‘JT & Dale Talk Jobs’ is the largest nationally syndicated career advice column in the country and can be found at JTandDale.com.
Dear J.T. & Dale: I’ve had four interviews. I keep getting asked my “greatest strength” and then my “greatest weakness.” As for the latter, I answered truthfully. Once I said “not enough patience,” and once I said “communicating.” Is this wrong? — Ellis
Dale: Let’s not have any communication problems here, Ellis: Those are terrible answers. When the hiring manager translates those into boss-speak, they come back as “probable hothead” and “possibly sullen and distant.”
J.T.: I’d say your answers weren’t so much wrong as incomplete. The ideal answer involves pointing out that the weakness is really the result of the strength. For instance, “Lack of patience” is just your desire to see results and make progress, which means you can be hard on yourself and others.
Dale: Ah, yes. It’s the circularity you find in Zen philosophy — if you go far enough into a strength, it becomes a weakness. And that’s exactly how you answer the two questions, Ellis — by treating them as one. For instance, if you say your greatest strength is you “love working with people and get along with everyone,” then the weakness would be: “Because I get along with everyone, co-workers come to me for advice or conversation, so I have to be careful to make sure it doesn’t interfere with getting my own work done.” Another example — my favorite — is giving your strength as being someone who “loves to work,” which means your “weakness” is being a “workaholic.” No one ever did NOT get hired because of being too well-liked or working too hard.
Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a professional development specialist and the founder of the consulting firm, JTODonnell.com, and of the blog, CAREEREALISM.com. Dale Dauten resolves employment and other business disputes as a mediator with AgreementHouse.com.
Please visit them at JTandDale.com, where you can send questions via e-mail, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.
© 2010 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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4 Comments
Haha, I'm researching this very question and have found that THIS YEAR, many so-called pro's would disagree with Chip & Dale here. Actually, they want you to be truthful and are tired of hearing these canned responses of “well, I am just too hard of a worker.”
Ha, but Chip & Dale say his answer is terrible. LMFAO!
Haha, I'm researching this very question and have found that THIS YEAR, many so-called pro's would disagree with Chip & Dale here. Actually, they want you to be truthful and are tired of hearing these canned responses of “well, I am just too hard of a worker.”
Ha, but Chip & Dale say his answer is terrible. LMFAO!
The answer to this one is to stay positive without the obvious”I am a perfectionist” or, dare I say Dale, “I am a workaholic”. This will simply be viewed as avoiding the question. Don't say ” My biggest weakness is..” as it sounds as if you have a whole shopping list of faults, instead say “If I had to think of one it may be that…” In this answer you are not saying that you have weaknesses, let alone a “biggest” weakness, you are simply indicating that an answer is required and that answer “may” be a weakness. A good answer would be ” I always strive to be my best and want the team to achieve the best possible results for the business and I do expect others to do the same. I know that not everyone has the same skills and approach but I do expect them to do their utmost and perhaps I can become a little impatient with those who I feel don’t give their best effort”. Follow this up with “Where I identify an area that I could improve upon then I address it” and then give an example.This way you are saying that any weaknesses you may have can be turned around and become strengths.
The answer to this one is to stay positive without the obvious”I am a perfectionist” or, dare I say Dale, “I am a workaholic”. This will simply be viewed as avoiding the question. Don't say ” My biggest weakness is..” as it sounds as if you have a whole shopping list of faults, instead say “If I had to think of one it may be that…” In this answer you are not saying that you have weaknesses, let alone a “biggest” weakness, you are simply indicating that an answer is required and that answer “may” be a weakness. A good answer would be ” I always strive to be my best and want the team to achieve the best possible results for the business and I do expect others to do the same. I know that not everyone has the same skills and approach but I do expect them to do their utmost and perhaps I can become a little impatient with those who I feel don’t give their best effort”. Follow this up with “Where I identify an area that I could improve upon then I address it” and then give an example.This way you are saying that any weaknesses you may have can be turned around and become strengths.