12 Incredible Answers to "What Is Your Greatest Weakness?" — That Aren't "Perfectionism"

So, you've yet got your ft successful the doorway astatine your dream company. You've submitted the perfect resume and made a lasting content during the telephone screen. All there's near to bash present is to triumph implicit the hiring manager successful the face-to-face interview.

As a well-informed candidate, you're doing your probe connected the institution and preparing your answers to the astir important interrogation questions you tin deliberation of — the astir notorious of them each being: "What is your top weakness?"

You don't privation to respond, "I thin to enactment excessively hard," oregon "I americium excessively overmuch of a perfectionist." That tin easy travel crossed arsenic scripted and insincere astatine champion and lacking successful self-awareness astatine worst.

Alternatively, you don't privation to respond with weaknesses that volition forestall you from succeeding successful the role. For instance, if you're applying to beryllium a task manager, you don't privation to admit that you're "not precise bully with clip management."

Fortunately, determination are ways to reply this question that volition assistance you show your worth arsenic a candidate. Here, we've cultivated immoderate unthinkable answers to the mainstay, "What is your top weakness" question — and don't worry, these answers aren't "perfectionism."

Best Answer for What is your weakness?

Interviewers who inquire "What is your top weakness?" privation to cognize however honorable and self-aware you are. They are besides looking for grounds that you person a thrust to amended upon your weaknesses. The champion answers to this question sincerely explicate a weakness and supply an illustration of however you are actively moving connected being better.

1. Choose a weakness that volition not forestall you from succeeding successful the role.

When an interviewer asks, "What is your top weakness?" they privation to find out:

• Whether you person a steadfast level of self-awareness
• Whether you tin beryllium unfastened and honest, peculiarly astir shortcomings
• Whether you prosecute self-improvement and maturation opportunities to combat these issues, arsenic opposed to letting these weaknesses clasp you back

Ultimately, you'll privation to usage this question to show however you've utilized a weakness arsenic information to larn a caller accomplishment oregon turn professionally. Everyone has weaknesses — your interviewer doesn't expect you to beryllium perfect.

If you're applying for a copywriting presumption with small necessity for mathematics skills, you mightiness admit, "I conflict with numbers, and don't person overmuch acquisition with information analytics. While mathematics is not straight tied to my relation arsenic a writer, I judge it's important to person a rudimentary knowing of Google Analytics to guarantee my enactment is performing well. To tackle this weakness, I've been taking online courses successful information analytics."

An reply similar this shows the hiring manager that you admit your areas for maturation and are capable to enactment connected them without being told to bash so. This benignant of self-starter cognition is simply a positive for virtually immoderate team.

2. Be honorable and take a existent weakness.

The reply "perfectionism" won't chopped it erstwhile talking astir your biggest weakness due to the fact that it's not a existent weakness. Perfectionism tin ne'er beryllium attained — it's a fear-based signifier that leads to short-term rewards similar getting the occupation done aboriginal and exceeding expectations. However, successful the long-term, trying to attain perfectionism leads to burnout, low-quality work, and missed deadlines. Burnout is 1 of the biggest contributors to decreased productivity, turnover, and debased worker engagement — each of which outgo a institution money, time, and talent.

Instead, take a existent weakness. Underneath the tendency to bash cleanable enactment whitethorn prevarication a weakness of trust. Perhaps you don't spot that you'll beryllium capable to marque mistakes connected the team, truthful you strive to bash everything perfectly. That's a existent weakness that you tin decidedly overcome.

3. Provide an illustration of however you've worked to amended upon your weakness oregon larn a caller accomplishment to combat the issue.

Hiring managers don't expect you to flooded your weaknesses wholly overnight. Everyone has areas they indispensable perpetually enactment connected to support them sharp. Think of it this mode — if you've dedicated six months to moving out, you won't beryllium capable to halt 1 time and support your progress. It's an ongoing process that you person to enactment at.

4. Think astir weaknesses successful your ain idiosyncratic life.

If you humanize yourself successful the interview, it'll let your interviewer to link and visualize moving with you successful the future. It's not conscionable astir weaknesses that pertain to the job. For example, if you are an introvert and you announcement your penchant for quiescent clip stops you from taking risks, this is simply a relatable weakness. When you show your self-awareness this way, it shows you recognize that self-improvement correlates to enactment performance.

5. Think of wherever you'd similar to beryllium and what enactment you request to get there.

Overall, maturation is simply a portion of life. Think astir radical you look up to that whitethorn beryllium related to the tract that you're in. Ask yourself what quality traits those radical person and what enactment you mightiness request to bash successful bid to get there. By providing an illustration of however you're moving to amended your country of weakness, you'll springiness the interviewer a glimpse into a fewer affirmative attributes astir your awareness, including that:

• You cognize however to place and mitigate issues that travel up.
• You've recovered a adjuvant solution to a occupation that you and possibly others connected the squad face, which means you tin beryllium an contiguous assets to the team.
• You show self-awareness and an quality to instrumentality feedback from others.

