How does one properly answer this most frightening of interview questions?

[Bertha Venation]

"What is your greatest weakness?"

[liberal N proud]

1. It is a scary question

But can you be honest without killing your chances of landing the job?

[Bertha Venation]

2. No, because my greatest weakness is

procrastination.

[Scruffy Rumbler]

7. Well....

worry about it later!

Good luck with the interview! Hope it is a job you like and that you get it!

[dr.strangelove]

3. I never ask such stupid things during interviews

but in the past I tried to start with a joke answer then turn it into somethng else. I would say, "Well, I have a hard time reading, writing, interacting with other people and speaking on the phone. As long as the job doesn't involve these things, I'll be fine. But seriously, I think we all have weaknesses that we work hard to turn into strengths. If there were any weaknesses I encountered while working, I would dedicate myself to overcoming it. I once had a hard time with a conversion to a new research vendor at my last job, but with staying late and coming in early, I was able to overcome it and turn that weakness into one of my strengths."

Something like that.

[sharp_stick]

4. Here you go

[Bosonic]

12. I can honestly say LOL

[Iggo]

26. Perfect.

[LiberalEsto]

5. "I have a tendency to overwork" nt

[stevenleser]

37. That's exactly it really. Turn it around in such a way that makes it seem good.

"I sometimes insist that work that I do is too free of defect. I can be too much of a perfectionist"

or

"I can be a little intense about the success of the company I work for. Sometimes I need to relax more"

etc

[seaglass]

6. I would think of a weakness that wasn't a skill required of the job you are applying for.

Or something that you can turn around to be a strength.

Here are some recommendations:

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/qt/weakness.htm

[Orrex]

8. Tell them that you become enraged when asked inane questions

That, or Kryptonite.

[NightWatcher]

9. I tend to disregard morons who ask stupid questions... or

I tend to become violent when asked stupid questions...must...calm...down...

[riderinthestorm]

10. I would focus on a "weakness" that's not related to the job

I run a horse farm but on the side, I've written grants for the local food pantry, women's shelter, land preservation groups etc. So when I'm interviewed for those jobs and I get that question, I usually tell them I'm not mechanical or technical. In fact, I have tech voodoo - if something is going to break down, it will happen with me. So my obvious answer is I'm not good at tweaking stuff to get it working again - copiers, printers, a computer crash etc.

They'll respond with something like "we have people who come in and do those fixes", whereby the obvious answer is a relieved "phew. That's good to know since I'm pretty bad at it."

Can you structure a weakness that isn't critical to your job performance? Not sure what kind of job you're going for but I'd be happy to help "create" one for you

Good luck!

[magical thyme]

22. great idea!

Giving a weakness that can be turned into a strength worked back in the early 80s. Not so much these days.

But a "real" weakness that is irrelevent to the job...brilliant! is right

[geardaddy]

11. Just say "chocolate"

[skygazer]

13. "I tend to put all my focus on my job"

"I sometimes work too hard."
"I treat my job as paramount."
"I'm a little too passionate about my work."

I usually use something along those lines.

[Avalux]

14. I've been asked that many times...

my answer is always that I'm a perfectionist; sometimes I spent too much time wanting to get something perfect when it doesn't need to be.

BTW - I've been hired for every job in which I've had an interview (8 to be exact).

Good luck!!

[leftyohiolib]

21. this was always my answer

i switched to it when i realized the answer alcohol and drugs was getting me no where

[LaurenG]

15. Tell the truth Bertha

I ask that all the time. Yours could be cats, lol I know that's one of mine.

[Phentex]

16. I would answer that I hate being nervous during a job interview and

that I know I am qualified for the job and hope that I get a chance to prove it to them.

[clarice]

17. To paraphrase the great HST......

When asked a difficult question....

"Simply leap up out of your chair and sink into a kind of linebacker's crouch.
Stick your fingers into your cheeks and make the "stretched wide mouth" face.
This will certainly cause a lack of focus, and general confusion in your adversary"

worth a try.

[Skittles]

18. "I don't tolerate the imperfections of others very well"

I want to kick their imperfect ass

[CBGLuthier]

19. "My Intolerance for Stupid Questions is my Greatest Weakness."

Please note that I have not had to ask anyone for a job since 1996.

[Capt. Obvious]

20. Make a list

think about the list and pick one that's either honest or shows you in the best light.

Hopefully it's both.

[The Second Stone]

23. chocolate

kryptonite, beautiful women, if I told you that I'd have to kill you...

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

24. One word...

...kryptonite.

But seriously, you need to understand the question behind the question.
I'll get back to you with further detail.

[Iggo]

25. "Ask your sister."

[Chan790]

27. You don't.

It's one of those questions that has grown in use because it seems insightful. It's not insightful, there's only two ways to answer the question...honestly in a way that damages your candidacy or by lying.

As an interviewer, I will never ask this question...and if I'm not feeling a job fit to that point in an interview, it has motivated me to withdraw candidacy and leave an interview. It's usually a sign to me that the interviewer is not equipped or suited to making any sort of insightful hiring decision and is probably someone I'm not going to want to work for; my pet-peeve is having to hold a superior's hand through things they really should need to already understand to supervise me. People who use stock interview questions are typically people who lack the supervisory and hiring skill-sets...otherwise, they'd know how to interview a candidate to obtain an employee that meets their needs.

I opt for the following lie: "I tend to prioritize my work over my family life. It's difficult but I have to make myself leave work and spend time with my family. I also tend to prefer work to having fun." It's a bullshit answer to a bullshit question; I know it, they know it and how they respond to me feeding them rote bullshit in response to rote bullshit tells me whether I want to work there.

