ANSWER: 'WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST WEAKNESS?'

'WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST WEAKNESS?'

What are you supposed to do -- tell them why they SHOULDN'T hire
you?

The "weakness" question is popular with interviewers not because
they want to torture you, but because they're interested in hearing
how you tackle challenges.

The most important thing to remember is that after you name your
weakness, you MUST discuss what you have done to overcome it.

Pick a weakness that is real but understandable or relatively
harmless. Whatever weakness you pick, be sure that it is work-
related ("I have a tendency to overfeed my dog" is NOT an
appropriate weakness) and that you present the strategies for
how you overcame your weakness.

Here are a few examples:

* "I used to have a tendency to procrastinate. So now I am always
sure to set a strict schedule for all of my projects well in
advance and I set personal deadlines. This organization has
really helped."

* "Once in a while, I focus too much on the details of a project. So
now, when I'm working on a project, I always make sure at the end
of the day to sit back and take a few minutes to think about the
general scope of my work. It forces me to keep priorities
straight and helps me keep the right mindset."

* "I used to have some problems with organization. So now I carry
a schedule book around throughout the day and I also use this
Palm Pilot to keep me on track. It's worked out great!"

You don't want to pick a weakness that will torpedo your chances --
even your weakness should speak strongly toward your skills. The
examples above all address honest weaknesses; here are a few other
"safe" weaknesses that are easy to discuss:

* I tend to be a perfectionist.
* I sometimes work too hard, leading to unnecessary stress.