What is your greatest weakness?

Summary

Dr. Michael Sharf discusses the challenging interview question about one's greatest weakness. He advises against using strengths disguised as weaknesses, such as 'perfectionism'. Instead, he suggests being honest about lacking experience, especially for students or career changers. For those with experience, he recommends identifying a non-critical area for improvement and discussing actions taken to enhance that skill. Sharf emphasizes the importance of sincerity and acknowledges that interviewers are aware of obvious weaknesses like inexperience in a field.

Takeaways

• 🤔 The interviewer asks about weaknesses to gauge self-awareness and openness to constructive criticism.
• 🚫 Avoid turning strengths into weaknesses as it can come across as insincere.
• 👨‍🎓 For students or newcomers, lack of experience can be an acceptable weakness.
• 🔍 If changing careers or industries, acknowledge the learning curve as a weakness.
• 💼 For experienced candidates, choose an area for improvement that is not critical to the job.
• 📈 Discuss what steps you're taking to improve in the area you've identified.
• 🙅‍♂️ Do not pick a weakness that is a critical skill for the position you're applying for.
• 📚 Mentioning books or courses you're using to improve can show initiative.
• 🔑 It's beneficial to identify a weakness that the interviewer is already aware of, showing honesty.
• 👍 Being open about a weakness shows you're self-aware and willing to grow.

Q & A

What is the main reason interviewers ask about a candidate's greatest weakness?

Interviewers ask about a candidate's greatest weakness to understand how aware the candidate is of their own weaknesses and to gauge their openness to constructive criticism.

What is Dr. Michael Sharf's opinion on candidates who present strengths as weaknesses?

Dr. Michael Sharf advises against presenting strengths as weaknesses, as it can come across as disingenuous and may lead to a negative impression in the interview.

Why might saying 'I care too much' or 'I'm a perfectionist' be a poor response to the question about weaknesses?

These responses are often seen as insincere attempts to disguise strengths as weaknesses and may not be well-received by interviewers who can see through such tactics.

What does Dr. Sharf suggest as a good approach for someone who lacks work experience?

For those who are students, new to the workforce, or changing industries, Dr. Sharf suggests honestly stating their lack of experience as their greatest weakness.

How did Dr. Sharf handle his own lack of experience when transitioning from industry to education?

Dr. Sharf admitted that he had never been a professor before and that stretching his training over a 16-week semester was his greatest weakness.

What is the alternative approach for candidates who have work experience but are not new to the workforce?

For experienced candidates, Dr. Sharf recommends identifying an area they are genuinely interested in improving that is not a critical element of the job they are applying for.

Why is it important to avoid mentioning a critical job skill as a weakness during an interview?

Mentioning a critical job skill as a weakness can signal to the interviewer that the candidate may not be well-suited for the position, which could negatively impact their chances of being hired.

What is an example of a non-critical skill a candidate might choose to discuss as an area for improvement?

A candidate in accounting or finance might choose to discuss their desire to improve their presentation skills or product knowledge, which are not critical elements of their job.

What should a candidate do if they are changing industries but have experience in a similar role?

A candidate can discuss their need to get up to speed on the products and industry-specific knowledge of the new field, acknowledging that this is their greatest weakness in the new role.

How can a candidate demonstrate that they are actively working to improve their identified weakness?

A candidate can mention specific steps they are taking, such as reading books or taking courses, to show that they are proactively addressing their weaknesses.

What is the benefit of acknowledging a weakness that the interviewer is already aware of?

By acknowledging a known weakness, the candidate shows self-awareness and honesty, which can be seen as strengths, and it also reassures the interviewer that the candidate is aware of the challenges they may face in the new role.

Outlines

00:00

😌 Handling the 'Greatest Weakness' Interview Question

Dr. Michael Sharf discusses the challenging interview question about one's greatest weakness. He explains that interviewers are not merely trying to be difficult but are genuinely interested in understanding a candidate's self-awareness and openness to constructive criticism. He warns against the common tactic of disguising a strength as a weakness, as it often comes across as insincere. Instead, he suggests that candidates, especially those new to the workforce or changing careers, should honestly acknowledge their lack of experience as their main weakness. For those with more experience, he advises identifying an area for improvement that is not critical to the job, and discuss steps they are taking to address it.

