I hope Ozbargainer can help here.
Do companies still ask about top 3 or 1 weakness during job interviews?
What is your response to tackle this question?
Job Interview Question - Weakness
Ash-Say on 22/09/2020 - 14:43
Last edited 22/09/2020 - 16:21
Last edited 22/09/2020 - 16:21
Comments
I want to apply for a job just to give that answer.
Honesty is a weakness! If you are honest in a professional workplace, you won't last long. Just dont' say anything about honesty in an interview.
I was walking towards my boss in the corridor one day and he stopped and said "Fk you're ugly!", then shook his head and continued walking…
That's honesty right there!
Honesty is only good if you are talking to people you trust. Managers and good friends is fine. Douchebags who just want to one up you deserve to the cold shoulder.
LOL….and you wish you have a shotgun near by.
I'm glad you said boss and not mom.
Would have needed to track you down and give you a hug.
I'm glad you said boss and not mom.
If my mum looked anything like my boss, I would've killed myself already! š¤£
PS - I could still do with a hug! š
My Norwegian language skills are conversational at best.
My answer is to say I lack experience in X that's part of the job spec then attack the answer with an "opportunity to learn" angle
Does this even work nowadays? Seems companies dont care about giving opportunity to learn anymore, just want ready made from day 1
I do too good of a job that I make my coworkers look incompetent.
"I can't stand idiots who ask the same old stupid questions."
They are only likely to ask for 1 not 3, but the Q may be framed differently (such as Tell us about a time when something didn't go wrong).
My advice is don't be a smart arse about it, but have something important that you are aware of, and are working on.
As an example, " I like to double or triple check my work before sending it, which can sometimes lead to unnecessary delays". In order to NOT have this impact the customer, and I making these changes etc etc.
I've always said that my biggest weakness is that I get quite bored and frustrated with repetitive work and I find myself going to look for new challenges instead (which is true).
Not wanting to sound like I'm bragging, but over the years, it's worked every single time. (Obviously, don't use this as your answer in an interview for a repetitive role like administration or similar!)The answer is a negative but followed by a positive - this is what they look for in these behavioural interviews.
they will think you will stay in one job for only few years.
What if it's a startup?
In startups, a person usually takes on multiple roles due to them not having enough money to hire dedicated employees to do each role full-time.
"Only" a few years?
Back in the old days, "lifers" were quite common. Nowadays, employers are lucky if the people they hire hang around for more than a year or two. Especially the larger corporates. Employees have come to realise that there's no point being loyal to these companies. If the company needs to cut costs, they won't hesitate to slice and dice.
Job Interview Question - Weakeness
Your response should be "spelling".
A typo in the header lol
It was spelled correctly in the body though :)
Don't even get me started on the body.
In all seriousness, the comment above mine is the best thing to say.
Not being a smart arse, but ….. spelled wasn't spelt right in the reply šš¤£
I'm poor at self analysis?
"not immune to coronavirus"
More of a super spreader, really
Chicken or ice cream.
Bullets
just mentioned a weakness that is NOT relevant to the job, and then follow up with how you are trying to improve it.
for example:
job is about programming, desk job
weakness: difficult to do speech in front of 100 people
remedy: practicing and learning from different material sources ie youtube etc how to do overcome thatjob is about marketing, front office, sales.
weakness: not able to do high level excel macro programming
remedy: taking online course (udemy, etc) and practicing at homemy top weakness is my bladder, but on the plus side im always early to work
I usually say something along the lines of "Iām a bit of a stickler for perfection, I tend to be my own worst critic". I guess it depends on what example you have to back it up, but it's always worked for me. :)
I normally just say my biggest weakness is my little toe, I find it really hard to wiggle.
I try to divert these kinds of question, eg. for this one I would say "I hate cockroaches and would not be able to concentrate on work if I saw one in the office." or something similar.
If I were an interviewer I'd have the sad trombone app open during interviews and I'd press the button on it every time I heard an answer like that.
Biggest weakness; I spend too much time on Ozbargain :)
I just say I'm too much of a perfectionist sometimes, that I always want projects to be executed perfectly and be well planned, and I need to constantly remind myself of deadlines and plan out my time in advance or I get carried away in the details.
It's the equivalent of unzipping my trousers, reaching over and unzipping the the interviewer's trousers, and wanking us both off. Interview questions are like tests of how phony you can be, and if you can't be phony enough to BS your way through an interview, then you probably aren't phony enough to make the organisation any money/cover up their mistakes as they occur. They generally don't want people who can't "switch on" their phoniness without being told to.
ROFL!
Sad trumpet?
Weakness answer had nothing to do with you getting the job! Obviously your trained handjob skills that worked wonders…
Being on OzBargain at work
In my last interview that actually asked those questions, these were my answers:
Top 3 - Problem Solving, Tenacity, and Cultural Fit
Top 1 weakness - Perfectionist but in a problem solving way. Can't go wrong with this as it goes hand in hand with tenacity in problem solving (see top 3).Good luck!