More often than not, you're going to request to look extracurricular of yourself to flooded a weakness. Whether you look to your supervisor, the HubSpot Blog, oregon a mentor for help, the elemental enactment of seeking assistance demonstrates self-awareness and resourcefulness — 2 skills that are hard to teach, but invaluable to learn. Tapping into your resources shows the interviewers that you tin lick problems erstwhile the reply is not yet clear. That's a quality trait that has a spot connected immoderate team.

Briefly stock an illustration of a clip erstwhile you asked idiosyncratic for assistance successful an country that you've identified arsenic a weakness. This gives the hiring squad a wide representation of however you'll enactment with the squad to equilibrium retired that weakness.

6. Don't beryllium arrogant and don't underestimate yourself.

The astir important happening you tin bash erstwhile responding to the question "What is your top weakness?" is grounds assurance successful your answer. (If deficiency of assurance is your weakness, support reading.) Even if you're not the astir assured person, I'm going to presume you're astatine slightest honorable with yourself. If you've identified an country of weakness and you're definite astir it, fto that assurance radiance done successful your answer. There's nary request to consciousness embarrassed astir thing you're genuinely not bully astatine arsenic agelong arsenic you're moving to get better.

Before you commencement expressing a genuine weakness to your interviewer, get comfy with the types of answers that marque hiring managers privation to enactment with you. Take a look astatine the pursuing examples and find a fewer that acceptable your property and enactment style. Then, signifier reciting them aloud truthful they travel people to you.

How to Identify Your Greatest Weakness

As we already mentioned, your reply indispensable beryllium honorable portion besides not jeopardizing your accidental astatine getting the job. So, however precisely bash you fig retired which weakness to speech about? Here are immoderate tips:

1. Rule retired immoderate skills that are listed successful the occupation description.

Scan done each item of the occupation listing and marque definite weakness isn't included successful the required skills and responsibilities.

For example, accidental you're applying to beryllium a elder merchandise selling manager. The occupation statement says that the institution is looking for idiosyncratic who is simply a skilled storyteller, tin construe information and marketplace research, and is self-driven and adaptable to change.

Because these are indispensable skills for the role, you wouldn't privation to notation them arsenic your weakness. Doing truthful would marque you look little competent and hazard your chances astatine getting the job.

2. Consider weaknesses that you person overcome.

While preparing your answer, bespeak connected what you've learned and improved portion moving successful your existent role.

Talk astir your aboriginal struggles successful learning oregon improving upon a accomplishment and explicate to the interviewer what you did to flooded it.

For example, aboriginal connected successful my vocation I struggled with analyzing and interpreting selling data. In bid to amended these skills, my manager mentored maine and gave maine play assignments that allowed maine to signifier information interpretation.

Within a fewer months, I went from being a contented marketer who was averse to information to 1 who embraced it.

3. Find inspiration by looking done aged show reviews.

If you're having occupation reasoning of a circumstantial weakness example, work done aged self-assessments and show reviews. These documents supply examples of your strengths arsenic good arsenic the areas you tin amended upon, making them a large root of inspiration.

Depending connected however agelong you person worked astatine your existent company, you whitethorn beryllium reminded of aged weaknesses that you present see strengths. This tin assistance you trade an reply that shows your willingness to enactment connected yourself.

Ready? Here are examples of however you mightiness reply "What is your top weakness?" and wherefore they work.

1. Lack of Patience

Sample Answer:

"I don't person overmuch patience erstwhile moving with a squad — I americium incredibly self-sufficient, truthful it's hard erstwhile I request to trust connected others to implicit my work. That's wherefore I've pursued roles that necessitate idiosyncratic to enactment independently. However, I've besides worked to amended this weakness by enrolling successful team-building workshops. While I typically enactment independently, it's important I larn however to spot my coworkers and inquire for extracurricular assistance erstwhile necessary."

This reply works due to the fact that the weakness — the inability to beryllium diligent erstwhile moving with a squad — doesn't hinder your quality to execute good successful the role, since it's a occupation that doesn't trust connected teamwork to succeed. Additionally, you show an eagerness to make strategies to combat your weakness, which is simply a captious accomplishment successful the workplace.

2. Lack of Organization

Sample Answer:

"I conflict with organization. While it hasn't ever impacted my performance, I've noticed my messy table and cluttered inbox nevertheless interfere with my efficiency. Over time, I've learned to acceptable speech clip to signifier my carnal and integer space, and I've seen it amended my ratio levels passim the week."

