Weakness Interview Question

Answer the weakness interview question poorly, and you go straight to jail

Weakness Interview Question

I recently heard a candidate tell a great story about being asked the Weakness Interview Question. When asked, “What is your weakness?” he replied, “Kryptonite!!” BOOYAHHH! I love that answer. Yes, he did get the job and started the next day.

This answer epitomizes what I want to hear from this question if you expect to get the job. It isn’t the actual answer, but the attitude behind it—confidence without being arrogant.

Make no mistake, the Weakness Interview Question is a “trick” question. This first interview might as well be your first date. Even if it is your 4th interview, if you hear this question from someone, it is probably the equivalent of your “first date” with that particular interviewer. It doesn’t matter at this point in the relationship/interview process. Keep the skeletons in the closet. I am not ready for your dirty laundry. I will never be ready for your dirty laundry, and I work in HR.

First date stuff

Remember, like a first date, you and your date WANT things to work out. At the same time, both are trying to figure out “what is wrong with this potential ex?” so I can get over them quickly and move on.  (Or is that just me?). Even if you have a great first date and see white gowns and mothers-in-law in your future, your radar is still up on the second date. The statement “This date is too good to be true” isn’t one of hope. It is one of doubt. “There has got to be something wrong with this date.”

Someone said, “Love is seeing an imperfect person perfectly.” Well, this isn’t love, honey; this is a J.O.B. Corporate America usually implies a paycheck. I am still trying to figure out what my wife sees in me, but she would expect much more if she were paying me to hang out with me. DOH!!!

A Chinese boat is a Junk

I wrote a guest blog here on the Weakness Interview Questions with specific examples. However, the bottom line is that there is always a way to turn a negative into a positive. Poker players always win big pots at the poker table with a Chinese boat for a hand.

If I am asked about my “weakness,” a typical answer could be the following. This would be 100% accurate. (Ask our very patient Sr. Director of Social Media, who I sit next to.)

 “I suck at social media. Foursquare?  I don’t understand it, and I am not active on Facebook or Twitter. . .Yes, I know that I am in the people business. I should get involved, but I don’t have the time or the interest.”

Interview Over.  We are done here. The show is over, and there is nothing to see here but a train wreck.  Let me give you my card.

Side A: Go directly to Jail. Side B: Do not pass go, Do not collect $200.00, and do not call me; I will not call you.

As you explain how you don’t know Excel or get frustrated with people who aren’t smart, I tune out. I am not thinking about how much laundry I must do this weekend and whether I can go fishing with the fellas.  Yes, my eyes just rolled in disbelief and frustration. “I am trapped in this interview. What did I see on this candidate’s resume? How do I end this interview without being obvious?” Does this sound like a first date???

How HRNasty would answer the question, and this is ALSO 100% true

“What is my weakness?  Let me think about this for a minute. My weakness is that I don’t think I am as strong in Social Media as possible. I know it is really important for anyone in HR for various reasons. In the last year, I have taken an interest in Social Media. I am getting a better grasp of social.  We now use Facebook to post jobs. I use LinkedIn as a recruiting tool and have recently saved the company thousands of dollars in recruiting fees.

I even started a blog where I try to help people land a job and dive into Google Analytics. Recently, I saw through Google Analytics that many folks were reading the blog on their phone, so I installed a widget that allowed them to view it with a condensed phone view. I still have a way to go. I never got into Foursquare but leveraged my social graph and tried a few Zynga games. Currently, I am reading a book called Find a Job through Social Networking”.

I have just given my weakness. I have also explained how I DID SOMETHING THE F**K ABOUT IT. The glass is half full of hope, not despair. This candidate isn’t half dead. He is half alive!  If you are going to hire someone, do you want to hire someone who has a weakness and sits on their duff, or do you want to hang out with someone who will get their fat ass into the gym and make an effort?

Initiative to adapt

The economy changes. Employees are asked to adopt, train, and change as the company changes. New skills are needed all the time. Doing nothing about a known weakness shows you won’t take the initiative to adapt. This is why the Weakness Interview Question is a trick question.

Answer number 2 is the same as number 1 but with a positive spin. Just because you are asked the weakness interview question doesn’t mean you have to give one. When you are asked your weight, do you give the real answer? Everyone knows that the TV adds ten pounds. If you are a little heavy, do you wear stripes?  Do you wear tight clothing? It’s the same package, different wrapping. Everyone loves a gift that comes in nice wrapping with a Red Bow vs. just having the gift forked over in the bag in which it was purchased.

Can’t be avoided

Don’t fall for the weakness question. It is a trap. The Cake is a Lie. Before you start your job hunt, know two things. You will be asked this question, and you can get Nasty to know about it. Think of a few examples that you can use where you have made a conscious effort to improve a weakness and own this.

See you at the after party,
HRNasty

nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky, and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.

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