Fight with Weaknesses in interviews (part 2)

Part Two of Three:
Communicating Weaknesses In An Interview

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   Give the interviewer an actual weakness. Twisting your answer to make it seem like your primary weakness is that you’re already perfect will always fail. “My greatest weakness is that I’m too much of a perfectionist" would make the interviewer think you live in denial of yourself. If this is truly an area you struggle in, make your answer honest and relatable to the interviewer with a response such as, “I sometimes over-analyze my work products which can cause me to fall behind in other tasks.”
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   Be clear and concise. Don’t overstate things or ramble. The interviewer is looking for something very specific in this question.
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   Immediately follow with a proactive solution. You’ve clearly identified your weakness, stated it concisely and shown that you have good awareness of your personal issues. You can now show them what you are doing to work on this problem.
   

   • “I sometimes over-analyze my work products which can cause me to fall behind in other tasks. To avoid that, I set aside a specific amount of time for review. When that time is up, I move to the next task on my list of priorities.” You've now proven that you can not only identify your weaknesses, but develop useful methods to overcome them.
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   Stop and wait. After you answer the question, stop talking. Wait for the interviewer to speak next. You’re done. You’ve given them what they asked for, so wait for a response. You might have to wait an uncomfortable amount of time.
   

   • The interviewer might very well insert (on purpose) a lengthy pause to see what you’ll do. Look them in the eye with a comfortable expression on your face and wait for them to give you feedback.
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   Be prepared for the interviewer to pry further. You should have three weaknesses and compensatory techniques at your fingertips. The interviewer is quite likely to ask you the same question a second time and often a third time.
   

   • If you get asked a fourth time, there’s a good way to handle that. “When I do this exercise, maybe once a quarter or so, the list might change from time to time. I limit my focus to three current weaknesses so I don’t become overwhelmed. If you ask me again in June, I might have a different answer for you then.”