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It is one thing to be asked about your strengths in an interview (see last week's post), but quite another to be led into discussing your weaknesses. Yet, this question serves a purpose. Understanding why interviewers ask about weaknesses will help you respond in a way that is authentic and insightful.

Why do Interviewers Ask About Weaknesses?

When interviewers pose this question, they are assessing:

• Your ability to handle uncomfortable situations - do you remain composed or falter under pressure?
• Your self-awareness – are you able to reflect on areas for improvement?
• Your problem-solving skills – do you demonstrate growth and the ability to turn a challenge into a learning experience?

What Not to Do

Some responses can actually hurt your chances:

• Listing unrelated personal habits – that you dislike household chores or spend too much time on social media will not be helpful
• Using the “perfectionist” cliché – “I work too hard” or “I’m a perfectionist” without elaborating in a meaningful way will appear rehearsed, not genuine.

How to Respond Better

Consider framing your answer as a learning experience with a storytelling element:

• Relate a mistake that you made at work before
• How did you resolve the issue? What resources did you use?
• Share what insights the episode gave - a weakness that you continue to work on; a useful characteristic that you strive to inculcate

Example

"I once led a team of three to test a new valuation system. I set ambitious deadlines without consulting my team and pressured everyone to work hard to deliver. We made reporting mistakes and did not detect the system failures in full.

I realised we could not continue to function as such and so we sat down to talk. I took full responsibility for our failure and asked for everyone's input on how we could do better as a team. We agreed deadlines had to be realistic, building in time to review.

We became a tighter team, had better communication and we delivered good results on schedule.

I learnt:

• It is important to invite involvement to gain everyone's commitment
• Emphasis on communication - clear expectations prevent confusion and errors
• The value of humility - owning my mistakes helped us regroup and improve"

Conclusion

When answering this question, stay genuine - your response should reflect a real challenge that led to growth. Structure your answer with a storytelling element, allowing for natural pauses and engagement with the interviewer. Show that you are actively working on your weakness and turning it into a strength.


This article first appeared on BLOGdll at https://munyeewrites.com