“What is your biggest weakness?” is one of the most difficult questions to answer during a job interview. It requires applicants to admit that they are not perfect at a time when they are trying to showcase their best attributes. In answering this question, applicants must expose a flaw that could determine in one swift blow whether they are a potential asset or liability to a prospective employer.
Applicants often perceive this question as an intimidation tactic, but there are real reasons recruiters and managers depend on by asking this question during a job interview.
According to Mary Ryan, associate director of Career and Leadership Services for Working Professionals at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School’s online MBA program, MBA@UNC, the question is a quick way to assess if applicants are self-aware and able to talk about opportunities for improvement. Ryan says applicants’ responses also provide an easy way to determine if they can “give a genuine answer to an uncomfortable question or have a weakness that would be a deal-breaker for the job at hand.”
Many recruiters and managers ask the question to find out how applicants faced obstacles in the past. Their responses serve as a preview of how employers can expect them to overcome roadblocks in the future. How applicants have or have not dealt with their shortcomings can indicate how they will handle constructive criticism in the future. Recruiters do not want to hire people who crumble at the first sign of adversity, they want to hire someone who can take feedback and use it as fuel to improve.
While there is no “right” answer to the question, Ryan says the best responses share similar characteristics. They show that applicants are aware of their weaknesses and relay how applicants have been working on improving their deficiencies to turn them into strengths. Good answers stray away from clichés like, “I work too hard” or “I am a perfectionist.” The best answers effectively share how applicants have overcome a professional challenge and how they are now better because of it.
When conducting an interview, recruiters and managers are looking for applicants who are the right fit for the job. Asking the question, “What is your greatest weakness?” allows them to see if applicants are able to honestly identify their strengths and vulnerabilities. They want to know what steps applicants have taken to strengthen their faults, and in the process, reveal an ability and desire to constantly learn and grow.
Alison Napolitano Alison is the Community Relations Manager at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.
