What do you say your weakness is in a job interview?

As y’all know, I have no weaknesses. What’s a good one to say?!

old conventional wisdom is that you turn your 'weakness' into a positive.. like "well, in the past, my weakness has been that I take on too much responsibility".. or something stupid like that.

however, as someone who has been on dozens of search committees (currently sitting on two different ones) and even chaired a couple, I prefer honesty versus some standard corporate response. It can often be presented with a certain amount of levity and I think anyone worth working for/with would appreciate that.

oh - and, don't worry - you won't have to tell them your weakness. It'll become apparent when you walk in the door.

So bob what’s an example of an honest one

That's exactly what you say OTPT. "My weakness is that I have no weaknesses"

Hired.

God damnit guys it’s in less than an hour HELP

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:So bob what’s an example of an honest one

I'd suggest that you make it something rather minimal or something that the committee can likely identify with. Something like "I get frustrated when working on a project with others and I feel as though they drop the ball, thereby making the project miss a deadline".. we've all experienced that. It shows a human quality (frustration) in a situation that we all have experienced, without being the sort of thing that could disqualify you from the job itself.

you don't necessary blame others, as that's not appealing - but we've all been in that situation where we do what we can and have to rely on others to move forward. That's identifiable.

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:God damnit guys it’s in less than an hour HELP

Maybe it's Bob doing the interviewing. Just tell him your weakness is nonstop posting on tSwill.

They still ask that?

Jake from State Farm wrote:

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:God damnit guys it’s in less than an hour HELP

Maybe it's Bob doing the interviewing. Just tell him your weakness is nonstop posting on tSwill.

yeah -if you see a dude wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a bunch of tattoos.. looking disinterested, it's probably me on the other side of the shiny table feigning note-taking while really just making a grocery list.

If you're interviewing with a woman don't look at her. Look at the wall behind her.

Did you get the job

Also just tell them that your biggest weakness is the swill and more specifically you are legally and morally obligated to do whatever Travis tells you to do

They should not ask that. If they do you probably don't want to work there because that is a bullshit sophmoric interview 101 question.

If they did, you could say something like while you are comfortable presenting and speaking in front of crowds you are trying to become more dynamic and you are taking x, y and z steps to do so.

Or take that same concept and apply it to anything. Project management. Agile development etc etc

tell them that your biggest weakness is remembering your PornHub password at work..

"My last boss said that I was too aggressive in how I flirted with the girls in the office."

No in all seriousness, duck and dodge. Do not go the superhero route ("Work/life balance. I really have a hard time unplugging at night. All I can think about is work.") and do not give them a weakness. Do the I'm not bad at X but I'm working hard to make it a strength/become dynamic at something. I'm not bad at javascript, but I'm currently taking a course so that it's an area of strength.

Thankfully, I have not had to do an interview in 25+ years. But one thing I'm personally working on that aligns with this question is "extreme ownership".  Instead of making excuses or assessing blame, there is always something you could of done and learn from mistakes that (inevitably) happen. Unexpected problems, provide the opportunity to figure out a solution.

Jocko can explain...



And two my personal favorites from Jocko...

Cameron wrote:

Robert J Sakimano wrote:tell them that your biggest weakness is remembering your PornHub password at work..

Did Bob just inadvertently reveal that he's a PornHub premium member?

that was just my electrolyte imbalance talking.

Tell them you care too much.

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:God damnit guys it’s in less than an hour HELP

Obviously, your greatest weakness is putting things off to the last minute.

My last boss said I was too intolerant of others' beliefs. But what does she know, she's a Jew.

OTPT I usually am just truthful like if there's an item on the job description I don't have experience with I just say my weakness is ____ but I like the challenge and I believe with my hard work and experience in the field I'll be able to pick it up fast and be a success at it. Or something like that. Just sound excited about the opportunity.

Cameron please fill in the blank for steve

Sports message boards...

drop the mic.

Walk out.

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:Cameron please fill in the blank for steve

You calling the cops aka Cameron the Cop?

"Every year I get sucked into the hype of the Detroit Lions... I try really hard not to fall for the pre-season optimism, but it always ends up biting me in the end. I suppose I'm a sucker for the home team."

AvgMSUJoe wrote:"Every year I get sucked into the hype of the Detroit Lions... I try really hard not to fall for the pre-season optimism, but it always ends up biting me in the end. I suppose I'm a sucker for the home team."

steveschneider wrote:

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:Cameron please fill in the blank for steve

You calling the cops aka Cameron the Cop?

Shut up steve no one asked you

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:

steveschneider wrote:

You calling the cops aka Cameron the Cop?

Shut up steve no one asked you

Fuck the Police

Blondes. My weakness is blondes. Not as much as they used to be though, so I'm improving. Turn the negative into a positive.

Heat Miser wrote:Blondes. My weakness is blondes. Not as much as they used to be though, so I'm improving. Turn the negative into a positive.

Blue-eyed brunettes. My kryptonite.

tGreenWay wrote:

Heat Miser wrote:Blondes. My weakness is blondes. Not as much as they used to be though, so I'm improving. Turn the negative into a positive.

Blue-eyed brunettes. My kryptonite.

this broad was in the Detroit News sports pictures the other day... your post made me remember...

AvgMSUJoe wrote:

tGreenWay wrote:



Blue-eyed brunettes. My kryptonite.

this broad was in the Detroit News sports pictures the other day... your post made me remember...

she's a Mio 3.

tGreenWay wrote:

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:God damnit guys it’s in less than an hour HELP

Obviously, your greatest weakness is putting things off to the last minute.

They did not ask about my weaknesses. Thank you everyone!