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On April 04 2012 06:23 Ghostcom wrote:Show nested quote +On April 04 2012 06:19 Frunkis wrote: What is the point of that question? "You lie to me, and then I'll judge you based on how well you lied to me" just doesn't seem like an effective method of choosing who to employ. Unless you're looking for liars I guess. You aren't being asked to lie, you are being asked what your weakness are and what you do to overcome these and if you are even aware that you have some (EVERYONE has a weakness)... If you lie at any point during an interview, you shouldn't get the job.
Agreed, but we all know that provocative questions invite lies and half-truths that limit the effectiveness of the question in the first place, and that there's really no way for the interviewer to determine what they're getting until months after the hire has been made.
It's a question that tries to rattle the cage and get candidates to open up, but it's really not very well thought-out. A better way to do it would be to ask something like "Talk about the biggest mistake you've ever made at work and how you dealt with it."
That's what i would do if I was a hiring manager... JMO.
Anyway, back on topic, don't let "what's your biggest weakness" questions get you down. You should answer them honestly, but measuredly (ie don't exagerate your weakness). Keep it general, and answer with poise and confidence. If you like to study alone, hell maybe it's because you're smarter than everyone else and it bugs you when you have to carry weight for lesser students. This could cause problems in team-based scenarios where someone isn't pulling their weight. Own up to it and take it for what it is - but don't back down from it. The interviewer will respect you. And if they don't, so what? A job where you have to sing Kumbayah with slackers would be hell on Earth, and isn't one that you probably would want to stay at very long.
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I usually go with something along the lines of "Well... sometimes i take my work to seriously which has an effect on my personal life bla bla bla"
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Give something you could perceive to be a bad quality, but shows an underlying good one
"Well, often I have trouble just handing over tasks to others or delegating a lot, when i start something I tend to really want to see it through to the end"
It's a genuine bad quality, for many positions like managers, but it's a good quality for someone low on the totem pole.
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Questions like this are IMO why it's important to get your foot in the door through a personal contact and not some random job application. My last 6 or so interviews I got by getting in touch with the supervisor of the department I wanted to work in through someone I knew and it allowed me to skip the shitty HR screening step. Going straight to an interview with the actual people you will be working for is a much more pleasant interview experience because they're only concerned with asking you relevant questions and not that HR bullshit that no one cares about.
Of course, if you're applying somewhere like microsoft or whatever, their size might cause them to be too bureaucratic to allow that. The big thing that I was taught is to answer a weakness (typically only a minor weakness) and then follow up by saying how you've been working to improve and eliminate that weakness. That said, never say your weakness is that you are too much of a perfectionist(even if it's true) because that comes across as a bullshit "here's my weakness, but lol it isn't really a weakness" type of answer. At least this is according to the people I had to interview with in school. They forced everyone to do several mock interviews to graduate and I'm glad they did. Also, don't say you're "hard working" for the strength question either, because that should be a given.
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I'd never ever play the perfectionist card. If you play it, you should really back it up like No_Roo in the last post on the previous page (no offense, but i i think it's still lame, even if you are a perfectionist, most people won't believe you). If e.g there's a tiny tiny mistake in your application or your answers (which can always happen) and they realise it, you're screwed. A promising interview might turn into an embarrassment. Also it's the most lame standard answer if you fail to present it correctly/perfectly.
Also remember there's always luck involved in interviews.
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On April 04 2012 00:20 Dujek wrote: You could say,
"I'm not aware of any bad qualities I might have because whenever I discover a problem I work at fixing it quickly."
or something to that effect. Or, I'm not aware of any bad qualities I might have because I tend to stray from pessimistic thought. Questions like this are best avoided entirely, I suppose it's a company's way of making you use PR/PC talk, avoiding/denying responsibility for the future, that sounded far-fetched to me when I thought it up, but now that I think about it, that may be their exact reason for asking questions such as this.
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"I have a fetish for a boss's wife."
(didn't get it )
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Kennigit
Canada19447 Posts
On April 04 2012 00:53 Kaitlin wrote:Show nested quote +On April 04 2012 00:45 Kennigit wrote: Tell them its 2012 and you are concerned with the fact that they are using outdated methods of screening candidates. There is an incredibly high chance that every person they ask this question to has rehearsed an answer or is lying or both. If I were interviewing someone who had the audacity to tell me I was interviewing them incorrectly, my immediate response would be 'Clearly you wouldn't be happy here. Let's not waste any more of each other's time."
Would you give me a sassy finger snap. There's actually very good reason to not want to work at a place like this, and if you are qualified enough one should treat BS interview questions and strong indicator of the nature of the company imo. There's a reason top talent companies and start ups alike have phased out these types of fluff questions - it doesn't tell if you if he's going to be a good programmer, team member, leader, follower, anything.
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This is absolutely the worst question on an interview to answer. Sigh.
