12 Incredible Answers to “What Is Your Greatest Weakness?” — That Aren’t “Perfectionism”

So, you’ve finally got your foot in the door at your dream company. You’ve submitted the perfect resume and made a lasting impression during the phone screen. All there’s left to do now is to win over the hiring manager in the face-to-face interview.

As a well-informed candidate, you’re doing your research on the company and preparing your answers to the most important interview questions you can think of — the most notorious of them all being: “What is your greatest weakness?”

You don’t want to respond, “I tend to work too hard,” or “I am too much of a perfectionist.” That can easily come across as scripted and insincere at best and lacking in self-awareness at worst.

Alternatively, you don’t want to respond with weaknesses that will prevent you from succeeding in the role. For instance, if you’re applying to be a project manager, you don’t want to admit that you’re “not very good with time management.”

Fortunately, there are ways to answer this question that will help you demonstrate your value as a candidate. Here, we’ve cultivated some incredible answers to the mainstay, “What is your greatest weakness” question — and don’t worry, these answers aren’t “perfectionism.”

Best Answer for What is your weakness?

Interviewers who ask “What is your greatest weakness?” want to know how honest and self-aware you are. They are also looking for evidence that you have a drive to improve upon your weaknesses. The best answers to this question sincerely explain a weakness and provide an example of how you are actively working on being better.

1. Choose a weakness that will not prevent you from succeeding in the role.

When an interviewer asks, “What is your greatest weakness?” they want to find out:

• Whether you have a healthy level of self-awareness
• Whether you can be open and honest, particularly about shortcomings
• Whether you pursue self-improvement and growth opportunities to combat these issues, as opposed to letting these weaknesses hold you back

Ultimately, you’ll want to use this question to demonstrate how you’ve used a weakness as motivation to learn a new skill or grow professionally. Everyone has weaknesses — your interviewer doesn’t expect you to be perfect.

If you’re applying for a copywriting position with little necessity for math skills, you might admit, “I struggle with numbers, and don’t have much experience with data analytics. While math is not directly tied to my role as a writer, I believe it’s important to have a rudimentary understanding of Google Analytics to ensure my work is performing well. To tackle this weakness, I’ve been taking online courses in data analytics.”

An answer like this shows the hiring manager that you recognize your areas for growth and are able to act on them without being told to do so. This kind of self-starter attitude is a plus for virtually any team.

2. Be honest and choose a real weakness.

The answer “perfectionism” won’t cut it when talking about your biggest weakness because it’s not a real weakness. Perfectionism can never be attained — it’s a fear-based pattern that leads to short-term rewards like getting the job done early and exceeding expectations. However, in the long-term, trying to attain perfectionism leads to burnout, low-quality work, and missed deadlines. Burnout is one of the biggest contributors to decreased productivity, turnover, and low employee engagement — all of which cost a company money, time, and talent.

Instead, choose a real weakness. Underneath the desire to do perfect work may lie a weakness of trust. Perhaps you don’t trust that you’ll be able to make mistakes on the team, so you strive to do everything perfectly. That’s a real weakness that you can definitely overcome.

3. Provide an example of how you’ve worked to improve upon your weakness or learn a new skill to combat the issue.

Hiring managers don’t expect you to overcome your weaknesses completely overnight. Everyone has areas they must constantly work on to keep them sharp. Think of it this way — if you’ve dedicated six months to working out, you won’t be able to stop one day and maintain your progress. It’s an ongoing process that you have to work at.

4. Think about weaknesses in your own personal life.

If you humanize yourself in the interview, it’ll allow your interviewer to connect and visualize working with you in the future. It’s not just about weaknesses that pertain to the job. For example, if you are an introvert and you notice your preference for quiet time stops you from taking risks, this is a relatable weakness. When you demonstrate your self-awareness this way, it shows you understand that self-improvement correlates to work performance.

5. Think of where you’d like to be and what support you need to get there.

Overall, growth is a part of life. Think about people you look up to that may be related to the field that you’re in. Ask yourself what character traits those people have and what work you might need to do in order to get there. By providing an example of how you’re working to improve your area of weakness, you’ll give the interviewer a glimpse into a few positive attributes about your awareness, including that:

• You know how to identify and mitigate issues that come up.
• You’ve found a helpful solution to a problem that you and perhaps others on the team face, which means you can be an immediate resource to the team.
• You demonstrate self-awareness and an ability to take feedback from others.

More often than not, you’re going to need to look outside of yourself to overcome a weakness. Whether you look to your supervisor, the HubSpot Blog, or a mentor for help, the simple act of seeking help demonstrates self-awareness and resourcefulness — two skills that are hard to teach, but valuable to learn. Tapping into your resources shows the interviewers that you can solve problems when the answer is not yet clear. That’s a character trait that has a place on any team.

