In my opinion, this is a really dumb question, because I’m not really sure what employers expect as an answer. “Hmm, my biggest weaknesses would have to be my exceptionally low IQ and my penchant for kleptomania. Am I hired?"
Regardless, it’s still one of the most commonly asked questions in interviews. There’s never a really good answer to a dumb question like this one, so I would try and steer it back towards them and turn it into an advantage for you. I’d start by answering their question with something fairly innocuous like:
“I’d like to have more knowledge about X.” That shows that you have some self-awareness about a perceived weaknesses, but it also doesn’t really tell them very much. Also, by saying you’d like more knowledge in a certain area (that hopefully isn’t a core need for the position you’re interviewing for) your interviewers aren’t aware of how much knowledge you have already – maybe you have more than them, but you’re striving to be an expert, who knows? Anyhow, wanting more knowledge is always a good answer because you can always go and learn about that thing you’d like to have more knowledge about, therefore mitigating your weakness. But after you’ve answered their question, here's how to really turn it back on them for your advantage. Ask them this:
Regardless, it’s still one of the most commonly asked questions in interviews. There’s never a really good answer to a dumb question like this one, so I would try and steer it back towards them and turn it into an advantage for you. I’d start by answering their question with something fairly innocuous like:
“I’d like to have more knowledge about X.” That shows that you have some self-awareness about a perceived weaknesses, but it also doesn’t really tell them very much. Also, by saying you’d like more knowledge in a certain area (that hopefully isn’t a core need for the position you’re interviewing for) your interviewers aren’t aware of how much knowledge you have already – maybe you have more than them, but you’re striving to be an expert, who knows? Anyhow, wanting more knowledge is always a good answer because you can always go and learn about that thing you’d like to have more knowledge about, therefore mitigating your weakness. But after you’ve answered their question, here's how to really turn it back on them for your advantage. Ask them this:
