What is your greatest strength? What is your greatest weakness?

You're about to read a really old post. For our updated thoughts on this topic, please visit our newer post: Strengths and Weaknesses Revisited.
 

Yesterday, a reader asked us what he should say when an interviewer asks him to describe his strengths and weaknesses.  Zoë had a great answer:  Tell the truth.   

She’s right.  This is not a trick question, and the interviewer just wants to learn more about how you work and determine if you have good self-assessment skills.  After all, one of the values Microsoft requires of its employees is the ability to be “self-critical, questioning, and committed to personal excellence and self-improvement.”  No one’s perfect.  Not even BillG. :)   

That said, “Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses” is probably the most frequently asked interview question (not just at Microsoft), and it’s smart to be well-prepared with a good answer.  You definitely don’t want to say, “Uh, I’m really lazy.”  Be ready!  

As an avid Apprentice watcher, I will once again make a comparison between that entertaining (albeit pathetic, at times) show and it’s less cool cousin … real life.  In last week’s episode, Bill was asked what his biggest weakness was, and while he did have the right idea, his answer was not great.  He told his interviewer that his biggest weakness is that he is never satisfied.  The good part is that he thought of a weakness that could be a positive if properly controlled, but the bad part is he, quite honestly, sounded pretty cheesy and insincere with that answer, and his interviewer immediately realized that.

I’m not unlike Bill.  I remember when I interviewed for my job at Microsoft, I was asked this question, and I answered with the most cliché thing possible (which at the time, I thought was quite brilliant.)  I told my interviewer that I’m too much of a perfectionist.  I thought I was so clever to think of something most people would think was a strength and make it a detriment.

 Sometimes I still can’t believe I got this job.

Luckily, my interviewer pushed me harder on this question, and thankfully, I pulled it out of the water.  When he asked me to elaborate, I told him that since I am a perfectionist, I have the belief that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.  Consequently, I have a really hard time delegating tasks to others, and in the end, I often work overtime to finish a project, I walk away bitter, and my teammates feel like they don’t get to contribute as much as they would like.  I told him I was aware of this weakness, and I was working very hard to be a better team player.   I continued by telling him a specific example about a group project I had recently worked on back at school where the team assigned specific responsibilities and goals to each person … and so on and so forth.

 When the interviewer asked me my greatest strength, I think I again answered with the same statement:  I’m a perfectionist.  But this time I elaborated about how results and quality driven I am.

 I am by no means saying my answer was the best I’ve ever heard.  In fact, it was pretty lame.  I was 22; that was my first “real” interview; and I think I got lucky by having an interviewer who allowed me to go back and qualify my original answer.   But I think I did do a few things right.

 So my tips on the strengths/weaknesses question:

  1. Anticipate this question, and write down your strengths and weaknesses before the interview.  Maybe think of three each. 
  2. Ask the interviewer to clarify the question.  Depending on the type of interview, this question may be getting at general competencies, technical skills, teamwork situations, etc.  Always make sure you understand the question before answering.   
  3. Be prepared to explain why you believe your assertion and provide specific examples which illustrate this strength or weakness in action.
  4. If discussing a strength, explain how you’ve used your strength to help others perform better and improve the quality of work you were producing.  If discussing a weakness, be prepared to talk about lessons you’ve learned and your plan for improvement.

Above all else, remember this:  Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and interviewers know you are not perfect.  They are not trying to expose your flaws, but rather they are trying to determine what unique attributes you bring to the table and, mostly importantly, how you identify and adjust for your shortcomings. 

Be yourself … and prepare for this question. :)

gretchen

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

38 Comments

  • Robert Scoble said:

    I just want to know how I ever got past Zoe!

  • dbas said:

    While I can understand the reason for asking the questions, I personally rarely ask it because it puts candidate on defensive and it is kind of very private question. I think there are other ways to work around that issue without pushing somebody to spill his guts to the person he does not even know. I mean we all have weakness but I think that talk about them either puts people on defensive, or you get coached answer that sounds good, like the answer from Bill on Apprentice. You also advise to get prepared for that question. Who in the right mind will say anything bad about themselves while interviewing for the job?





    Interview is opportunity to shine. I feel that as interviewer it is my job to read between the lines and rely on my experience to read the candidate…

  • David Cumps said:

    I guess there are a lot of people out there who would give the same answer as you did ;) I would, at least, I recognize myself in the 'perfectionist' answer

  • Clark Kent said:

    For some people it's easy. My greatest strength is probably my ability to fly, leap tall buildings in a single bound, etc -- though the heat vision does come in handy as well.





    My greatest weakness? Kryptonite! Duh!

  • gretchen said:

    Robert - Yeah, we wonder, too. :)





    dbas - I agree with you actually. I never ask this question either, but I guess the problem is most people aren't the great interviewers we are. ;-)





    David - I think saying you are a perfectionist is fine, as long as you are ready to back it up with a logical answer.





    Clark - I'd add your blinding love for Lois on the weaknesses list. :)

  • Jeremy C. Wright said:

    My greatest strength and weakness are also the same: I'm very laid back when leading teams, preferring to give individuals ownership and help guide them than to micromanage.





    It's positive because it really enables people. When a team is working well this approach is fantastic at enabling individuals and teams to realize their true potential.





    It's a weakness because it's more difficult to find out when 'the system' isn't working. When someone's slacking. When someone's unhappy. When there are issues and someone isn't telling you.





    I'm learning to 'increase the feedback loop', but it's definitely both my strength and weakness.





