Meryl's Notes Blog

Job interviews. Client interviews. Reporter interviews. The inevitable “What are your weak areas?” comes up. You’re not expected to be perfect. Yes, it’s true — no matter what your family tells you (my oldest won’t believe me when I tell her that I don’t expect her to be perfect). Joyce Lain Kennedy, career expert, shared advice on how to answer this question. For me, the most difficult to answer is, “Where do you see yourself in five or ten years from now?” It’s easier to answer today, but not in the first ten years of my career.

DEAR JOYCE: I never know what to say in a job interview when asked, “What is your outstanding weakness?” or, “If you could improve anything about yourself, what would it be?” Saying that you’re a workaholic or a perfectionist has become a well-worn cliché. Suggestions? - R.O.R.

Yes, among employers who interview frequently - and among virtually all recruiters who interview for a living - the buzzwords of “perfectionist” and “workaholic” are worn to a frazzle.

SIMILAR BUT NEWER. But there’s plenty of life left in the proven tactic of choosing a weakness that shows your strength - if you use fresher examples:

“I make it a point to double-check my work because as committed as I am to meeting deadlines, I sometimes move too fast.”

“I’m not a big socializer in the office and may be perceived as standoffish. Although I enjoy congenial relationships and good jokes with coworkers, my work style is focusing my energy on meeting expectations first and playing later.”

“I may be seen as tentative when I’m not crystal clear about the nature of a project. For example, despite my research, I have a number of unanswered questions about the structure and size of this position. How much authority and resources would I have to accomplish its responsibilities?”

“Others have mildly complained that I am too likely to use impersonal e-mail to communicate with coworkers when I could just pick up the phone or walk down the hall for a face-to-face meeting. I use e-mail to save time. Do you see a problem with that method of communication in this company?”

TRUTH AND BALANCE. In a similar vein, mention a shortcoming that shows you have thought about what you do less well than other things. But immediately counterbalance the weakness with an example of your proactive approach to personal improvement:

“I was good at creating interest in a product but wasn’t closing sales. So I strengthened my ability to close by reading industry newsletters and sales guidebooks and by asking for tips from the best performers in my office. I put my new knowledge to work, and within a few weeks I improved my record by 35 percent.”

“I addressed gaps in my technical knowledge by asking for extra job assignments that offered training in the best technical practices.”

“I don’t learn new office software programs intuitively or by osmosis. I have to work at it. I deal with my ‘geeklessness’ by getting books or DVDs that step you through a program, and by practicing at home until I get it down pat. I now am better than average at using Word, Excel and PowerPoint.”

“I am not yet proficient in air-conditioning principles and repair. But I am enrolled in a night class in air conditioning to upgrade my building engineering technician skills. I’m about 75 percent through the course.”

MEA CULPA. Sometimes it’s effective (and refreshing) not to blow smoke at the interviewer. Instead, admit a not-terribly-serious error, or that you were slow on the uptake, and then say you learned your lesson and that you certainly won’t do that again:

“In my last job, I was slow to realize the value of XYZ. I had a wake-up call when the innovation gained market share. You can bet that in the future I’ll be on top of new developments, front and center.”

TEMPORARY WEAKNESS. Compare the value you bring to the table with that of existing employees:

“Moving from the public to the private sector, I won’t be as experienced in this job as my coworkers. So that’s a weakness - for a limited period of time. But my references will confirm that I’m a fast learner and an energetic worker.”

NO BLURTING OUT. Obviously you’re not going to bring up deal-breaker “weaknesses” like, “I’m a whining and complaining person,” or, “I have trouble keeping secrets about what goes on in a company,” or, “I have sticky fingers and can’t resist taking office supplies home.”

When in doubt, remember a guiding principle in handling the W-question: Speak strength to weakness. You are not blindly self-centered and you work to correct shortcomings.

MORE EXAMPLES.Check out the column titled “Best Answers to Your Biggest Weakness Question.”

A recruiter offers a different perspective.

If the truth of the matter is you really do have a major weakness, such as you are horrible in mathematics or writing and the position does not require either, you should answer like this:

“I know the job hunting books say you should always answer with a weakness that is not really a weakness, but I’m not going to go there. The reality in my case is that I am crappy in math (or writing, etc.). If you need someone to do basic calculations (or write position papers), I can do that just fine. But if you need someone to do algorithms (or write theses), I’m not that person.”

And on the opposite question, “What are your most significant achievements?” the “experts” advise you to have at least two or three significant achievements to describe, preferably in mini-story format. That is good information. However, what they leave out is the fact that most of the entire job hunting populace consists simply of average, hardworking, everyday people - most of whom have not done anything of tremendous importance. I teach my candidates to answer:

“I have done many things that I consider significant, but nothing that really rocked the business world. The bottom line is that I am a hardworking, results-oriented, high-energy individual who gets the job done - and done right. My work is always on time, of correct quantity and quality, and if you hire me, you can expect nothing less, whatever the task.” - - Neil P. McNulty, Virginia Beach, Va.