What's Your Biggest Flaw? Here's What To Say Back

We've all been asked the dreaded interview question, "What is your biggest weakness?" It always seems like a trick to get people to buy something. Who wants to talk about their flaws during an interview when they're trying to make a good impression? But since this is a strong topic, you don't have to say something like "I'm a workaholic" or "I'm always trying to be perfect." By shaping your answer, you have a great chance to show how self-aware you are and how much you've grown as a professional.

This is a common interview question, so it's important to have a short, clear answer. Follow these five steps to deal with this career curveball well.

Think about the parts of your job where you have trouble.

Don't sugarcoat this question; be glad to be put to the test. Look at your past performance reviews and think about what managers said about you in the past. Be honest with yourself about the parts of your job that are giving you trouble. Fill them up. Self-awareness is a soft skill that is becoming more and more important in business.

Think about how you solved the problems you had.

You may have gone through training or have had a mentor. Describe what you've done so far. Finding a problem and solving it shows growth and maturity.

Fix a weakness.

Using one of your strengths in your answer is a good strategy because strengths help us get around our weaknesses. For example, you tend to be a little disorganized. Even though you took a class to learn how to organize better, your job has always been creative, so this is not something you do naturally. But you know what's most important to you, and you have a strong work ethic. Even though you want to keep getting better at planning and organizing strategically, you know from experience that this will never stop you from turning in high-quality work on time.

Describe in detail how the interview works.

Interviews are conversations between two people who are both trying to figure out if a certain plan could be good for them. A real, open, and honest conversation will help both sides the most. Consider this question in that light. Your voice is important in this conversation, and how the hiring side sees you is just as important as how they see the business, the employees, and the leadership. It's a mutual assessment.

Get ready to write an answer.

This question is a little hard to answer, so write out your answer. If you do this, you can think about it more deeply. Then, try it out with a professional you look up to.

Anxiety can sometimes take over during an interview, making you feel less in charge than you'd like. The best way to deal with this is to train your mind and body. Realizing that you can answer any interview question, no matter how nervous you may feel at first, will give you more confidence.

Also, don't forget to look into the business as part of your planning! It's just one more way to stay calm, in charge, and ready to shine.

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