More Thoughts on the Whats Your Weakness Question

More Thoughts on the Whats Your Weakness Question More Thoughts on the Whats Your Weakness? Question A couple days ago, a reader replied to my How to Answer What is your biggest weakness? blog post: Having been in the recruiting industry myself for 15 years, I rarely see that question asked anymore. Why? Because people have been coached to death on it and employers know it. Here are my thoughts on the topic: Many hiring managers still ask the Whats Your Weakness? question or a slight variation. Why? They need to determine each candidates weakness; they cant make hiring decisions by only comparing strengths across candidates. Reflecting on candidate responses to the weakness question, they fall into three buckets: average, above-average, and top-notch. Average: These candidates probably heard the tip: turn your weakness into a strength. These folks are likely to say, Im too detail-oriented or I work too hard. Most hiring managers have caught on to this gimmick. Candidates that answer this way come off as insincere. Above-average: These job seekers know this is a booby trap. They tiptoe through this question with a weakness that doesnt set off any alarms. Savvy hiring managers can sniff out a safe response and will most likely give the candidate partial credit. Top notch: These interview candidates are the best of the best. They mention a genuine weakness because they can see a accurate reflection of themselves and have nothing to hide. They drive for continuous self-improvement, so if they havent addressed the weakness already, hiring managers are confident that they will. Heres one last thought: with behavioral interview techniques becoming more popular, its more likely that interview candidates will unknowingly expose weaknesses during the interview. The best defense: build a arsenal of 10-15 interview stories that put your experiences and skills in the best light.