Classic interview question - what are your weaknesses?
- Thread starter Going to Cali
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Do you see yourself
as having any weaknesses?
Oh, yes, 'cause, like, I'm a bit
of a perfectionist, actually!
Yes, I am. See, for me, it's got to be
the best, or it's nothing at all.
Like things get a bit dodgy,
I just cannot be bothered.
But, hey, I'm getting good vibes about
this interview thing today, though, man.
Seems to me like it's going
pretty well, eh?
Thank you, Mr. Murphy. We'll let you know.
The pleasure was mine, man.
Spud had done well. I was proud of him.
as having any weaknesses?
Oh, yes, 'cause, like, I'm a bit
of a perfectionist, actually!
Yes, I am. See, for me, it's got to be
the best, or it's nothing at all.
Like things get a bit dodgy,
I just cannot be bothered.
But, hey, I'm getting good vibes about
this interview thing today, though, man.
Seems to me like it's going
pretty well, eh?
Thank you, Mr. Murphy. We'll let you know.
The pleasure was mine, man.
Spud had done well. I was proud of him.
Man of Honour
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- Glasgow
My weakness is that I have neither the time nor the patience to think up new and inventive weaknesses to make up for the fact you can't come up with a sodding original question.
That or one of the faux positive types: "I'm a perfectionist", "I can't leave a job unfinished" or "I sometimes try too hard to please everyone".
That or one of the faux positive types: "I'm a perfectionist", "I can't leave a job unfinished" or "I sometimes try too hard to please everyone".
Perhaps if they can interview properly, they can relate your answers to examples or answers you've given previosuly and note that you're a bit of a fabricator.
'I'm a prefectionist' - really, can you give me an example of that, and what problems it caused. ... What did you learn/do differently... Example of how you've applied that learning....
No answers to the above... bulls******
+1 to this. It's what they want.
Associate
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- Lincoln, UK
It's a bulls*** interview question that usually gets the bullsh*** answer it deserves i.e. the standard textbook answer of turning a negative into a positive.
Problem is you don't know what the interviewer is looking for, they might just be expecting the textbook answer or looking for you to come up with something original.
Personally I think that particular question is so old hat and clichéd now that any interviewer worth their salt would have better ways of finding out about you.
Problem is you don't know what the interviewer is looking for, they might just be expecting the textbook answer or looking for you to come up with something original.
Personally I think that particular question is so old hat and clichéd now that any interviewer worth their salt would have better ways of finding out about you.
Soldato
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- Near Winchester
My development needs are...
Any interviewer who's dumb enough to ask such a pointless irrelevant question in the first place is most probably going to be fine with a textbooks/steriotypical answer.
I've had this in an interview for a firm I turned down - my answer was along the lines of the above - "Sometimes I get over ambitious and take on too much at once". Basically you've answered the question and you've stayed positive and can only hope that the next question would actually be something meaningful.
As if anyone turns up to an interview without already having a scripted response to that and other standard questions such as "where do you see yourself in 5 years from now", "so tell us what you know about our organisation"....
Caporegime
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- Warwickshire
Lol. Only risk is that they decide to put it to the test.
..."why are you touching my leg"...
A mate of mine once told me that he was asked this question in an interview and his reply was "I don't believe I have any but if you want to ask my missus she will be able to list lots of them". He got the job too!
My own stock answer is that I am over conscientous.
My own stock answer is that I am over conscientous.
Soldato
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- Fareham
This.
Soldato
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The person holding the interview is probably going to expect to recieve a standard type answer given such a traditional type of interview question.
Turn the question around - fire it back at them:
"I dont have any area's of weakness - however area's i would consider require development given the type of job I'm appling for etc etc etc"
Turn the question around - fire it back at them:
"I dont have any area's of weakness - however area's i would consider require development given the type of job I'm appling for etc etc etc"
Apart from apostrophe abuse, clearly.
Everyone has a weakness, or at least an area to improve. What the interviewer is hoping for (and what I hope for) is a discussion around the weaknesses or gaps and what you are doing to try and reduce them. That's all. "Smart alec" answers tend to meet the response "quite..." and a little black mark goes on the CV...