05:02

🤔 Addressing Weaknesses in Job Interviews

In this paragraph, Dr. Sharf continues his advice on addressing weaknesses in job interviews. He discourages candidates from falsely presenting strengths as weaknesses, as most interviewers can easily see through this tactic. Instead, he suggests focusing on areas for improvement that are not critical job skills or, for those changing careers, acknowledging a lack of experience in a specific industry. He emphasizes the importance of being honest about weaknesses that the interviewer is already aware of, as it shows self-awareness and a willingness to improve.

Keywords

💡Interview Question

An interview question is a query posed to a candidate by an interviewer to gauge their skills, experience, and suitability for a job. In the video, Dr. Michael Sharf addresses the most difficult interview question, which is about discussing one's greatest weakness. This question is pivotal as it reveals a candidate's self-awareness and openness to constructive criticism.

💡Greatest Weakness

The term 'greatest weakness' refers to an individual's most significant flaw or area of improvement. In the context of the video, it is the central theme of the interview question being discussed. Dr. Sharf explains that interviewers are looking for genuine self-awareness and a willingness to improve, rather than rehearsed or insincere answers.

💡Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to recognize one's own strengths and weaknesses. Dr. Sharf emphasizes the importance of self-awareness in identifying and discussing one's greatest weakness during an interview, suggesting that it shows maturity and a readiness to accept constructive feedback.

💡Constructive Criticism

Constructive criticism is feedback intended to help someone identify areas for improvement or growth. In the video, Dr. Sharf mentions that interviewers ask about weaknesses to understand how open a candidate is to receiving and benefiting from constructive criticism.

💡Experience

Experience refers to the knowledge and skill acquired through involvement in or exposure to events. In the video, Dr. Sharf suggests that a lack of experience, particularly in a specific industry or job role, can be a valid weakness, especially for students or those new to the workforce.

💡Perception

Perception is the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted. The video discusses how interviewers perceive certain answers to the 'greatest weakness' question, cautioning against answers that are perceived as insincere or attempts to disguise strengths.

💡Insincere

Insincere means lacking in sincerity or authenticity. Dr. Sharf warns against providing insincere answers to interview questions, as they can be easily identified by experienced interviewers and can negatively impact a candidate's chances of being hired.

💡Product Knowledge

Product knowledge refers to the understanding of a product's features, benefits, and how it fits into the market. In the script, Dr. Sharf suggests that for someone in a back-office role, a lack of product knowledge could be an area for improvement that is not critical to their current job but is worth enhancing.

💡Presentation Skills

Presentation skills are the abilities required to effectively communicate information to an audience. The video points out that while improving presentation skills might be a good answer for some, it would be inappropriate for a sales role where such skills are critical.

💡Critical Job Skill

A critical job skill is a proficiency that is essential for performing the core functions of a job effectively. Dr. Sharf advises against identifying a critical job skill as a weakness during an interview, as it could imply that the candidate is not well-suited for the position.

💡Career Change

A career change involves moving from one profession to another. In the video, Dr. Sharf discusses how a lack of experience in a new industry can be a valid weakness for someone changing careers, and how acknowledging this can be a genuine and acceptable answer to the interview question.

Highlights

The most difficult interview question is about one's greatest weakness.

Interviewers ask about weaknesses to assess self-awareness and openness to constructive criticism.

Avoid turning strengths into weaknesses as an answer.

Interviewers can see through insincere answers like 'I care too much' or 'I'm a perfectionist'.

If you lack experience, it can be a valid answer for your greatest weakness.

For those changing careers or industries, acknowledging the lack of experience is acceptable.

It's beneficial to identify a genuine weakness that isn't critical to the job.

Discuss areas you're actively working to improve, showing initiative and self-improvement.

Choose an area of improvement that is not a critical job skill.

For experienced candidates, pick an area of improvement outside your core job responsibilities.

If changing industries, acknowledge the need to learn about new products or industry specifics.

Interviewers are aware of your lack of experience if it's evident from your resume.

Being interviewed despite a lack of experience indicates it's not a deal-breaker for the interviewer.

Honesty about weaknesses is more valuable than trying to be disingenuous.

Recommendations are given on how to answer the question about greatest weaknesses.

It's important to be self-aware and open to improvement when discussing weaknesses.

The interviewer is looking for genuine self-reflection rather than rehearsed answers.

