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PAE
Why do employers ask ‘What are your Example:
weaknesses?’
Employers ask candidates about their ‘My greatest weakness is that I sometimes
weaknesses to assess their self-awareness, have a hard time letting go of a project.
honesty and ability to improve. They also I’m the biggest critic of my work, and I
likely want to see what you have already done can always find something that needs
to improve upon your weaknesses and what to be improved or changed. To help
you plan to do to keep getting better. myself improve in this area, I give myself
deadlines for revisions and try to avoid
Here are a few examples of the best making too many last-minute changes.’
weaknesses to mention in an interview:
I have trouble saying no
I focus too much on the details From an employer’s perspective, someone
Being ‘detail-oriented’ is typically a positive who is always willing to help is an asset.
skill, but if you tend to spend too much time However, this asset can become a weakness
on the specifics of a project, it could also be when you end up submitting your work late
considered a weakness. By mentioning that because you’ve spent so much time helping
you focus too much on details, you’re showing others. Share how you’re working to better
to the hiring manager that you’re capable self-manage by organising your tasks and
of helping the company avoid even minor setting boundaries in how much time you can
mistakes. spare to help others.
Example: Example:
‘One of my greatest weaknesses is that ‘My greatest weakness is that I sometimes
I sometimes focus too much on the have trouble saying no to requests and
details of a project. I have been striving to end up taking on more than I can handle.
improve in this area by better monitoring I now use a project management app so
how long I spend on a task and allowing I can see how much work I have at any
myself to re-focus on the project at large. moment and understand when I have time
That way, I can still ensure high quality to help others.’
while maintaining my productivity and
helping my team to meet deadlines.’ I feel stressed when projects run beyond
the deadline
I have a hard time letting go of a project Whilst expressing your stress or frustration
Some people are natural perfectionists, at work is a weakness, employers also value
making lots of last-minute changes to make employees who strive to meet deadlines and
sure everything is perfect. The problem with understand how important it is to submit work
this weakness is that it can impact deadlines. on time. In your response, focus on the fact
If this is your weakness, share how you’re that you believe meeting deadlines is vital for
trying to get better at letting projects go by everyone to be as productive as possible.
giving yourself a deadline for all revisions.
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