What is your biggest weakness?

Ah, the dreaded "weakness" question.  What is your biggest weakness?  I will tell you my honest opinion of this question: it's a horrible interview question.  Good interviewers will no longer use this question.  However, most people who conduct interviews for positions are not seasoned interviewers, and thus many are told to ask this question.  So how do you best answer it?

First, I will answer that question with how not to answer it:

Don't say you don't have a weakness.  I have heard this.  This just makes it sound like you are lying or really cocky.  Both are bad first impressions that will become a lasting negative impression on the interviewer.  We all have weaknesses - we are human. 

Don't spin a negative into a positive.  This is what many people have been told to do for years.  However, it sounds like you are either BSing the interviewer, or it just sounds super corny.  My favorite: the "My biggest weakness is that I'm a huge perfectionist.  [example of how this can be a weakness]  However, while this can be a bad thing, it's also great because I am detail-oriented and won't quit until the job is done correctly."  Blah blah blah.  They've all heard this before and it just sounds cheesy.  Be honest and genuine, not a fake broken record.

Don't be too honest and overshare or bring up something that's detrimental to the position.  On the opposite side of being fake and cheesy, you also don't want to be so honest that you dig yourself into a hole.  I once had a student that I was conducting a mock/practice interview with that answered this by giving me a list of at least 3 weaknesses and examples to boot!  Don't do that.  Also, if you know Excel is a required skill for the position, for example, don't tell me you are not strong at Excel.  It won't help you in convincing them that you are good fit for their position.

So, how should you answer this question?

Talk about something that is/was a weakness, but you are working to improve upon this weakness.  Give a specific example and talk about the steps you are taking specifically to improve this skill/quality, and maybe even an example of how it has improved. 

For example, "Something that I am working to improve are my public speaking skills.  A few years ago, I could barely stand in front of a classroom of students and give a speech.  However, recognizing this was a weakness, I decided to sign up for some Toastmasters groups.  In these groups, we were assigned to give a speech each week.  At first, I was really nervous, and was shaking, but I went through with it each week.  The rest of the group members provided feedback on how to improve, as well as things I did well.  This helped me feel more confident and allowed me to keep practicing.  In fact, just this past week, at work, I had to give an impromptu talk to a group of over 100 clients.  I barely flinched.  Aftewards, I received many compliments from both the clients and other staff members about how great of a speaker I am and that I am a natural.  While I definitely still have room to improve, this is something that I am proud to say I am working to overcome."

This example should be specific to you and not anything that would be completely detrimental to the position. 

(One thing I will discuss in a future post is how to appropriately give examples like the one above using the STAR(T) method.)

The key to answering any interview question, including this horrible one, is to think about the reason behind the question.  For this question, they want to know that you can recognize your own strengths and weaknesses, and work to improve any weaknesses that you have.  We all have weaknesses, especially when we first start in a new position, and they want to see that we won't just settle in knowing our weaknesses, but we also seek ways to improve ourselves.  In addition, it shows that you are human.  Be genuine and honest, but not too honest.  It will go a long way!