James Baquet

    Mark sees his classmate Ming in the common room of their dorm.

    Mark: Hi, Ming. How was your job interview?

    Ming: Pretty good. But I kind of choked on one question. He asked, “What’s your greatest strength?” That was no problem.

    Mark: Uh, oh. I see the next one coming.

    Ming: Yes, you can probably guess. He asked, “What’s your greatest weakness?” How am I supposed to answer a question like that?

    Mark: For one thing, don’t use the word “weakness” in your answer. Say “One challenge for me” or “Something I’m working on.”

    Ming: That would have been good to know.

    Mark: Now, people who train others for interviews recommend three strategies for answering that question. The first one is to think of a weakness that won’t affect the job. If you’re applying as a manager at a fast-food restaurant, you could say, “Making PowerPoint presentations for clients is a challenge for me.”

    Ming: I see. A fast-food manager would never have to do that.

    Mark: Right. Another strategy is to talk about areas where you’ve improved. For example, “I used to be shy about speaking to large groups, but I’ve learned some techniques to improve my performance.”

    Ming: And then share some of the techniques?

    Mark: Yes, that would help.

    Ming: I think I’ve got it. What’s the third tip?

    Mark: “Turn a negative into a positive.”

    Ming: I don’t get it.

    Mark: Can you name a weakness?

    Ming: Sure. I worry a lot about making sure everything is exactly right, and sometimes it keeps me from finishing my work on time.

    Mark: I see. So maybe you could say, “Sometimes I’m too much of a perfectionist. But that means I’m pretty good at keeping records and writing reports.”

    Ming: Got it. Anything else?

    Mark: It might be useful to think of some times you’ve failed, and talk about how you handled them.

    Ming: What do you mean?

    Mark: Can you tell me something you did that was a mistake? Try for something that’s not too recent.

    Ming: Well, in high school, I was class president, and once I forgot to go to the class council meeting!

    Mark: Okay, that’s a good example. Now, what did you do?

    Ming: First, I called a special meeting, at a time convenient for everyone.

    Mark: Good...

    Ming: Then I apologized for missing the meeting, and didn’t make any bad excuses.

    Mark: Excellent. And then?

    Ming: Then I showed them that I had set a schedule in my phone so I’d never miss another meeting.

    Mark: Perfect, Ming! You took responsibility for what you had done, and you made sure that it would never happen again. That’s the sort of thing employers like to hear.