Briefly share an example of a time when you asked someone for help in an area that you’ve identified as a weakness. This gives the hiring team a clear picture of how you’ll work with the team to balance out that weakness.

6. Don’t be arrogant and don’t underestimate yourself.

The most important thing you can do when responding to the question “What is your greatest weakness?” is exhibit confidence in your answer. (If lack of confidence is your weakness, keep reading.) Even if you’re not the most confident person, I’m going to assume you’re at least honest with yourself. If you’ve identified an area of weakness and you’re sure about it, let that assurance shine through in your answer. There’s no need to feel embarrassed about something you’re genuinely not good at as long as you’re working to get better.

Before you start expressing a genuine weakness to your interviewer, get comfortable with the types of answers that make hiring managers want to work with you. Take a look at the following examples and find a few that fit your personality and work style. Then, practice reciting them aloud so they come naturally to you.

How to Identify Your Greatest Weakness

As we already mentioned, your answer must be honest while also not jeopardizing your chance at getting the job. So, how exactly do you figure out which weakness to talk about? Here are some tips:

1. Rule out any skills that are listed in the job description.

Scan through every detail of the job listing and make sure weakness isn’t included in the required skills and responsibilities.

For example, say you’re applying to be a senior product marketing manager. The job description says that the company is looking for someone who is a skilled storyteller, can interpret data and market research, and is self-driven and adaptable to change.

Because these are essential skills for the role, you wouldn’t want to mention them as your weakness. Doing so would make you seem less competent and risk your chances at getting the job.

2. Consider weaknesses that you have overcome.

While preparing your answer, reflect on what you’ve learned and improved while working in your current role.

Talk about your early struggles in learning or improving upon a skill and explain to the interviewer what you did to overcome it.

For example, early on in my career I struggled with analyzing and interpreting marketing data. In order to improve these skills, my manager mentored me and gave me weekly assignments that allowed me to practice data interpretation.

Within a few months, I went from being a content marketer who was averse to data to one who embraced it.

3. Find inspiration by looking through old performance reviews.

If you’re having trouble thinking of a specific weakness example, read through old self-assessments and performance reviews. These documents provide examples of your strengths as well as the areas you can improve upon, making them a great source of inspiration.

Depending on how long you have worked at your current company, you may be reminded of old weaknesses that you now consider strengths. This can help you craft an answer that shows your willingness to work on yourself.

Ready? Here are examples of how you might answer “What is your greatest weakness?” and why they work.

1. Lack of Patience

This answer works because the weakness — the inability to be patient when working with a team — doesn’t hinder your ability to perform well in the role, since it’s a job that doesn’t rely on teamwork to succeed. Additionally, you display an eagerness to develop strategies to combat your weakness, which is a critical skill in the workplace.

2. Lack of Organization

Plenty of people have messy desks. This answer works because it’s a relatable and fixable weakness. You note that disorganization doesn’t interfere with your ability to do your job, which is critical, but you also acknowledge it might make you less efficient. To ensure you’re performing at 100%, you mention personal steps you’ve taken to improve your organization skills for the sake of self-improvement alone, which suggests a level of maturity and self-awareness.

3. Trouble with Delegation

This answer allows you to demonstrate an ability to pursue a new skill when a role calls for it and suggests you’re capable of flexibility, which is critical for long-term growth. Additionally, you are able to showcase a level of initiative and leadership when you mention the successful implementation of a new process that enabled you to succeed in your past role, despite your weakness.

4. Timidity

This answer works because you’ve explained how you were able to turn a weakness into a strength through real-world experience. Typically, timidity can be seen as a flaw in the workplace, particularly if a role requires someone to provide feedback to others. In this case, you’re able to demonstrate how timidity can be used as a strength, through thoughtful reflection and practice.

5. Lack of Tactfulness

Oftentimes, facets of our personalities can help us in certain areas of our work, while hindering us in others. That’s natural. However, you must demonstrate an ability to recognize when your personality interferes with the functions of your role, and how you can solve for that.

In this example, you first explain how your blunt nature allows you to be successful in certain situations. Then, you mention that you understand your bluntness can be seen as a lack of empathy and provide examples of how you’ve attempted to solve this issue. Ultimately, your awareness of how you might be perceived by others shows a level of emotional intelligence, which is a critical asset for a team leader.

6. Fear of Public Speaking

In this example, you mention a skill that isn’t applicable to the role, but one which you nonetheless have been working to improve. This shows your desire to meet more business needs than necessary in your current role, which is admirable. Additionally, it’s impressive if you can show you’re willing to reach out to your manager with areas in which you want to improve, instead of waiting for your manager to suggest those areas of improvement to you. It demonstrates a level of ambition and professional maturity.

