What do potential employers REALLY want to hear in these questions? In any profession? From childcare...do you ask your babysitter/nanny/daycare provider this?...to office professionals....to mechanical technicians (think car/cable/furnace types).
Everyone I know gets asked this question either in written form or at a personal interview. What the heck is the right answer here? No one I know ever never feels like they are getting it right! They say they either feel they are putting themselves down, being too stuck up on themselves (not sure the right wording there I guess), or they say they are just saying "what they want to hear".
What are some good general or specific replies? I am out of advice for my peeps!
Wow! Thanks for all the great replies! I can tell that many of you must work in what I call "office-y" jobs. Alot of similar sounding answers. My hubby is in the Auto Glass industry, a Master Tech with almost 20 years in, who has resisted management positions for years but is now considering it. He and others we know in a similar profession are looking for this transition from the back of the shop to the office and are encountering these questions.
And I, myself, have been a child care professional for 25 years, spending the past 15 as a very successful home child care provider and have not sought a job with an actual boss for 23 years, but am considering it (a return to a nanny realm but with more Household Manager duties and traveling--no more diapers!) as the right opportunity might be in front of me.
But for these types of workplace environments, the answers still seem a bit different! More "out of the box" than an office workplace I suppose! I greatly appreciate all of the replies thus far!! They are still helpful!!!
Strengths: Attention to detail, ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines, enjoy being part of a team, able to work without close supervision
Weaknesses: Perfectionism!
My strong point is that I'm a perfectionist and insist on doing things right.
My weak point is that I'm a perfectionist and insist on doing things right.
My dad gives me advice on this.
He said a good strength is to say "I work well with people or on my own, I'm a self- starter, and I dedicate myself to the projects."
A good weakness would be "I work on a project until I've really gotten it. I don't do things without understanding them, and I'm not afraid to ask questions."
He also told me a great question to ask when they ask if you have any questions. My current boss cursed when I asked him because he was taken back.
"What can I expect from ABC company for a successful relationship and what does ABC company expect from me?" It really lays out the groundwork for expectations immediately, from both parties.
"I'm a PEOPLE person!"
Aaaahahahaha!
Sorry, ahem.
:(
I write about job-hunting for a living. Do NOT say you're a perfectionist. It's overused.
Think about a professional skill that's not used too often in the position for which you're applying. For example, if you're applying for an administrative assistant position, you might mention you're not the best public speaker (if that's honest). Then, cite ways you might be trying to overcome your weakness, such as taking courses, volunteering to lead teams, etc. Just be sincere and honest.
For strengths, it's pretty self-explanatory. Are you known for being very organized? Are you an excellent writer? Do people turn to you for technical advice? What have past supervisors mentioned during performance reviews? Again, be honest, above all.
ETA: If being a perfectionist truly is your weakness, consider phrasing it a different way. For example, you might say that you have a hard time letting go of projects, because you always want to make sure they're done right. You're basically saying you're a perfectionist without using that dreaded, overused word.
I always say my strengths are: adaptability and I am strategic.
I say my weaknesses are: that sometimes I can be a little too detail oriented. It sounds like a positive, but really it means I can waste time on un-important things because I want it to be what *I* think its perfect or how *I* think it should be.
My boyfriend is an auto technician (mechanic), and he has never been asked any typical interview questions. His interviews have consisted of, What car lines have you worked on, are you ASE certified, are you a master tech, are you bumper to bumper, heavy line, 15A, When can you start, did you do any technical training, do you have your own box, how long total have you been doing this, etc.
I wish my interviews were as cut and dry as his are.
I never tell a real weakness, because I don't want to plant a seed. I've tried to make that a moment of levity. Like "I've been told I don't have a good singing voice", small chuckle. Then go into a verbal essay on - I'm sure we all have our personality quirks professional challenges. What I'm currently working on is setting small goals, rather than trying to take on too much at once."
That shows you are self aware and proactive. That you can think quick on your feet.
As one who has done interviewing, it always annoys me when people try to spin their supposed 'weaknesses' into strengths in disguise, like "I'm a perfectionist" or "I'm a work-a-holic" or something like that. Please... as a potential employer, I want to hear *actual* weaknesses. It shows that you're honest, and more than that, it shows that you are confident that your abilities will carry you over any weaknesses you might have.
Best policy is always honesty, really. My true weakness? I'm easily distracted. I'm honest with potential employers about that fact. I've never not gotten a job that I interviewed for.
The right answer is the one the person interviewing you wants to hear. Yeah, nice moving target. I have a very hard time stifling a laugh when I hear the canned responses. Saw a few of them here. :)
In my opinion it is best to be honest and not try to tool them to what you think people want to hear. They are asking other questions and chances are your answers to this one will contradict another answer if you are not honest, ya know.
There are interviewers who use a specific list of questions. First to compare your answers with other candidates. Second because they fit with the other questions, makes it really easy to find the BS.
