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Interview Tips: Greatest Weakness / Area of Improvement

   

Warm Greetings!


Interview Preparation:

What is your greatest weakness/area of improvement?

📂 Content:
    3.1. Example 1
    3.2. Example 2
    3.3. Example 3
    3.4. Example 4
    3.5. Example 5

Why does the interviewer ask this?

It's an important interview question to test the candidate's self-assessment skill or introspective nature and determine if the candidate strives for self-improvement. It can be a key factor for one's success if they are always willing to identify the areas in which one can improve through constant learning to do better in their field of work. Interviewers invest their time, energy, and effort in picking the right candidates for their company, so they would like to consider candidates having a clear mindset about their goals and how they can build their skills for the same. Interviewers can phrase the question in several different ways. The following are some tips and sample answers to the question.

Tips:

  • Avoid mentioning multiple weaknesses which may leave a negative impact.
  • Mention only one area in which you need to improve.
  • Choose a fixable weakness that won't affect your productivity.
  • Be specific, not vague, and express your plan to improve on the same.
  • Answer honestly, confidently, and concisely.
  • You may disguise one of your skills into an area of improvement.

Sample Answers:

Example 1:

I am very straightforward and to the point when it comes to sharing my opinions or feedback. I always express things the way I feel about them. My straightforwardness is usually valued by most of my acquaintances. However, I have learned through different experiences, diplomacy can help with some situations or sensitive topics to get a better outcome. So I am working on my skills to assess situations requiring either my straightforwardness or diplomacy.

Example 2:

My hard-working nature usually makes me a workaholic, which leads to stressful and tiring days and often affects my health. I have realized I work my best when I am not stressed or tired. I have been making a huge effort nowadays to work smarter than harder by planning my tasks based on different relevant aspects which can help me be more productive while completing the same in less time. Also nowadays I find myself making work and life balance effectively as well.

Example 3:

I am a talkative person who can sometimes unintentionally irritate others. I love to socialize and get to know others through meaningful conversations as I feel I also learn a lot from the best or positives of others. I believe communication helps one to work better, enriching the workplace with effective team building and eventually achieving goals efficiently. However, I must also assess certain situations or persons to know when and where to draw a line.

Example 4:

One area I am working on improving is self criticism. I often find myself criticizing my own ability to deliver results as I am always worried if I have done enough. I fail to give myself due appreciation even after delivering good results. Although this is definitely required for self improvement in various ways, I am also aware of the importance of self love. I know self appreciation is key to making others recognize your skills or abilities. I am currently working on this weakness by making a list of at least five things every day for which I can appreciate myself.

Example 5:

My weakness is ending up taking on multiple tasks as I find it difficult to turn down anyone’s requests for the same. Even though I manage to handle multiple tasks and deliver the required results, it often affects my professional and personal life. I find it difficult to balance work and life as I am constantly busy and often stressed out. I am currently working on this by prioritizing tasks and planning accordingly. This has helped me a lot to have a clear focus on work and also find time to catch up with my personal life as well without being burnt out.

What should be avoided in the answer?


The following must not be included in the answer:
(Avoid anything which will affect your productivity while working with the target employer)
  • I can not work with multiple people.
  • I feel nervous to speak to strangers.
  • I am short tempered; I get angry easily.
  • I do not have any weaknesses.
  • I don't remember any.
I suggest you not copy and paste answer examples from this blog or any other sites to avoid sounding phony. Instead, you should take ideas from the examples and create your responses, adding your own honest professional and personal experiences to sound genuine, which will be more fruitful.

Exercise:

I encourage the career aspirant readers to share their responses to the mentioned question in the comment and I will assist you with my expertise by sharing feedback for your answer and also will reply if any improvement is required to the posted answers. It will also help other job seekers get various ideas and articulate their responses.

Related:

Check Cover Letter: Tips & Templates, Resume: Tips & Templates, CV: Tips & Templates to write a job-winning cover letter, resume, or cv, and Interview Tips & Preparation to ace interviews like a pro.
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