There’s a question that many people dread during an interview…
“What’s your biggest strength and weakness?”
These questions can feel like a trap. On one hand it can feel like you are being asked to brag and on the other like you are being asked to divulge your flaws. What is the point of asking these questions anyway?
It’s important to realize that these questions are generally not intended to be a trap. There are two main reasons to ask the strength/weakness question. The first is to see if you are good at self-assessment and the second is to find out how you leverage your strengths and overcome your weaknesses. However, even knowing why the questions are asked still doesn’t make them easy to answer.
Let’s look at how to define a strength. In this context a strength is essentially a dominant characteristic that you’ve figured out how to leverage to your advantage at work. For example, if you are a detail-oriented person, maybe you’ve chosen roles where attention to detail is essential. On the other side, a weakness is observing how a dominant trait can hinder you at work. If you use the same example of being detail-oriented, a person who has this trait can sometimes miss the big picture and get slowed down or blocked by focusing on things that aren’t essential. When you are trying to discover your strengths and weaknesses, look for those strong traits that show up for you in every job, no matter what you are doing. Sometimes your strength and weakness can spring from the same dominant trait, even though they can be completely unrelated.
Next, it is important to not only identify the dominant trait, but also explain how you use the strength to your advantage and work to overcome the weakness. Using the same example, a detail-oriented person might highlight that they are helpful on projects to keep track of the many moving parts and requirements along the way. The same person might also admit that this trait can be a weakness at times because they can lose sight of the big picture. They might need to keep statements of overall project goals or deadlines nearby to keep from getting bogged down.
It is important to note that recruiters and hiring managers will see right through a false weakness that is really just a strength pretending to be a weakness. This sounds like:
“My weakness is I just work too hard.”
A good recruiter will either move on to the next question (and possibly the next candidate) or will have tough follow-up questions. Even though a strength and a weakness can be two sides of the same coin, it is essential that your answer is sincere and accurate. When you’ve answered this question well and honestly, you’ll be able to think of tons of stories that you could share that relate to how you’ve leveraged your strength or managed your weakness. Be prepared for follow-up questions asking you to relate examples of how you overcome your weakness at work or how you have leveraged your strengths in the past.
Your ability to accurately self-evaluate and manage your own behavior is critical in a professional environment. Recruiters know that if you lack this ability, you could be very difficult to manage and may not consider you a desireable hire. Make sure to give this question some serious consideration before your next interview and come prepared with answers that will help set you apart from the other candidates.
Do you need help with more tough questions? Check out our other article on answering the salary question.