Renae The Career Coach

In this video, I go over one of the most popular interview questions, "What are your weaknesses?" This is also one of the most dreaded interview questions because who likes talking about their weaknesses? I will give you a specific sample answer to follow so that in your next interview you can confidently answer the question, "what are your greatest weaknesses" and choose a weakness that won't make you look bad.I address what a weakness is, what a weakness is not, and how you shouldn't answer this question. 

1. A weakness is not a personality trait. It can be fixed and you can work on improving it. 

2. Don't try to disguise a weakness with a strength the recruiter or the hiring manager will see through what you're doing and it comes off like a cop out answer. 

There is a simple 4 step formula to follow when answering this question, "What are your greatest weaknesses?"

1. Be honest and authentic - Don't pick a weakness just because it sounds good or you think it's what the interviewer wants to hear..

 2. Brainstorm your weaknesses and pick a weakness that isn't related to the job skills or qualifications. 

3. Pick 2 weaknesses, 1 current and 1 past and come up with a story for each to share how it's a weakness and in what context it comes out4. 

 4.  The most important step - you need to show how you have and continue to work on improving your weakness. A simple template to follow when answering the interview question "what are your greatest weaknesses" is the following:

“I sometimes have trouble _______ and that leads to _____________. In the past, this has led me to feel ____________.To help myself improve in this area, I now ________________so I can _________________ and know whether or not I have the bandwidth to take on more."

Watch this video to get a better understanding of how to answer the job interview question, what are you weaknesses?