Interview Weakness Tips

Summary

• Richard McMunn from PassMyInterview.com led a tutorial on how to effectively answer the interview question, “What’s your biggest weakness?”.
• The session covered the rationale behind the question, pitfalls to avoid, key tips for crafting an answer, and presented 11 appropriate weaknesses with sample responses.
• Additional resources and follow-up actions (website, LinkedIn) were mentioned for further learning.

Action Items

• Richard: Publish and promote the list of 30 interview questions and answers on PassMyInterview.com.
• Richard: Respond to comments from viewers regarding which weakness they plan to use in their interviews.
• Viewers: Subscribe to the YouTube channel, like the video, and connect with Richard on LinkedIn for more content and networking opportunities.

Purpose of the Question: “What’s Your Biggest Weakness?”

• Interviewers want to assess self-awareness, honesty, and the candidate’s plan for improvement.
• Candidates should show they recognize areas for growth and demonstrate steps for improvement.
• It’s important not to claim having no weaknesses, as this is viewed as dishonest.

Weaknesses to Avoid in Your Answer

• Do not say you are not good at working with people; teamwork is a requirement for most jobs.
• Avoid mentioning poor timekeeping or punctuality as a weakness; reliability is essential.
• Do not claim difficulty managing multiple tasks; multitasking is relevant for almost all roles.

Tips for Structuring Your Response

• Provide an honest weakness relevant to you, but unrelated to critical job requirements.
• Avoid common clichés (e.g., claiming perfectionism or having no weaknesses).
• Always explain the actions you’re taking to improve upon your weakness.

11 Appropriate Weaknesses to Use in an Interview (with Examples)

• Focusing too much on detail, sometimes at the expense of deadlines; learning to prioritize the project’s end goal.
• Difficulty asking others for help; working on seeking advice from team members when needed.
• Struggling to let go of projects; learning to transition smoothly to new tasks.
• Not being good at giving feedback; making efforts to provide constructive feedback when requested.
• Difficulty saying no; evaluating workload before accepting additional tasks to avoid overwhelm.
• Lacking experience in a particular area (e.g., leading projects); keen to gain experience to realize full potential.
• Being too sensitive; working on viewing criticism as constructive.
• Being too judgmental of others’ performance; now offering help rather than judging.
• No leadership experience; observing leaders to prepare for future leadership opportunities.
• Getting stressed when projects run over deadline; learning to stay calm and focus on solutions.
• Lacking confidence in public speaking; taking steps such as reading books to improve public speaking skills.

Decisions

• Recommend candidates select a weakness that is genuine but not essential to the job, and demonstrate active steps for improvement — Rationale: Shows self-awareness, honesty, and a growth mindset, which are valued by employers.

Open Questions / Follow-Ups

• Which weakness do individual viewers plan to select for their upcoming interviews?
• Are there any other interview questions viewers want guidance on for future tutorials?

The tutorial focused on how to answer the interview question: **"What's your biggest weakness?"** Here are the key points and example answers provided: ### Why Interviewers Ask This Question - To see if you are **self-aware** about your weaknesses. - To assess if you are **honest** (everyone has weaknesses). - To hear if you have a **plan to improve** your weaknesses. ### Weaknesses to Avoid Saying - Not good at working with people (teamwork is essential). - Poor timekeeping or punctuality. - Difficulty managing multiple tasks. ### Tips for Answering 1. Be **honest** about your weakness. 2. Never say you have **no weaknesses** or claim to be a perfectionist. 3. Always explain what you are doing to **improve**. ### 11 Good Weaknesses to Use (with example answers) 1. **Focusing too much on detail** *Example:* "I am detail-oriented, but when deadlines are tight, I’m learning to focus more on the end goal." 2. **Difficulty asking for help** *Example:* "I try to solve problems myself but realize it’s better to seek advice, and I’m working on that." 3. **Struggling to let go of projects** *Example:* "I get engrossed in projects and find it hard to move on, but I’m learning to finish and transition smoothly." 4. **Not good at giving feedback** *Example:* "I avoid giving feedback to not hurt feelings but understand its importance and am practicing giving it when asked." 5. **Hard to say no** *Example:* "I tend to say yes to everything and get overwhelmed, so now I assess my workload before committing." 6. **Lacking experience in an area** *Example:* "I lack leadership experience but am eager to learn by observing leaders and taking opportunities." 7. **Being too sensitive** *Example:* "I used to take criticism personally but now try to see it as constructive and helpful." 8. **Being too judgmental** *Example:* "I used to judge others’ work quickly but now offer help to support improvement." 9. **No leadership experience** *Example:* "I have no leadership experience but want to develop it by learning from current leaders." 10. **Getting stressed if projects run over deadline** *Example:* "I get stressed about deadlines but am learning to stay calm and focus on solutions." 11. **Not confident in public speaking** *Example:* "I fear public speaking but am working on it by reading books and practicing." --- If you want, I can help you craft a personalized answer based on one of these weaknesses!