They’ve never had any coaching on how to do interviews in the first place
• There are multiple levels to answering this question
• Unlike many questions, there are actually wrong answers to this one.
• They don’t like confronting or admitting weaknesses
• They don’t want to do the work to fix those weaknesses

The good news is that once you nail down the framework, you can use this question as a way to showcase whatever you want about yourself and increase your chances of getting the job.

Why do they even bother asking?

Candidates often can’t stand this question because they think it’s a dumb. In fact, if you Google “dumb job interview question weakness” you’ll see a litany of rants about why this is a dumb question. I even read one that suggested getting up and walking out of the interview if someone asks you that.

I’m sort of mystified by this because whether you like the question or not, there are reasons someone might ask it.

First off, it’s a tough question and requires introspection and walking a fine line between too little honesty and too much honesty. You can get a read on a candidate’s deftness in handling tricky situations.

Importantly it also can elicit how self aware someone is and whether they can grow by identifying and fixing their weaknesses.

Finally, the interviewer might just not be very experienced at interviewing. Some people spend a lot of time thinking of interview questions that will elicit important information in order to select the right candidate. Others don’t put much thought into it.

This is a pretty well known question so they may have just latched on to it.

First off – what are some of the wrong answers

So now let’s talk about some answers to avoid. You might have heard a teacher at some point say “there are no wrong answers”. Well, in this case there are DEFINITELY some wrong answers

There are three kinds of answers to avoid

1. Don’t say you don’t have any weaknesses – everyone does. This will make it look like you lack self awareness or are insecure

2. Don’t offer deal breakers for the job you’re applying for.

1. Saying you’re uncomfortable talking to new people will be a problem if you’re looking for a job in sales
2. Suggesting you’re lazy will be a problem for investment banking or consulting among other careers
3. Make sure you really understand the jobs you’re applying for. Not being good with numbers will be tough for many fields including some you might not expect, like marketing, where data analysis is becoming more and more important

If these are genuine weaknesses you should be asking yourself if you’re applying to the right jobs. Are you going to succeed in investment banking if you don’t really like hard work? Or is sales right for you if you’re uncomfortable taking to new people?

3. Don’t give canned answers that aren’t really weaknesses

• I’m too nice
• I work too hard

Everybody knows these are nonsense answers and instead of swatting aside the question, you’ll look like you lack personal awareness.

You may actually be able to spin them into a good answer but your interviewer may tune you out after they hear “I’m too nice” so it makes sense to avoid these.

How do you answer this question well?

Now that we’ve talked about what not to say, what should you say?

I recommend applying the H.I.F.I. framework

· Historical – it was a weakness but not anymore

· Identified by you – you are self aware and can recognize things you need to improve

· Fixed – not only are you self aware but you can take action to fix the problems you identify

· Improvement – How are things better now than they were you fixed the problem

This approach hits all the key areas of what you’re looking for in an answer.

· It directly answers the question

· It presents you in a positive light

· It shows that you are self aware and can identify and address your weaknesses and

· It shows you’re a confident person – confident people aren’t afraid to confront their weaknesses since they know it makes them better

How to Apply the Framework

Example 1.

Weakness: public speaking – really common weakness that is unlikely to be the most important part of any immediate post MBA job – and regardless you’ve addressed this weakness already.

Answer: I used to be really nervous about public speaking. I realized this was going to be a problem for me in my career and moreso as my career progressed. So I decided I had to find a way to fix it.

What did I do?

· First, I took every opportunity to speak in front of groups, even if I was uncomfortable. Basically I put in as many high quality repetitions as I could.

· Second, I watched lots of YouTube videos for tips on becoming a better speaker and applied those as I was putting in those reps

· Third, I joined Toastmasters until I got to a point where I was really comfortable speaking to groups

Now I’ve become so much more comfortable speaking in front of groups that my boss, who knew I was working on this, remarked how much I’d improved.

*********

So notice how I applied the framework

Historical – I used to be really nervous

Identified by me – realized this was going to be a problem in my career

Fixed – actions I took to fix it – reps, YouTube and Toastmasters

Improvement – boss remarked on my improvement

Example 2.

Weakness: Formerly lacking in certain technical skills

Answer: When I first started in my previous job I didn’t know Excel nearly as well as I needed to and it’s obviously critical to my role.

What did I do?

· I bought the book The Excel Bible 2022 and skimmed through it so I knew what was possible

· Started a Twitter account and shared in public each new thing as I learned it

· Followed a few Twitter accounts and YouTube accounts that showed how to do things in Excel

· Took a course on Excel for {finance, marketing or whatever your field is}

After doing all this, I’m the person in the office who shows other people how to do things in Excel.

*********

Historical – When I first started in my role

Identified by me – Didn’t know it as well as I needed

Fixed – Excel Bible, sharing progress on Twitter, following Twitter and YouTube accounts and took a course

Improvement – I show other people how to use Excel

Example 3.

Weakness: Something that’s related to stage of career or professional maturity

Answer: In the past I wasn’t comfortable saying no when someone asked me for something, which resulted in my either being forced to do a subpar job or take on too much and risk burnout

What did I do?

· Learned to ask where the job fits into the priority list – often people don’t realize that what they’re asking is a lower priority than what I’m currently working on and they get someone else to do it

· Built the confidence to have this conversation – the first time was scary

Now I’m working hard and not burning out, enjoying my job a lot and my boss and colleagues respect me more

************

Historical – used to be uncomfortable saying no

Identified by me – recognized I was being forced to do a subpar job or risk burnout

Fixed – asked where the priority is, built confidence to do this

Improvement – not burning out, really enjoying my job and more respected

How to implement this?

Like all interview questions, the strategy here is not to script your answer then memorize it.

Instead make a bullet point answer or a couple of them and then practice them so they roll off your tongue.

You’ll say them slightly differently each time but it will sound much more natural that way.

Once you feel like you have a handle on this I’d recommend recording yourself answering the question and then critically evaluate it the recording. Repeat this 4 times and critique each one and you’ll likely be in good shape.

That’s it for this week. Hopefully you found this helpful. As always connect with me on Twitter or reply to this email and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can.