How to Discuss Your Weaknesses in an Interview

Discussing your weaknesses in an interview can be daunting but it's an important opportunity to demonstrate self-awareness, honesty and a commitment to personal growth. Here’s how to effectively address your weaknesses and turn them into strengths.

Choose a genuine weakness that won't raise concerns about your suitability for the role. Avoid generic answers like "I'm a perfectionist" or weaknesses that are critical to the job's core responsibilities. Select a weakness that shows your ability to identify areas for improvement and take proactive steps to address them.

When discussing your weakness, be honest and specific. Provide context to explain how this weakness has impacted you in the past. For example you might say, "I've struggled with time management in the past, especially when juggling multiple projects." This honesty demonstrates self-awareness and a willingness to reflect on your performance.

Next, focus on the actions you’ve taken to overcome this weakness. Highlight specific strategies or steps you’ve implemented to improve. For example, you might continue, "To address this, I've started using project management tools and setting clear priorities to stay on track. I've also taken a time management course to enhance my skills." This approach shows your commitment to personal development and your proactive attitude towards self-improvement.

It's also important to emphasise the positive outcomes of your efforts. Discuss how your actions have led to tangible improvements in your work. You could say, "As a result, I've become more organised and efficient and I've been able to meet deadlines more consistently." This demonstrates your ability to learn from your experiences and grow professionally.

Frame your weakness as an ongoing area for growth rather than a fixed limitation. This indicates that you are continuously working on improving yourself and are open to feedback. You might say, "I'm always working on improving my time management skills and finding new ways to boost my productivity."

Discussing your weaknesses in an interview is an opportunity to show self-awareness, honesty and a commitment to personal growth. By choosing a genuine weakness, explaining the steps you've taken to address it and highlighting the positive outcomes, you can effectively turn this challenging question into a positive discussion about your dedication to continuous improvement. The interviewer or panel maybe looking to test resilience and problem solving skills with this question too so it can be an opportunity to really stand out.

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Other Weaknesses:

Listening, technical, networking, mentoring, risk, being too hard on yourself, self awareness, curious (too much or not enough), team work, leadership, public speaking and delegation.

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Contact a Morton Philips consultant to discuss your ideas around your weaknesses and to test your answers.

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