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On April 04 2012 00:15 urbanleg wrote: Hey guys, I just graduated in computer science, i started to look for a cool place to work at,
been so far in 2 interviews, and i got the feeling i blew them at the HR part when i answered this question:
1) i prefer to study alone (failed - not a team player)
2) im stressed out easily (failed - that might be a problem)
any ideas of good "bad" qualities for the next interview i got tomorrow?
p.s - perfectionist won't do since its too obvious these days.
thanks
If you state the above two u should give reasons as to how you cope/make up and how flexible/willing you are to do the opposite (i.e. work with a team)
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"working to hard, focusing to mutch on work, and being to dedecated to my job"
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Totally agree with Kennigit. During my last interview when asked for my weaknesses I told them that I didn't think their questions were appropriate and that by the laws of game theory they're only inviting people to answer further and further from the truth as they can't evaluate most of the interviewed ex post but are trying to base their ex ante evaluation on the data from these people, too, be it consciously or not, thus creating an upwards spiral of rehearsed bullshit (may not have used such colorful language). They continued with more investigative questions.
At the end I told them I tend to forget people's names.
I got my contract 2 days later.
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"Why don't I tell you what my greatest weaknesses are? I work too hard. I care too much. And sometimes I can be too invested in my job." -Michael Scott
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I tell the truth.
Something along the lines...
I like to keep busy, but I often take on more than I can chew. I am learning how to deal with this by first recognizing whenever I get into new projects (professionally and personally) and then seeing how it will affect my current projects. I am learning how to say "no" to others and even to myself so that the quality of my current projects don't suffer. I am glad I became aware of this issue because I have been getting better at dealing with it.
On April 04 2012 07:21 Kennigit wrote:Show nested quote +On April 04 2012 00:53 Kaitlin wrote:On April 04 2012 00:45 Kennigit wrote: Tell them its 2012 and you are concerned with the fact that they are using outdated methods of screening candidates. There is an incredibly high chance that every person they ask this question to has rehearsed an answer or is lying or both. If I were interviewing someone who had the audacity to tell me I was interviewing them incorrectly, my immediate response would be 'Clearly you wouldn't be happy here. Let's not waste any more of each other's time." Would you give me a sassy finger snap. There's actually very good reason to not want to work at a place like this, and if you are qualified enough one should treat BS interview questions and strong indicator of the nature of the company imo. There's a reason top talent companies and start ups alike have phased out these types of fluff questions - it doesn't tell if you if he's going to be a good programmer, team member, leader, follower, anything.
I do not agree with this. Correct me if I'm wrong, but many top talent companies ask questions like this. In fact, in my experience, it is smaller companies that don't ask questions like these.
I don't know what you consider "top talent." But I'm assuming most would include Goldman Sachs, any Big Four accounting firm, or any Fortune 500 really.
On April 04 2012 07:29 Timerly wrote: Totally agree with Kennigit. During my last interview when asked for my weaknesses I told them that I didn't think their questions were appropriate and that by the laws of game theory they're only inviting people to answer further and further from the truth as they can't evaluate most of the interviewed ex post but are trying to base their ex ante evaluation on the data from these people, too, be it consciously or not, thus creating an upwards spiral of rehearsed bullshit (may not have used such colorful language). They continued with more investigative questions.
At the end I told them I tend to forget people's names.
I got my contract 2 days later.
In all likeliness, you didn't get hired because you essentially told the HR person to take his questions and shove-it. You were probably the most qualified, and perhaps your answer showed you were capable of standing up for yourself. In most scenarios, however, it is extremely foolish to tell someone (especially in this economy) to pull something like this. Any half-knowledgeable HR person will most likely ensure you don't get hired. Unfortunately, it is a game of "kiss-ass and conform to corporate culture" and not one of merit. You can choose not to sell-out and find a company that conforms to your principles, but don't be surprised if you don't get hired.
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On April 04 2012 06:59 r00ty wrote: I'd never ever play the perfectionist card. If you play it, you should really back it up like No_Roo in the last post on the previous page (no offense, but i i think it's still lame, even if you are a perfectionist, most people won't believe you). If e.g there's a tiny tiny mistake in your application or your answers (which can always happen) and they realise it, you're screwed. A promising interview might turn into an embarrassment. Also it's the most lame standard answer if you fail to present it correctly/perfectly.
Also remember there's always luck involved in interviews.
I agree completely, it's a tough one to sell, don't do it unless you're very confident that you can back it up. Doubly so in the world of software development where it is such a common weakness. The strategy I use there can be applied to most weaknesses though, the goal of it being to articulate very clearly what trade off is being made because of your weakness, who pays the 'cost' for your weakness, and how it is paid for.