My weakness is I cannot stop working on a project until I have mastered it. In other words get to a point where I am in control of the outcome. It sounds like a positive until you are my boss pushing me out the door at night. I can't call it hyperfocus even though that is what it is because I cannot tell them I have ADD.
Any employer dumb enough to ask this question deserves whatever non-answer they get. The right answer is that you're a perfectionist, even though as we all know, that's a strength.
The right answer is the one that describes what truly are YOUR strengths and weaknesses. Every one should be answering this question differently. Please do not attempt to "guess" what the interviewer wants to hear. They are trying to find a correct fit between a person and a job, and that is what you are also trying to assess. If you tell them you are "detail-oriented" and you are not, then you may get the job and fail miserably at it or at least be miserable in it. The interviewer is trying to get to know who you are and how you would be to work with and if you would fit in with the current team or group or company culture. They also like to hear that a person knows themselves.
Please do NOT use the tired made-up answers "I am a perfectionist" or "I'm a work- aholic and don't know when to quit". Please don't.
Every strength comes with a "weakness" or challenge. If you are detailed, then it may be harder for you to see the bigger picture. If you are a person who loves strategy and generating ideas, then the follow-through or maintenence of a project might not be a strength.
There is almost no "weakness" that you can't admit to in an interview - as long as you also tell the interviewer what you have learned about it or done about it so that it will not be a problem in your work.
Example: "A strength of mine is that I love variety and change at work, and I don't mind being interrupted or having my priorities shifted. The challenge to this strength is that I sometimes have difficulty focusing on tasks that take a longer time to complete. What I have LEARNED about myself is that if I attack these tasks early in the day, or use white noise (like headphones) while doing them, and I stick to my habit of regular exercise, then those longer, focused tasks are not a problem."
(I'm laughing at myself because I have used the "perfectionist" answer over and over. I had never heard of others doing it; it is truly a weakness of mine, both professionally and personally. I pick and pick at projects until deadline and then pick some more.)
Thanks for asking this, because answering it is very awkward for me. I hate it. (I absolutely loathe "So, tell me about yourself.")
For me this question allows you to represent your growth and evolution as a professional. Also it allows you to demonstrate your skills in a larger context of how it impacts/interplays with the potential employer and your colleagues. For example, you can say my weakness is a tendency towards perfectionism BUT I have learned to moderate that to a tendency towards attention to detail and producing a high quality end product. Or you could say I have a weakness of wanting the job done my way BUT I have learned the skills necessary to work well with others so the whole functions more efficiently and effectively without the inefficiencies of micromanagement and other overbearing tendencies.
I'm a hiring manager and I do not ask this question. I don't like it. Strengths are likely to be accurate enough but weaknesses are going to be things like "I tend to work too hard". Heh...my take on it is that the real question is "What is your ability to tell me what I want to hear?"
That said, interviewing is *hard* - much harder and more stressful than you'd think if you've never been in the shoes of the hiring manager. It's no wonder people fall back on stock questions. My advice is to be yourself within reason (you probably don't want to show up in full steampunk garb, even if that is your default fashion :). A good fit goes a long way. So...to actually answer your question...I'd suggest your pals answer as frankly as feels prudent. : )
Strength: I know one thing I ALWAYS say.. I not only set goals but I ACHIEVE them.. then be prepared to reel off what you have achieved and moreover, what you have "contributed." I also say that in terms of
Weakness: I am hard on myself.. which is true. I tend to work above and beyond at every job I have ever had and in turn, it's caused me to over-work myself.. what's this mean, not taking my lunch or breaks, burn out (although that isn't something I'd tell the employer) but for me.. it meant having to learn "balance" so what was a weakness has now given you perspective... :)
My husband once gave me great advice--to give an example of a weakness, and then give an example of how I surmounted it or worked with or around it in a specific situation.
As a former human resources manager, and someone who has traditionally done well in job interviews, my suggestion is this: Pick two solid strengths that could be directly related to the job requirements, and one weakness. Offer more than two strengths and your answer could get long-winded, and, as you mentioned, depending on how it is delivered, arrogant. They can be only work-related or qualities that get you through life and are transferrable to the job. It's hard to give examples without knowing what type of job you are getting at, but you can play up being personable if it's a customer service position, persuasive if it's a sales position, focused if it's an engineer/mechanical position, etc. DON"T make something up to say what they want to hear, because it will be obvious. For weaknesses, try to pick something that can be improved upon (like for me, it's time-management skills), and have a sense of humor about it. Also, lead with strengths: it says a lot about your confidence (when I say you/you're, I am referring to anyone..).
I did interviewing a long time ago and I would ask this question because it helped me to get to know that person. I would also ask because the job I was hiring for required some specific traits.
It can be a tricky question because sometimes a strength can be a weakness. For example, one of my strengths is that I work well independently. Well that can be good because you give me a task and I can get it done quickly and effectively without having to depend on others. It can be a weakness if your looking for someone to work on a team project.
If you have a feel for what type of person the prospective employer is looking for you can attempt to answer accordingly, but my advice is to just be honest.