[KamaAina]

28. "Answering stupid interview questions."

[hamsterjill]

29. I think you could still say "procrastination"

I think you could still say that procrastination is your greatest weakness, followed by a statement that since you are well aware of that weakness, you make doubly sure that you stay on deadline, etc., etc.

[shenmue]

30. I like parakeets

[taught_me_patience]

31. I expect too much from teammates

I put in 100% and if they don't, I'm disappointed.

[Populist_Prole]

32. Oh C'mon, that aint the most frightening of interview questions

The absolute worst one is the one that is designed specifically to blunt whatever "armament" you thought would wow the interviewer with questions as to with your qualifications; the ultimate, most insidiously awful of catch-you-off guard "fill in the blanks" test questions: "Tell me about yourself".

As to your original Q: It's obvious that it's a "tell them what they want to hear" question. The true answer has to be bullshit, and they know it. It's like an oral Myers-Briggs test.

[raccoon]

33. I think that is the stupidest interview question there is. As an

interviewer, I'll never ask it.

What do they think you're going to say? "I'm lazy"?

[lunatica]

34. I answered it once and it worked

It helped that I received help from a professional who helped people get back into the workforce (I was getting a divorce after years of being out of the workplace). She said you can take your very strength and turn it into a 'weakness' the interviewers will love.

The gist of my answer which happens to be true, so there was no lying involved was: "I am so goal oriented that I tend to push myself very hard. I always look forward to the satisfaction of finishing projects."

The fact that you're answering the question with one of your actual strengths diverts the expectations in their mind because it turnes the guestion in your favor, because they really don't want to hear what your weaknesses are. They are evaluating you to see if you're an asset to them and to whether you will make THEM look good. Sometimes they will compete with each other to get you on their team. And you can feel the energy transformation in the interview. They are asking questions from a script so they can hear what they want to hear. Just be assured that an interviewer who knows his or her business and is professional doesn't ask that question because it's really a stupid and pointless one. That question itself will tell you what THEIR weakness is.

It's a manipulation on your part, but then, all interviews are manipulations and even gotcha questions, so why not do the same right back?

edited for clarification and to add more

[jcboon]

35. I used to use the "I'm a bit of a workaholic" answer.

In the interview for my last job they asked me that question. I said "I have no weaknesses. I'm absolutely perfect--make no mistakes whatsoever. This is a job interview, do you think I'm going to admit any weaknesses?" Fortunately everyone on the panel thought that was really funny and I got the job.
It's important to remember that job interviews are mostly about how you "fit" with the office culture. If you can read the culture you can determine your answer.

[NJCher]

36. answers where the weakness isn't a factor are best

I like dr strangelove's humor.

Generally, though, I think answers like "I work too hard" or "I value my work over my family" sound like pandering. If I were the interviewer, I'd be saying in my head, "Yeah, right" and I would be disgusted because you tried to manipulate me.

By giving such an answer to the question, I already know something about you--that you might lie to get what you want. Either that or that you're exceedingly unoriginal.

Whether the question is a good one or not is irrelevant. If the interviewer asks it, you have to be prepared with an answer.

The answers where your weakness isn't a factor in the job are the best. And if you can be honest, that's a plus. If they hire you, they'll learn about your weakness anyway, so you might as well be honest about it.


Cher

[kentauros]

38. Don't know, but the question I hate the most is

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

Because I'm so tempted to say, "Relaxing on a beach in Mexico while complaining about the salt on my margarita after specifically requesting NO SALT, and after I set the building on fire where I worked last."

[Enrique]

39. bath salts

[IDemo]

40. Worst interview question:

How have you dealt with a difficult co-worker in the past?

I'm tempted to say - Guy pissed me off, so I hung out in the parking lot until he got off and kicked his ass.

[Mopar151]

44. Try and distract "Dr. Death from his usual morbid fantasies n/t

[mackerel]

41. Chocolate cake

[rug]

42. "Tolerating foolish questions."

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

43. Actually, I give an honest answer to this one

"A former boss of mine said that I tend to be 'interrupt driven'. That is, if someone comes to me with a problem or a question, I will drop what I am doing and concentrate on whatever has just been brought to me."

I do this for two reasons: First, I have Asperger's Syndrome, which means that I have absolutely no talent for reading other people. So my coping mechanism is to take everything that is said to me at face value. Related to that is my absolute intolerance for psychological games, since I don't know instinctively if someone is playing one, I get very frustrated when I realize that is what they are doing. I will give you the absolute truth as I believe it to be, and I expect the same from others. (I once really pissed off a boss when she pitched something to me, and asked my opinion. I told her quite frankly that I thought it was a really stupid idea, and I told her why. That was not what she wanted to hear. It didn't help that her technical knowledge in my particular area was zero, and I had little respect for her in that respect. She once overheard me saying to her boss, "Ruth knows what I do, but she has no idea of how I do it." She did not appreciate this, in part because she knew it was true.)

The second reason is that I have spent much of my career as a computer systems administrator. A large part of that job is dealing with problems that may arise suddenly. So if someone comes to me with a problem, I do have to drop everything and tend to it.

[Mopar151]

45. " Don't piss on my leg and tell me I need a new roof!"

"Can't stand pathalogical liars or bullies"

[chrisa]

46. I sometimes don't hide the bodies correctly when doing professional hits. However, I am a good shot.

[Bertha Venation]

47. I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S RESPONSES TO THIS QUESTION

I'm sorry I can't reply to you individually.