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On April 04 2012 04:38 Bippzy wrote:Show nested quote +On April 04 2012 02:27 Kaitlin wrote:On April 04 2012 02:21 AllHailTheDead wrote: when im asked for a bad quality I usually say I work too hard or Im always early
you know turn it around so its not really a bad quality
hasnt failed me yet Your potential employer will not consider working too hard as a negative, and the only negative that can come out of you always being early is if he is having an affair with his secretary and you showing up early would get in his way. Touché. Haha laughed a good while at this one. I tend to be a fan of "I'm intolerant of inefficient working enviroments." because, well, i am. Is that bad? Edit: Show nested quote +On April 04 2012 02:14 paralleluniverse wrote:On April 04 2012 02:11 Cuh wrote: I always planned on saying something to this extent: "My worst quality is probably, I'm a product of my enviroment, when im surrounded by good workers, I excel, but when around bad ones, im dragged down." probably can be worded better but you get the idea
I smell bullshit. Of course I smell bullshit for all the other answers. But I single out this one because it is particularly unique, whereas the others are common enough to not get a raised eyebrow, i.e. they are quite plausible. But this -- what a strange and random thing to say about yourself. It's not even a weakness. He always planned on saying something to this extent. Never does it say he did this. Actually, is it even ok to call out someone because they think they're lying in a thread about how to answer a question? Crap, i just fell for trollbait. I feel like his answer is something accurate about me though, so i this seems like an honest answer i could use.
Correct, Ive never actually said that at an interview, and im glad for the responses. "product of my enviroment" quote was something i always thought was cleaver, although to be a slight more specific where I'm coming from when i thought of this was that: In NON-LEADERSHIP position, if the foreman (I work in construction) was a slack off and I seen that there is no nothing more in it for me to work alot harder than just to match my peers. Although if everyone around was kicking ass, then i would also. Nt just for the sake of being segragated from the rest of the crew, but just the competitive aspect in me. The same can be said vice versa whereas if i was working so hard making everyone look bad, i would also be excluded.
But looking from an employers aspect i could understand where it may seem like an ignorant thing to say.
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I worked in HR for nearly three years and asked this question often myself.
There is no golden answer, you can't win this question flat out.
The interviewer doesn't care about your weaknesses, if you wouldn't be capable of doing the job, you wouldn't sit there in the first place.
It is a "stress" question. You are asking things that will make the other one feeling uncomfortable and generats stress. You want to see how he is reacting, not if he sneezes when sniffing flowers. (Yes I heared that one as well). It shows how good the other one is prepared and if the answer will match his profile in general.
Obviously there are some answers that are a "no go" like:
- I can't deal with stress - I'm not a morning type, I need 2-3 coffee and some hours before I'm even able to work - I'm a heavy drinker / smoker - I smoke weed - I hate working with "XYZ" kind of people
I always appreciated an answer that was explained and reasoned, no matter if I liked it or not. Examples would be:
- I'm very confident in what I'm doing, that often leads other people to think that I have a huge ego or that I'm an ass, which makes it hard sometimes to start a good relationship to other employers, I'm currently trying to step down from this focus and build it up over time so that others are more comfortable with me.
- I can work best with a set target and I lack motivation if there's no clear path visible to me. I have spotted this issue for a while now and I try to use this downtime to develop my skills in areas I think may be useful with the company.
Don't copy those though, they must fit your profile, if you are a nice, friendly guy who is very talkactive and does straight into my eyes without shiver etc I simply don't believe you if you tell me that you are shy towards new teammembers.
Long story short.
Don't lie - Don't copy common internet answers (If the HR is good they will know them because they heared it a thousend times) - Be yourself
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On April 04 2012 07:21 Kennigit wrote:Show nested quote +On April 04 2012 00:53 Kaitlin wrote:On April 04 2012 00:45 Kennigit wrote: Tell them its 2012 and you are concerned with the fact that they are using outdated methods of screening candidates. There is an incredibly high chance that every person they ask this question to has rehearsed an answer or is lying or both. If I were interviewing someone who had the audacity to tell me I was interviewing them incorrectly, my immediate response would be 'Clearly you wouldn't be happy here. Let's not waste any more of each other's time." Would you give me a sassy finger snap. There's actually very good reason to not want to work at a place like this, and if you are qualified enough one should treat BS interview questions and strong indicator of the nature of the company imo. There's a reason top talent companies and start ups alike have phased out these types of fluff questions - it doesn't tell if you if he's going to be a good programmer, team member, leader, follower, anything.
But the thread is about offering advice to a job seeker who is posed this question. Most posts have been offering suggestions on how to answer such a question. I'm not an Admin, but wouldn't arguments about the validity of the question and whether we would want to work for a company that asks such a question belong in a different thread ? For sure, an argument can be made that a highly competent, highly sought after employee could turn away from employers with stupid hiring practices, but we don't know if OP is in that position. As far as we know, he's just a guy trying to get a job by being prepared for his interviews.
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There's only one correct answer.
"My humility. I'm just too humble. That's my only weakness."
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I always wondered if you answer with something completely unrelated to the world of work. "I don't understand American football" - That is my biggest weakness.
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