Job interviews require applicants to sell themselves to their potential employers and convince them that you are the one they are looking for. However, during the interview, you will be asked about your weaknesses.

Answering this question is tricky because if you answer honestly, you may end up taking yourself out of the running despite your credentials. Meanwhile, answering it vaguely may reduce your credibility and give them a reason not to consider you.

Employers ask this tricky question to see if you are aware of your limitations and learn from them to improve. This is the reason why you can use this question to show that you can improve despite your shortcomings.

If you are still not sure with how you can answer this question, here are some great tips to follow:

List down your weaknesses in advance and come up with potential answers

Before any interview, you must prepare in advance and see how you can answer common questions. For your weaknesses, make it a point to list your weaknesses and come out with possible answers. It would help if you also listed down how you can improve on these weaknesses.

Talk about your non-essential skills

You can also approach this tricky question by looking into the skills and strengths needed for the job and see what shortcomings are there that won’t affect your success in the position you are applying for.

For example, if you are not that good with numbers and currently applying for a job as a painter, you can say that you are looking into it and have thought of ways to make numbers work in your career. It will help show employers that you are upgrading your skills.

Transform your negative traits into positive ones

You can also answer the question by turning a weakness or a negative trait into a positive quality. For example, if you are a perfectionist, you can show that you are aware it could get out of hand and improve on it.

In this case, you could say you already know how to do things without being late or learn how to delegate it while still checking the quality of the work.

Be honest but know where to draw the line

Be honest that you do have shortcomings, and you are doing your best to improve on them. However, make sure that you don’t go overboard with your honesty because there are traits and weaknesses that you shouldn’t reveal during your interview.

For example, if you tend to be late, you shouldn’t say it during the interview. It will only tell your employers you will be late in everything you do for the company.

Conclusion

It is not going to be easy talking about our weaknesses, especially while trying to apply for a job. However, if you prepare beforehand and answer correctly, you will show that you are a mature candidate who can overcome any challenges and be a better worker.

Need more help to win that interview? Here are some articles for your reference:
Answer That Interview Question: What Are Your Strengths?
How to Overcome Job Interview Anxiety
How to Handle One-Way Video Job Interviews

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