Hi there everybody, my name is Richard McMunn and in this next training video I'm gonna
teach you how to answer the tough interview question "What Are Your Weaknesses?" and in
particular I'm gonna give you 5 sample answers, so you can choose one of them and then I GUARANTEE
there will be one on there for everybody, regardless of the interview that you have
coming up.
So, welcome to this tutorial.
As I say, that's me there on the right-hand side, the bald chap.
My name is Richard McMunn.
I've been helping people like you for about 20 years now to pass interviews.
So, this video will specifically give you 5 great answers to the tough interview question
- "What Are Your Weaknesses?"
And you are pretty much guaranteed that this question will come up during your interview.
So, it's gonna be a great presentation; just a couple of quick things - please do SUBSCRIBE
to this channel because I create videos like this every single week so you will get a message
in your inbox as soon as you subscribe when my next one is created, and also if you do
LIKE the video, I would very much appreciate it if you gave the video a thumbs up as this
will motivate me to do more.
And also, if you watch the tutorial from beginning to end, I'm actually gonna give you these
slides to download, for free, so you can start working on your interview preparation.
And also, another thing... tell me what interview you have in the comments section below the
video and I will tell you what to say as your weakness to this particular question, based
on the job interview that you've got coming up.
So, like I say, just drop what interview you've got coming up in the comments section below
and I will tell you what to say.
OK, 3 important tips before I give these 5 sample answers.
Tip number 1 - now don't mention anything that is included in the job description as
your weakness.
So, for example, if the job description states that you need to be a good communicator; don't
say, "Oh, sometimes I struggle communicating with people outside of the organisation.
If it says in the job description you need to be a good teamworker, obviously don't say
"Well, you know, one of my weaknesses is that I don't like particularly working with other
people, I'd rather work on my own.
If it says, like in the job description you have to analyze information, say, you know,
don't say "I get bogged down sometimes with trying to work through loads of information
and my mind becomes all frazzled."
Also, if it says, the job description, you have to work alone for long periods of time,
don't say that I would rather be with other people.
So, you obviously have to get a copy of the job description and then tick off what it
says on there and don't mention it as your particular weakness.
Tip number 2 - don't say "I don't have any weaknesses."
Everybody has a weakness, we all do.
But the important thing is, is that you use it as a strength and I am gonna give you 5
answers in a second that will all demonstrate your weaknesses as strengths.
So, anybody who says they don’t have any weaknesses is not being honest.
It’s a STRENGTH to know what your weaknesses are, and more importantly, to do actually
something about them.
Tip number 3 - Once you disclose your weakness to the interview panel, tell them what you
are doing to improve it.
That's the important thing, and they will really like that.
For example, if your weakness is that you “take on too much work and you don’t like
to delegate”, tell the panel you are consciously trying to delegate more tasks to other people
within the team who are better placed to deal with them more effectively.
OK, let's now take a look at the 5 sample answers, and don't forget, I'm gonna tell
you where you can get a copy of these slides for free and you can use them during your
preparation.
OK, number 1 - so, what are your weaknesses?
Now, this one is based around the fact that you can't say no!
Any interviewer is gonna love this because if you struggle to say no, you're gonna take
on loads of work.
So, here's the response that you can use.
“I sometimes find it hard to say no to co-workers and I end up doing some of their work as well
as my own.
Initially, for some reason, I felt obligated to help other workers with their tasks, but
I soon realised that this was counter-productive to my own work.
After I started taking work home with me I decided to take the initiative and I have
learned to distinguish between what duties are solely mine and which are my colleagues.”
So, that is great that you can use in any kind of interview.
And it's the can't say no weakness, and it's a great one, it's music to an employers ears
that you will take on loads of work.
But it is also a weakness, so that's a good one!
Ok, number 2 - this is the 'impatience' weakness, and this is another great one that the interviewer
will love to hear.
“I find it difficult at times waiting for others to come back to me when the completion
of my own task depends on them.
I think demonstrates that I can be impatient at times, and one particular external company
commented during a telephone conversation that she found me quite pushy to deal with
at times.
Obviously, I apologised to her but I stressed that my pushiness was simply down to me wanting
to the get job done for my employer.
I am learning to be more impatient but I guess I will always have that urge to get the job
done as soon as possible.”
Now, I'm an employer and I love people who are like this, who will be impatient and they
want things to be done as soon as possible, but it can come across as a weakness, so that's
another great one to use.
Don't forget, you gonna get a copy of these slides very soon.
Third one - this is the 'taking on too much work' weakness.
Here's the answer - “I sometimes take on too much work and find it hard to delegate
tasks to others.
This has, in the past, resulted in me feeling slightly overwhelmed with too much work and
I have been logging online at the weekends just to keep up with my work.
I am now learning to take on tasks and complete them as quickly and accurately as possible,
before moving on to the next one.
I now also realise it’s important to delegate tasks to other people within the team who
might be better placed to do them quickly based on their workload.”
So, another great response to the interview question "What are your weaknesses?"
Number 4 - this is the 'working with external companies' weakness.
Ok, now not many employees will have had experience of working with other businesses outside of
the internal company, so it is generally a safe weakness to use, and here's the response:“If
I’m being honest, I don’t have much experience yet of dealing with external companies or
stakeholders, but I am fully aware it is an area I need to develop if I am to become an
all round competent employee.
To improve in this area, in my previous job, I decided to shadow my manager for a day to
find out how she deals with external companies and I found the experience enlightening and
highly informative.
I think that, if I eventually get more experience of working with external companies and stakeholders,
it will just serve to improve my overall capabilities with a work-related role.”
So, that's a pretty safe response to use for the interview question "What are your weaknesses?"
Let's have a look at number 5.
Now, this is the 'not seeing the bigger picture' weakness.
But this is important if you use this, that you have to say that you are now starting
to realise how important the bigger picture is.
Because what this means is, as an employee, you tend to focus just on your task and you
don't realise that there is a bigger picture going on within the organisation and that
change is really important.
“When I first started with my previous company, I used to get disheartened and de-motivated
whenever my manager implemented a new policy, or if he brought in a change to procedures.
However, following my last appraisal I asked to shadow him for a day to learn about his
role and how the company operates from a strategic level.
This was a great experience, as it made me realise how important change is within an
organisation if it is to grow and develop.
I now view change as an opportunity for growth and development.”
So, that's 5 great answers that you can use then, like I say I am going to say where you
can download the slides now and you can pick which one you would like to use.
So, thank you very much for watching.
You can download these slides in the link below this video -- you might have to click
the SHOW MORE button and that will take you through to a link that's called SlideShare
where you can download these slides.
Don't forget to put what interview you've got coming up in the comments section below
and I will tell you what weakness to use, a safe weakness.
Like I say, please SUBSCRIBE, give the video a THUMBS UP, I'd really, really appreciate
that.
Also, in the link below the video I've given you access, free access, to my online interview
training course, it's at the website PassMyInterview.com, so if you wanna learn more - there's about
54 training modules there, head over to that website and you can get access to all of those
videos for free.
Thanks for watching guys, and I wish you all the very best in your pursuit to passing your
interview.