    Oh, wait, this isn't an interview? ;-)

  • Garrett Fitzgerald said:

    re: Bernese -- my neighbor in Old Town, Maine used to have one, and Ranger was the sweetest puppy you could want to know. Mac would have socialized more with him if he hadn't had this bad habit of running up and down the fence at the other end of the yard, wearing a strip in the grass while tormenting the dog in the next yard over... :-)

  • TDavid said:

    Creative answers are always good when applying for creative positions ;) Non-fiction of course, as stated in the above piece.

  • CM said:

    The questions I was asked when I interviewed at Microsoft were not simple and direct like these. Based only on my experience, I would say that it is a good idea to be prepared to be out of the comfort zone of answering traditional questions, and to be able to discuss your current position and projects that you are working on in detail.

  • gretchen said:

    CM - I agree. This question might be one of hundreds of questions you may hear during a typical Microsoft interview process, and yes, most questions we ask do require you to step outside your comfort zone.





    My point is that no matter where and what you interview for ... An Exec at a small company, an intern at a big company, a lifeguard at a local pool (that was me) ... interviewers love this question. It never hurts to prepare for questions you can anticipate.

  • Jeremy C. Wright said:

    You mean, like "do you REALLY LOOOOVE JobsBlog?" ;-)





    I am so ready for that question. Ready!

  • gretchen said:

    Well, there you go! That's what I like to hear. :)

  • Heather said:

    Wow..that was nice of your interviewer to let you explain how being a perfectionist is a weakness. I rarely (if ever) ask this question. But if someone told me that they were a perfectionist, I'd probably takes notes: "biggest weakness = lack of self-evaluation skills" ; )





    Of course, you co-workers don't think you have any weaknesses Gretchen! Now you've let the cat out of the bag.





    By the way, Bill's answer on The Apprentice annoyed the heck out of me. That look of panic on his face wasn't "oh, that's not a weakness...really?" it was "uh-oh, she's on to my BS"





    Go Kwame go!

  • Jeremy C. Wright said:

    Yeah, which would you really rather have. An indecisive fence sitter who talks well to the camera but hardly communicates with his team or a BS'er who can't talk to the camera but can talk to his team.





    Tough call.





    Assuming, of course, that the way they are presented is in fact who they are :)





    Ah well, only 48 more hours!

  • gretchen said:

    I have to say I've been a fan of Kwame's from the beginning. I think there is something to him, but you are right, Jeremy ... it's all about the editing.





    If Bill wins, I know a few recruiters here are ready to launch their "Hire Kwame" campaign on Friday.

  • Jeremy C. Wright said:

    I bet you aren't the only ones. That's the great thing about these shows, as long as you don't come off as a total arse you're just about guaranteed a job somewhere.





    It's often better to not win. So I vote Bill to win so I can work with Kwame when I get a job at Microsoft!

  • KC Lemson said:

    Kwame, really? I favor Bill, ever since he came up with the incentive program at the restaurant I've liked what he's done.

  • Jeremy C. Wright said:

    Bill seems like a nice guy. Some confidence issues (I think I'd relate to him too much!), but he really seems to blow far more smoke around than Kwame does.





    I've never seen Kwame throw a "who does she think I am, some kind of rookie? Let me tell you, I'm no rookie, I've created lots of multimillion dollar companies. No sir, I can't believe she called me a rookie" tantrum.





    Then again, I think Bill would have been more decisive with Omarosa.





    I actually think they're both really great candidates for the job, just that editing is showing us the worst parts. Just like a job interview, eh?

  • Kevin Daly said:

    After being faced with this question at many, many interviews (including for jobs I did actually get), I'm *still* trying to work out how to put a positive spin on "I have a low boredom threshold".

  • Smooches said:

    I need a good answer for my interview. What is your strength and weakness. Help!!!!

  • gretchen said:

    Weakness: Self-evaluation skills? :) Seriously though, just be honest. in what areas do you excel? in what areas do you need improvement? There is not a right or wrong answer. The key to answering this question well is your delivery. Like I said in the post, if you think of a weakness, be able to follow that up with your plan for improving the weakness.

  • G.Venkoba Rao said:

    Tell me 5 weakness and 5 stregths for a common candidates.

  • gretchen said:

    I think it totally depends on the role I'm trying to fill. Different openings require different strengths. As for weaknesses, check out my post on the "dreaded HR Interview." I talk about something I don't like to see in interviews there.

  • jess said:

    i would have to say about my strength is that i am a personal trait which is i am flexible, honest, team player, communication skills. and i would have to say that my weakness would have to be i really enjoy working and sometimes i put into much time, but being aware of my tendacy to over come work, i have learned to pace myself and work less. sometimes when i am asked questions like that i really don't now what to say to them. i don't even know why we have to have interviews at all it should be first come first served


    well got to go see ya later

  • Santhosh said:

    My strength is my confidence.


    Tell him that i am still searching for my weakness

  • G Madhavi said:

    I have so many strenghts and weaknesses but still i can say my greatest strength is my Will power and confidence, my greatest weakness is sensitiveness.

  • e said:

    ui

  • subash roul said:

    i want to know some technical and non-technical strengths & weakness for my interview.so please help me on my e-mail.

  • Gary Yuan said:

    Thanks. Your answer should help my job interview tomorrow.

  • Girish Hiremath said:

    well this seems to set the interview. i guess one should be very carefull

  • nadia said:

    i also  to know some technical and non-technical strengths & weakness for my interview.so please help me on my e-mail.

  • Microsoft's JobsBlog said:

    Leaving the cafeteria after lunch today, I noticed the front page of today’s USA Today : 10 Lessons

  • yeshi dorji said:

    some tips of weakness and strength

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