Job Interview Question - "What Is Your Main Weakness?"

This job interview question is often slipped into the conversation as a means of unsettling you, to see how you handle yourself. It can come at any time, even if you think the interview is going your way. All of a sudden the interviewer asks " What is your main weakness?"

Don't let it faze you. It is important to be prepared for this question, to realise that it is designed to unnerve you, and to have considered your response beforehand.

If you have done your pre-interview research properly, and know as much as possible about the company, its products and its people, you reduce the opportunities the interviewer will have to make you feel awkward.

However, some interviewers really like to ask the question and will use it as part of their interviewing technique no matter how they think the job candidate is fairing at the interview.

You need to give an immediate answer that goes straight to the point, otherwise you may feel yourself being scrutinized, as the interviewer tries several more questions to identify your weaknesses. Avoid bluff and bluster, as this may cast doubt on your ability to work well under pressure. Under no circumstances suggest you have no weaknesses at all, as human nature being what it is, we all have them, to a greater or lesser degree, and to deny any weakness would be to scupper your chances of success.

You can either admit to a weakness completely unrelated to the job specification, or to one that you experienced in a previous job, or tackle the matter as one where you changed a negative situation into a positive one. This way you demonstrate resourcefulness and indicate that you can turn a poor situation round to your advantage, and that of your company

Anticipating this question before you attend any interview, is crucial to success. Treat it as an opportunity to turn a potentially antagonistic situation into one with a beneficial outcome, when handled well..

To summarize, anticipate being asked about your weaknesses, and have a well thought out answer prepared.