Raise your hands if you think the trickiest question in an interview is to speak about your weakness. It has become a norm for interviewers to ask this question and how tactfully you reply will help you make a good impression.

Interviews are awkward for non-native English speakers and why not, you are supposed to speak flawless English with confidence. You cannot babble for words or speak incorrect sentences. Top to it, the questions are tricky as well. Today, let us tackle this difficult question and prepare to sway away the interviewer the next time.

Tips to state your weaknesses tactfully

The worst question of all is to state your weaknesses. Obviously, you don’t want to discuss your flaws actually before landing the job. It is hard to sound honest when answering this question and hence, your tone of communication matters a lot.

1. Don’t sound too negative
Instead of saying – I am unorganized,
Say - I used to be unorganized but with experience over the years I have improved my organization skills.

Some examples of describing your weakness could be:
I am too much of a perfectionist.

I sometimes require more time in making decisions.

I work too hard and sometimes get emotionally attached to my projects.

2. Don’t do the mistake of passing the question

So, do you think you are perfect and have no weakness? Still, never tell your interviewer that you think you are perfect and haven’t come across any of your weaknesses. For interviewers, the candidate dodging away this question is the one who is afraid to speak about his weaknesses.

3. Don’t reveal more than what is required

Yes, you have to sound honest, but no don’t sound too candid such that you raise a red flag. For example, don’t say I am not punctual or you find it hard to wake up in the morning and reach office on time. No company requires lazy employees and your non-punctuality would actually not help you land a job.

Sample Answer:

I think one area that needs improvement is my delegation skills. I always take up more work than I could do in a stipulated time. Unfortunately, doing all the work myself is not possible and I’ve realized that and started to take things slowly. Lately, I’ve started to trust my team with important work and honestly I don’t regret my decision.

In Conclusion

It is important to state your weakness and then follow-up with a sentence that clarifies how you are working on to improve your weakness. For example: I find it difficult to address large groups of people. But, I am working on my public speaking skills. Always be assertive when replying to such questions. For more tips, join our online spoken English classes and get the help to pass any interview with flying colors.

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- By Shailja Varma

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