Despite ask about professional or interpersonal weaknesses It is quite common in the first filter interviews, there are many candidates who do not usually prepare to answer and come out of this dreaded moment.
This is one of the most repeated questions on the lists of questions to prepare for before going to a job interview. Even so, due to the difficulty of analyzing and justifying one’s own professional weaknesses, many people they choose not to thoroughly prepare the best answer.
Jesús Maldonado, Senior Manager at Walters People, a recruitment and temporary employment company specializing in junior, technical, management and qualified support profiles, gives the keys to answering the question in the best possible way “What are your weaknesses?”
In the medium term is virtue
The goal of a job interview is to make yourself known. That’s why it’s important to be honest, but without being overly critical of yourself.
“Try to find that characteristic, skill or competence that you need to develop. And avoid, for example, saying that your weakness is that you don’t know how to work in a team if this is one of the most important skills for the position you are applying for. Are you an accountant? Then it may be a better idea to indicate that you have some difficulty creating highly visual PowerPoint presentationsbefore answering that you have little knowledge of Excel pivot tables”, Jesus argues.
What is better to shut up…
Some professionals believe that they have found the perfect combination to answer this question with a positive characteristic, but this does not allow them to be clear in their answer.
Jesus clarifies: “AThose candidates who answer things like ‘Sometimes I’m a perfectionist’ or ‘I work too much’ should try to modify their answer, as these negatively affect their credibility during the interview”.
… And what is better to say
When the candidate is asked in a job interview what his greatest weaknesses are, it is better to talk about their areas of development, due to the positive connotations that they can convey. The interviewer, whether it is a specialized search and selection consultant or a human resources manager of the company, appreciates that the candidate is always in continuous development and seeks to continue growing professionally and personally.
“Some examples of how to answer what your biggest weaknesses are: ‘There are times when I am not able to manage stress correctly, but it is something in which I have already improved a lot’ or ‘I would like improve a little more my ability to speak in public‘. The most important thing is that you are able to clarify why you want to improve or develop your weakness, or what you are currently doing to become a better professional.Jesus adds.
Justify the answer
Chances are, having answered the question ‘What are your weaknesses?’ with those characteristics that can be developed on a personal and professional level, the job interview is not over yet. Surely, the interviewer will ask you to explain exactly how you are or will be working to improve the weaknesses mentioned. Therefore, it is just as important to thoroughly prepare the answer as it is to justify it correctly.
“Study what is the best way to turn the situation around. For example, tell the interviewer that you aim to develop that competence through a specific training course, or that you spend a few minutes each day practicing a certain skill in which you are weak. If you are able to correctly justify why your weaknesses are not an obstacle to developing the job you are applying for, you will be much closer to concluding the interview with many possibilities of moving on to the next phase of the process.”, concludes Jesus Maldonado.