Transcripts

hi this is Dr Michael sharf again and in

this video we're going to tackle

probably the most difficult interview

question out there and that is um can

you expand on or tell me your greatest

weakness or give me a couple

weaknesses um the reason people ask this

is um not just to be difficult but they

really want to know um how aware you are

of what weaknesses you have and and also

it gives me an indic

how open you might be to taking some

constructive criticism um now I will say

that um there are videos out there on

YouTube and there are some actual

interview books that um advise you to

take a strength and make it a weakness

um for example I've been told on

interviews when I ask um what the what

the prospective employees greatest

weakness is and it it's I care too much

or I'm a perfectionist and you know then

they found on how that might be a bad

thing but unless you think I'm stupid I

can read through that and you probably

got that on a video and that really

isn't your um greatest weakness I I kind

of handle that in two ways neither of

them are good for you um as the

interviewee because I'm pretty much not

going to hire you um if you answer that

um and one is I just let it go and and

the other is you know I'm a

perfectionist I care too much and

therefore you know things take me longer

well then the real weakness is is that

you don't complete projects on

time and kind of just throw that out

there and watch them kind of stumble

over that um but again um I'm really

looking

for are you aware of some of your

weaknesses now um the cool thing is is

that I'm going to give you um a couple

recommendations on what you should say

um as your greatest weakness and the

first and probably e easiest one is um

especially if you're a student or

relatively new to the workforce or

you're changing careers or you're

changing Industries and that is is that

you lack experience in that either job

you know you're a student and this will

be your first job that that is really

your greatest weakness is you don't have

a lot of work experience or you don't

have a lot of work experience in that

specific industry or that field for

example when I moved from industry into

education and they actually asked me

what my greatest weakness was um I told

them that really although I had

conducted training before I had never

been a professor and I'd never had to

stretch that training out over a 16we

semester and I viewed that as my

greatest weakness now the really cool

thing is is that probably was my

greatest weakness and my guess is is for

many of you if you are changing

Industries or um changing disciplines or

you lack job experience that probably is

your greatest weakness um so it's not

like it's a disingenuous kind of an

answer it is your greatest weakness um

now for many of you you may not be able

to answer that that um you have been

employed for a number of years and

you're applying within the same industry

and so you really can't use um that as

your greatest weakness and for those

people and certainly you could use this

even if you lack some of those um some

of that experience um you can pick

something that you are interested in um

improving and so it doesn't you don't

even have to say it's a weakness you can

say well I'm really looking at improving

such and such um for example um if you

work in the back office um you know in

accounting Finance um it uh you could

say that I'm really looking to learn

more have more product knowledge or I

I'm really looking to improve my present

a skills because that isn't something

that I do on a day in and day out basis

and here's what I'm doing already to

help improve that now you don't want to

say presentation skills if you're in

sales um because that would mean that's

a that's a critical element of your job

so you want to pick something that

you're interested in improving upon that

isn't a critical element of your job so

if it's sales perhaps you want to learn

more about the accounting and and um

direct and indirect costs and how they

affect sales and things like that and

then you can go and say what you're

doing to help um you know progress

toward that I mean there are books out

there and and if that is say well I you

know I'm reading this book or I just got

finished with this book and I'm planning

on um getting a couple others so there

are definite things that you can can

pick um just make sure you're not

picking something that is critical of

the job you're applying for um because

that could again just like the I care

too much or I'm a perfectionist or

picking really any strength that you

want to sell as a slight weakness um

most interviewers

really um read through that and look at

you as disingenuous and not really

answering the question and again um I I

don't think that's what you want to put

forth on an interview is I'm

disingenuous and I'm not going to answer

your question so um one of the other two

ways I think is much better um to do

something that you're looking to improve

upon that isn't a critical job skill

that you're looking for or to back up um

for those that are looking to change

careers um even if it's the same career

even if you're in sales if you're moving

from one industry to another you can use

that that you know I have a great deal

of sales um experience in this one

industry but I've really never worked in

this other industry and I think that is

my greatest strength to get up to speed

on the products and things like that

well the cool thing about that is is

that the interviewer already knows that

so you're picking a weakness that the

interviewer already knows because I can

see on your resume that you either have

very little job experience or you've

never worked in this industry um and yet

you're sitting here and I'm interviewing

you so obviously I don't think that

that's a critical weakness um because if

it was I wouldn't even interview you so

definitely pick something that um can be

seen as a weakness that actually is your

weakness that the um interviewer

obviously doesn't care about