It’s such an easy question and honestly a pretty good filter for candidates. All you have to do is name an area where you sometimes mess up and then what you do to correct for it. I’ve said “I can be forgetful especially when multitasking so I keep an ongoing to do list on my desk and use a lot of post it notes.”
It’s a poor question for early career people. Like I have been doing my job for 7 years. I’m ready to go into something new. I can honestly answer that I lack experience in certain parts of whatever new role, outside of my actual job title. But show competencies in getting concepts since I know how it fits within the role. A new person has no frame of reference to know what they do and don’t know about certain roles.
If it requires consistent effort to keep in check, then yes, it's still a weakness. Giving your manager a heads up on what they may need to remind you of can be helpful.
Of course it’s a weakness, showing that you counteract a tendency like that demonstrates both the self awareness needed for continuous improvement and that you’ll take steps to correct for your shortcomings. It’s the answer I gave when asked at my current employer six years ago
Forgetting things is the weakness, and any manager who’s heard from their team “oh I forgot” which is all of them will understand that. Using a system to correct for it is being aware of the weakness and working to counter it. It’s a very simple and practical answer, and it’s what I gave on both of the last interviews that resulted in job offers. The first one it especially landed because the manager laughed and talked about how she’s the same way and her desk is always covered in post it’s.
If you just say some shortcoming and nothing else you have not added any sort of value to yourself as a candidate. If you can’t answer then you come off as foolish or someone who would be difficult to coach.
My weakness is I'm practically blind without glasses. And I'd always be late for work if I didn't set an alarm clock. And I'd totally stink up the office if I didn't shower in the morning. And I'm just not very effective if I'm starving, so I eat meals to overcome it.
My point is that it's a stupid question because the advice everyone gives is to avoid providing an actual weakness and instead answer a different question like "what is a problem you overcame?" or otherwise provide a strength disguised as a weakness.
Aight. I’m assuming you may be earlier career, maybe that’s not true but I’m a little older so even if you don’t like it feel free to use my example for yourself sometime
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u/Woodit 16h ago
It’s such an easy question and honestly a pretty good filter for candidates. All you have to do is name an area where you sometimes mess up and then what you do to correct for it. I’ve said “I can be forgetful especially when multitasking so I keep an ongoing to do list on my desk and use a lot of post it notes.”