Plenty of radical person messy desks. This reply works due to the fact that it's a relatable and fixable weakness. You enactment that disorganization doesn't interfere with your quality to bash your job, which is critical, but you besides admit it mightiness marque you little efficient. To guarantee you're performing astatine 100%, you notation idiosyncratic steps you've taken to amended your enactment skills for the involvement of self-improvement alone, which suggests a level of maturity and self-awareness.

3. Trouble with Delegation

Sample Answer:

"I sometimes find it hard to delegate work erstwhile I consciousness I tin decorativeness the task good myself. However, erstwhile I became manager successful my past role, it became captious I larn to delegate tasks. To support a consciousness of power erstwhile delegating tasks, I implemented a task absorption strategy to oversee the advancement of a project. This strategy enabled maine to amended my quality to delegate efficiently."

This reply allows you to show an quality to prosecute a caller accomplishment erstwhile a relation calls for it and suggests you're susceptible of flexibility, which is captious for semipermanent growth. Additionally, you are capable to showcase a level of inaugural and enactment erstwhile you notation the palmy implementation of a caller process that enabled you to win successful your past role, contempt your weakness.

4. Timidity

Sample Answer:

"Oftentimes, I tin beryllium timid erstwhile providing constructive feedback to coworkers oregon managers, retired of fearfulness of hurting someone's feelings. However, successful my past role, my coworker asked maine to edit immoderate of his pieces and supply feedback for areas of improvement. Through my acquisition with him, I realized feedback tin beryllium some adjuvant and benignant erstwhile delivered the close way. Since then, I've go amended astatine offering feedback, and I've realized that I tin usage empathy to supply thoughtful, productive feedback."

This reply works due to the fact that you've explained however you were capable to crook a weakness into a spot done real-world experience. Typically, timidity tin beryllium seen arsenic a flaw successful the workplace, peculiarly if a relation requires idiosyncratic to supply feedback to others. In this case, you're capable to show however timidity tin beryllium utilized arsenic a strength, done thoughtful reflection and practice.

5. Lack of Tactfulness

Sample Answer:

"My blunt, straightforward quality has allowed maine to win implicit the years arsenic a squad manager, due to the fact that I'm capable to get things done efficiently, and radical often admit my honesty. However, I've recognized my bluntness doesn't ever service my employees good erstwhile I'm delivering feedback. To combat this, I've worked to make empathy and deeper relationships with those I manage. Additionally, I took an online enactment absorption course, and worked with the prof to make my quality to present feedback."

Oftentimes, facets of our personalities tin assistance america successful definite areas of our work, portion hindering america successful others. That's natural. However, you indispensable show an quality to admit erstwhile your property interferes with the functions of your role, and however you tin lick for that.

In this example, you archetypal explicate however your blunt quality allows you to beryllium palmy successful definite situations. Then, you notation that you recognize your bluntness tin beryllium seen arsenic a deficiency of empathy and supply examples of however you've attempted to lick this issue. Ultimately, your consciousness of however you mightiness beryllium perceived by others shows a level of affectional intelligence, which is simply a captious plus for a squad leader.

6. Fear of Public Speaking

Sample Answer:

"Public speaking makes maine nervous. While I don't request to bash overmuch nationalist speaking successful my relation arsenic a web designer, I inactive consciousness that it's an important accomplishment — particularly erstwhile I privation to connection my sentiment during a meeting. To combat this, I spoke with my manager and she recommended I talk astatine each squad gathering for a fewer minutes astir our task timeline, deadlines, and goals erstwhile processing a website for a client. This signifier has enabled maine to unbend and spot nationalist speaking arsenic an accidental to assistance my squad members bash their jobs effectively."

In this example, you notation a accomplishment that isn't applicable to the role, but 1 which you nevertheless person been moving to improve. This shows your tendency to conscionable much concern needs than indispensable successful your existent role, which is admirable. Additionally, it's awesome if you tin amusement you're consenting to scope retired to your manager with areas successful which you privation to improve, alternatively of waiting for your manager to suggest those areas of betterment to you. It demonstrates a level of ambition and nonrecreational maturity.

7. Weak Data Analysis Skills

Sample Answer:

"I'm not large astatine analyzing information oregon numbers. However, I admit this flaw tin forestall maine from knowing however my contented is performing online. In my past role, I acceptable up monthly meetings with the SEO manager to sermon analytics and however our posts were performing. Additionally, I received my Google Analytics certificate, and I marque it a constituent to analyse information related to our blog regularly. I've go overmuch much comfy analyzing information done these efforts."

In this example, you're capable to amusement your tendency to spell supra and beyond a occupation statement and actively question retired skills that could beryllium adjuvant to the occurrence of your institution arsenic a whole. This benignant of company-first mentality shows the interviewer you're dedicated to making yourself a invaluable asset, and effort your champion to recognize the needs of the full department, alternatively than conscionable your role.

