How to Answer the “Greatest Weakness” Interview Question

To succeed in today’s job search market, it’s important to be thoroughly prepared for any job interview and ready to answer any questions that come your way. Unfortunately, many candidates still struggle to respond to some of the most common interview questions. For example, how should you respond when an interviewer asks the “greatest weakness” interview question?

In this article, we’ll explain why interviewers ask the greatest weakness interview question. We’ll also explore some great responses you can use when you’re asked that question and provide some tips you can use to create your own winning answers.

Why do interviewers ask about your weaknesses?

If you assume that interviewers are asking the “greatest weakness” interview question to throw you for a loop, think again. Interviewers who pose this question typically use it as a way to assess your self-awareness, adaptability, and openness to change. They want to see if you have enough self-awareness to recognize your weaknesses and the flexibility to overcome those flaws.

You can use this question as an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to use feedback in a positive way. All you need to do is identify a weakness and explain your efforts to make the improvements needed to minimize or correct your shortcomings.

Related reading: How to Answer, "What Motivates You?" – With Examples

The problem with the typical answer

Think about your own past interviews and how you may have answered this question before. If you have never been asked, think about what your response would be right now. Typical answers fall along these lines:

• “I am a bit of a workaholic, so I have a tendency to take on too much work.”

• “I am a perfectionist and an overachiever. I do not rest until every assignment is completed, double-checked, and presented with a bow on top – ahead of schedule.”

• “I work too hard, sometimes to the point of sacrificing rest and weekends to make sure every deadline is met.”

The one thing that most of these common answers have in common is that they lack authenticity. None of those examples describe an actual weakness; instead, they’re attempts to spin positive traits into negatives. 

Do you really believe that an employer is going to view hard work as a weakness?

Sure, there might be a kernel of truth in these typical responses. However, you usually end up talking about something that is fairly inconsequential for the job (e.g., “I have a hard time disconnecting from technology in the evenings”) or you pick a weakness that could be perceived as a strength. After all, who doesn’t want to hire a diligent hard worker?

These strategies for dealing with the greatest weakness interview question leave the hiring manager dissatisfied. That’s because interviewers can usually tell when you're lying. Moreover, the reason they asked that question was to get some honest insight into who you are and how you deal with difficulties. Your fake answer does nothing to position you as a great candidate.

Related reading: Why Did You Leave Your Last Job? (+ Sample Answers)

Tips on how to answer the greatest weakness interview question

It’s fairly easy to create a winning answer to the greatest weakness interview question. All you need to do is follow a simple, step-by-step guide to craft a response that’s sure to make the perfect impression on hiring managers.

1.      Identify an actual weakness

This is the most important part of the process! Make sure you focus on a real weakness – something you’ve struggled with in the past. Avoid selecting a current weakness that might make you a less appealing candidate for the job you’re seeking. As a rule, your answer should deal with a shortcoming that you’ve already addressed in the past.

For example, if you used to struggle with working as part of a larger team, but have since moved past that flaw, that could be an ideal weakness to address in your answer. Provide a clear example of a time when your shortcoming negatively impacted your work.

2.      Discuss steps you’ve taken to correct that flaw

This part of the answer will help you illustrate how you’ve grown as an employee by overcoming your previous weakness. Here, you will want to outline the steps you’ve taken to get past that deficiency. Tell the interviewer about the solution you implemented to negate the weakness.

Using the previous example of teamwork, you might want to talk about how you gradually learned to trust other members of your team. You could also mention how or when you finally realized that your value to the company was intrinsically tied to your place within a broader team.

3.      Emphasize the lessons you’ve learned

Your answer should include some mention of positive lessons you’ve learned from overcoming your weakness. This will help the employer understand that you’re adaptable, resilient, and capable of positive growth as an employee.

For example, you may want to talk about how your development as a team player taught you invaluable lessons about the importance of being part of something bigger than yourself.

Related reading: Learn How to Answer Interview Questions with the STAR Method

3 examples of how to answer the greatest weakness interview question

To help you better prepare for this tricky question, we’ve compiled some examples that you can refer to as you create your sample response. Below are three great examples of effective ways to answer the greatest weakness interview question. You can use them as inspiration or as a template you can modify to meet your own needs.

