Interview questions. Scenario 3 of 11. Self-awareness

What is your biggest weakness?

The interview is going well. Then the interviewer asks: "What would you say is your biggest weakness?"

Which answer works best?

Say, "I'm a perfectionist. I just work too hard."

Not the best call

Interviewers have heard this one many times, and it reads as dodging the question. They are not trying to catch you out. They want to see whether you know yourself and can take feedback.

Say you do not really have any.

Not the best call

Everyone has something to work on, and they know it. This answer suggests either that you are not being honest or that you have not thought about it. Neither helps you.

Name a real, manageable weakness, and say what you do about it. For example, you can get absorbed in one task, so you set reminders to check your other work.

Good call

A real weakness with a real fix shows the thing they are looking for: you notice problems and deal with them. Choose one that is true and that is not the main skill the job needs.

Be completely frank. Say you are often late and find it hard to get on with managers.

Not the best call

Honesty matters, but you do not have to offer the most damaging thing you can think of, with no sign it is improving. Pick something true that you are actively managing, and say how.

The principle

The weakness question is really "do you know yourself, and do you act on it?" Give one real weakness, then the specific thing you do to manage it.