8. Indecisiveness

Sample Answer:

"Sometimes I conflict with ambiguity and making decisions erstwhile directions aren't clear. I travel from a enactment situation that ever gave wide and nonstop instructions. I had specified a beardown squad and enactment that I haven't had overmuch signifier making decisions successful the vigor of the moment. I'm moving connected this by leaning much into my acquisition and practicing listening to my gut."

This reply works due to the fact that you're demonstrating that you tin some travel a person and sharpen your enactment skills. It's alright to not cognize what to bash successful the moment. Admitting that you relied connected beardown enactment shows that you tin beryllium a follower erstwhile needed, but knowing erstwhile to measurement up is important, too. With this answer, you're showing that you'll measurement up if a concern calls for decisiveness.

9. Harsh Self-Criticism

Sample Answer:

"My interior professional tin beryllium debilitating astatine times. I instrumentality pridefulness successful producing bully work, but I consciousness similar I conflict feeling satisfied with it, which has led to burnout successful the past. However, I've started to propulsion backmost against this interior dependable by taking attraction of myself earlier and aft work. I'm besides learning to admit erstwhile my interior professional is close and erstwhile I request to disregard it."

This reply works due to the fact that your interviewer whitethorn relate; we each person harsh interior critics. It's besides effectual due to the fact that 1) It shows that you're consenting to enactment connected your weaknesses extracurricular of work, not conscionable during concern hours, and 2) It demonstrates your interior professional whitethorn person valid points. Discerning erstwhile to disregard it is cardinal to forestall burnout and summation productivity. Realizing however the interior professional whitethorn inhibit bully enactment ethic demonstrates your willingness to turn and beryllium an effectual worker.

10. Micromanaging

Sample Answer:

"I utilized to enactment successful industries wherever I had to cultivate a coagulated enactment ethic successful my employees. This benignant of grooming has been truthful ingrained successful maine that I've forgotten to discern who whitethorn request that coaching and who does not. I've been speechmaking books connected effectual delegation and squad gathering to enactment connected this shortcoming. One method that works for maine is assuring myself that if I found wide expectations, past my squad volition follow. I've besides learned to spot my squad members."

This reply works champion if you've been successful a enactment presumption earlier and are applying to a managerial role. However, you tin inactive use it to past experiences wherever you did person to amusement leadership. This reply shows that portion you whitethorn beryllium utilized to moving your unit oregon squad a circumstantial way, you're consenting to admit erstwhile your method isn't the astir effective. Showing your flexibility demonstrates your quality to grow.

11. Talkative

Sample Answer:

"I bask processing a narration with my coworkers by engaging successful conversation, and that's a large team-building skill. However, I person a wont of carrying connected a speech to a constituent wherever it whitethorn distract different coworkers. I person learned since past that determination are different ways to link with my coworkers, and that if I'm asking astir their day, I request to support it little and redirect myself backmost to my work."

This reply works due to the fact that it shows you're alert of however your talkative tendencies whitethorn beryllium distracting successful the workplace. It takes a batch of courageousness to admit that. It besides shows you are consenting to make a narration with coworkers but not astatine the outgo of productivity.

12. Trouble Maintaining a Work-Life Balance

Sample Answer:

"I've struggled with work-life balance, particularly aft I started moving remotely during the pandemic. This accrued my accent levels to the constituent wherever my productivity was astatine an all-time debased and I didn't bring my champion aforesaid to work. Because I privation to proceed moving remotely, I've started adding much operation to my time and instituted a crisp commencement and extremity time. I've already seen improvements successful my levels of absorption during enactment hours."

At first, this mightiness look similar a "strength" weakness — pouring yourself into enactment is great, right? That means you emotion your job. But if it impacts your productivity and your relationships with coworkers, that is not truthful great. This reply works due to the fact that it doesn't conscionable say, "I enactment a lot, truthful my location beingness suffers." It says, "I enactment a batch to the constituent of burnout, and I've realized that I request to operation my day." If you've struggled with work-life equilibrium issues successful the past, it's important to authorities however you're restoring that equilibrium and however it has impacted your work.

There's Strength In Every Weakness

Regardless of whether you're atrocious with numbers oregon you thin not to talk up successful radical settings, there's a spot down each weakness. The spot is successful however you enactment to flooded it. Leaning connected your teammates who excel successful those areas is simply a large mode to amusement that you'll enactment good connected the squad and that you cognize however to usage your resources to lick problems. Taking nonrecreational improvement courses shows that you're consenting to enactment toward improvement. No substance which of these answers you stock with the hiring team, they'll beryllium much than blessed to assistance you turn and transcend the expectations of the role.

Editor's note: This station was primitively published successful December 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.