Example 1

“I’ve sometimes found it difficult to seek help when I need it. That used to be a huge problem for me, especially earlier in my career when I didn’t have a strong team around me. After my manager mentioned it during a performance review, I made a serious effort to change that dynamic – and forced myself to seek out input from other team members on a consistent basis.

Over time, that reliance on my colleagues’ skills and knowledge helped me enjoy more consistent growth as an employee. That taught me an invaluable lesson about teamwork that I continue to embrace to this day.”

Example 2

“One huge weakness that I’ve had to address is my fear of failure, especially when it involves things like deadlines and meeting project expectations. In the past, that fear sometimes led to a sense of paralysis. Fortunately, I had a mentor who helped me learn how to channel that fear into action by focusing on dividing tasks into smaller, more achievable objectives.”

Example 3

“Public speaking has always been something of a challenge for me. That weakness used to prevent me from offering input during team meetings, client presentations, and similar venues. My mentor advised me to try to speak up and share my experience in those types of settings, which has helped me become more confident and comfortable. It’s still a work in progress but I’m getting better every day.”

There are four factors that make these greatest weakness interview answer good options for any job seeker:

• They’re honest. The answers reflect a willingness to make yourself vulnerable and talk about real shortcomings or challenges you’ve had to deal with in the past. This is a much better approach than talking about something that is actually a strength in disguise.

• It demonstrates that you recognize that you have weaknesses. Employers understand that everyone has weaknesses. Your ability to recognize a shortcoming can be an indication that you’re prepared to accept feedback and solve real problems.

• It shows that you can be proactive about your own personal growth. Everyone comes up against difficult things in the workplace, from an assignment that doesn’t get completed to an email that earns you a reprimand. The question is, do you crumble and complain about it, or do you take responsibility to fix it?

• It does not just tell the interviewer about your weakness – it tells a story. Each example should be designed to take the interviewer on a short adventure into your mind. By focusing on a challenge you faced, the solutions you used to resolve the problem, and the lessons you learned, you can use storytelling to build real rapport.

Related reading: How to Respond to "Tell Me About Yourself" During a Job Interview

3 examples of how NOT to answer the greatest weakness interview question

Of course, there are also some specific things you should avoid when you’re crafting your response to the greatest weakness interview question. The following three responses are great examples of the types of answers that you should avoid.

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Bad example 1

“I can’t really think of any actual weaknesses that I bring to the table. Sure, there have been some areas that needed improvement in the past – but I’m such a quick learner that any minor failings are quickly turned into strengths.”

Bad example 2

“I’ve been told that I’m too conscientious when it comes to the workplace. I tend to focus so much on making everyone around me better that I forget to take time to focus on me and my abilities.”

Bad example 3

“My standards are probably higher than they should be, and I should know better by now. Throughout my career, I’ve always had to be the focal point of every team, and any time that I’ve relied on other people they’ve let me down. It’s tough to be a perfectionist, of course, but I know that any employer would be lucky to have me on staff.”

Key takeaways

There are three key points you should remember as you think about this tough greatest weakness interview question:

Be as honest as possible

That does not mean blurting out the first thing that comes to mind, but rather, giving it some thought and choosing something real. By all means, be strategic – after all, your goal is to position yourself as a great candidate. Begin with an honest self-assessment and focus on being as authentic as you can.

Expect the question and prepare for it

You can’t always guarantee this question will be asked during an interview, but it’s still important to have a prepared answer so that you’re not caught flat-footed.

Make it relevant

Always choose weaknesses that have some relevance to the job you’re seeking. No employer is going to care about your inability to shoot a free throw or change the oil in your car.

Make sure you’re ready to answer the greatest weakness interview question

The greatest weakness interview question continues to be a thorn in the side of many job seekers who fail to adequately prepare an effective response. The good news is that you can avoid that mistake by crafting your answer well in advance of your next job interview. 

If you do, you’ll find that the right answer can help you make a winning impression on any prospective employer.

Need more help answering the greatest weakness interview question or simply want an expert to make sure that your resume is ready for prime time viewing? Get help from our team of experts today!

This article was originally written by Natalia Autenrieth. It has been updated by Ken Chase.

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