Whatever you do, don't give a wanky fluffy answer.
The I'm a perfectionist angle (unless you expand on this, i.e have to remind yourself constantly of the 80/20 rule) or you work too hard is about the worst possible thing to say.
Honest answer within reason with a redeeming statement about how you're addressing it, i.e I'm not a detail focused person, but I address this by slowing down and double checking work etc etc
Source - work in an internal talent acquisition team.
How about along the lines " Sometimes I tend to review my work few times before sending it to the stakeholder. This is because I give high importance to attention to details and want to ensure that the advice or report doesn't contain any error. That's said, I always ensure that the deadline is not compromised".
I have strong working knowledge of legislation as per job requirement, however the products offered by this organisation are new to me. I am bit hesitant to say along the lines " I have basic knowledge of your products, however I am fast leaner and has an ability to keep challenging myself. As I have strong knowledge of legislation, I am confident that I will excel in this role".
What's your suggestion?
Is it expected to have in depth knowledge of the business' product as part of the job?
I would assume most of the time its about transferable skillets and building the expertise in the product once you're in?
JD's experience and qualification section doesn't specifically say about product knowledge.
I have basic knowledge of your products, however I am fast leaner and has an ability to keep challenging myself.
I am fast learnerā I am a fast learner
[I] has an abilityā [I] have an abilityDouble check your writing for the proper use of indefinite articles and for subject-verb agreement. Perhaps you can say grammar is a weakness of yours, in addition to spelling?
"great question, I used to have a problem with… Time management (for example), this used to effect me by (give example) and I changed this by (give example) and the result is (give example)"
Sorry you don't get the job. My question was your current weakness not something you had in the past. Good bye.
Lol I didn't see the word current in OP. Smart ass.
Don't say perfectionist. Trust me, their eyes are rolling on the inside.
Donāt try creative answers… like āI work too hardā or āI get annoyed with incompetenceā or something stupid.
If you donāt know, then look at whatās happening in the world. New technology, standards, methods, techniques coming out in the world? Read a journal or something? There will be something you can upskill.
You donāt have to talk yourself down about it. You donāt even have to acknowledge their phrase āweakness.ā You canāt word it like āwell, Iām highly skilled in blah but I want to improve my skills in -some particular aspect-.ā
You HAVE a weakness. Itās not hard to think of one. If you canāt tell people what youāre planning on upskilling it means youāre… not at all… planning on upskilling.
Smithers: What would each of you say is your worst quality?
Man 1: Well, I a workaholic.
Man 2: I push myself too hard.
Homer: Well, it takes me a long time to learn anything,
I'm kind of a goof-off…
Smithers: Okay, that'll do.
Homer: … a little stuff starts disappearing from the workplace…
Smithers: That's enough!My wife says I'm prone to outbursts.
NO, I'M NOT!!!
To answer the OPs question seriously, YES this is still asked (though usually in a different way such as "What would your previous manager say would be your areas for improvement?"), and YES it is and important question in interviews. You should always answer honestly, so that you're ready for any follow-up questions.
Your answer demonstrates that:
a) You are self-aware.
b) You are unashamed of your shortcomings.
c) You are not trying to bullshit your way into a job.We've been cruel in the past and done the "Name your top 3 weaknesses" then once they'd named 3, we'd go "Now name 2 more" to really put them on the spot.
Why, what's your worry…. have no idea about the job you are applying for?
bargains
I've done a lot of interviews this year and I figured out a good one for me at this time of my life.
It's availability outside of regular hours, due to the kinds of jobs I'm going for there is often a crunch period towards the end of a project or travel envolved. I have you g kids now and a wife who also works so I will need to finish on time most days and can't travel more than a few weeks a year. But I do flip my answer at the end to mention I am happy to do after hours or remote work if the company allows it.- workaholic
- blind loyalty to my employer
- never remember to claim full entitlements
- can't bear to leave a task unfinished
etc
Self-aggrandizing like this in an interview is almost sure to tank the application. If employers ask you a question, they don't want you to brown nose them, they want to be aware of areas that they should focus their management style and training.
It depends on the person making the interview, this is usually a HR person's question.
There are several different ways to answer when you're asked during a job interview what your greatest weakness is. You can mention skills that aren't critical for the job, discuss skills you have improved on, or turn a negative into a positive.
I get very nervous in interviews
Depends on the nature of jobs you are interviewing for. A weakness for one job post can be a strength in another.
For example for front line sales:
Weakness: managing tedious admin matters because my work is to make more salesFor back office admins:
Weakness: not good at making small talks with people im not familiar withFor my current job I told them I have enough money that I don't need to be working.
Turns out it worked in my favour as it was like a joke for hedge funds.
Best and only answer