7. Weak Data Analysis Skills

In this example, you’re able to show your desire to go above and beyond a job description and actively seek out skills that could be helpful to the success of your company as a whole. This type of company-first mentality shows the interviewer you’re dedicated to making yourself a valuable asset, and try your best to understand the needs of the whole department, rather than just your role.

8. Indecisiveness

This answer works because you’re demonstrating that you can both follow a leader and sharpen your leadership skills. It’s alright to not know what to do in the moment. Admitting that you relied on strong leadership shows that you can be a follower when needed, but knowing when to step up is important, too. With this answer, you’re showing that you’ll step up if a situation calls for decisiveness.

9. Harsh Self-Criticism

This answer works because your interviewer may relate; we all have harsh inner critics. It’s also effective because 1) It shows that you’re willing to work on your weaknesses outside of work, not just during business hours, and 2) It demonstrates your inner critic may have valid points. Discerning when to dismiss it is key to prevent burnout and increase productivity. Realizing how the inner critic may inhibit good work ethic demonstrates your willingness to grow and be an effective worker.

10. Micromanaging

This answer works best if you’ve been in a leadership position before and are applying to a managerial role. However, you can still apply it to past experiences where you did have to show leadership. This answer shows that while you may be used to running your crew or team a specific way, you’re willing to admit when your method isn’t the most effective. Showing your flexibility demonstrates your ability to grow.

11. Talkative

This answer works because it shows you’re aware of how your talkative tendencies may be distracting in the workplace. It takes a lot of courage to admit that. It also shows you are willing to develop a relationship with coworkers but not at the cost of productivity.

12. Trouble Maintaining a Work-Life Balance

At first, this might seem like a “strength” weakness — pouring yourself into work is great, right? That means you love your job. But if it impacts your productivity and your relationships with coworkers, that is not so great. This answer works because it doesn’t just say, “I work a lot, so my home life suffers.” It says, “I work a lot to the point of burnout, and I’ve realized that I need to structure my day.” If you’ve struggled with work-life balance issues in the past, it’s important to state how you’re restoring that balance and how it has impacted your work.

Tips for Talking About Weaknesses in Job Interviews

Now that you know the most effective answers and best practices for choosing a weakness, it’s time for the hard part: Actually delivering the answer to the interviewer. Let’s go over some tips for answering “What is your greatest weakness?” live.

1. Practice your answer beforehand.

Practice does not make perfect, but it certainly makes better. While it’s not guaranteed that an interviewer will ask you about weaknesses, there’s a high possibility that they will. You want to be prepared for that moment by practicing the tone and delivery of your answer with a friend or in the mirror.

There’s nothing worse than stumbling over an interview answer, especially for this question about weaknesses. It’s totally okay to stutter a bit — we all get nervous — but you want your answer to be as coherent and brief as possible. If you ramble, stumble too much, or go back on your words, you’ll seem unprepared or, worse, like you’re lying.

Once you’ve written up your answer, be sure to read it out loud to yourself several times, then retrieve it from memory. Change your wording here and there, and know that it’s okay to improvise so long as the bones of your answer remain the same.

2. Look the interviewer in the eye and project confidence.

Since you’ve hopefully practiced several times, this should come naturally, but we can’t overemphasize it: When answering “What is your weakness?,” try to maintain eye contact with your interviewer during most of the answer, and project confidence while you speak.

“Project confidence while talking about my weakness?” you may ask. Yes! You want to own up to your most urgent opportunities of growth — not seem like you’re cowed or intimidated by your own shortcomings, or like your self-esteem has suffered dramatically. (Hint: It totally may have, and that’s okay, but your interviewer shouldn’t know that tidbit). You can take solace in that you’re not alone. All of us have weaknesses to work on.

You can increase your level of confidence during your answer by identifying how you’ve been working on this weakness. In fact, by focusing the core of your answer on how you’ve already improved in this area, you’ll seem more self-assured and actualized by default.

3. Be brief and to-the-point.

We don’t want to linger too much on weaknesses; try to keep your answer short, between the length of thirty seconds and one minute. Even still, only the first statement should directly state your weakness, and the rest of the answer should be dedicated to the tools and strategies you’re using to overcome it.

Alternatively, you may give a brief anecdote on what you learned from dealing with that weakness in your personal life or at work.

Don’t think you have to over-elaborate, either. State, in as simple terms as possible, the steps you’ve taken to improve. Your interviewer likely has much more pressing questions to ask about your direct experience, and the answer to this question is not as critical in the overall process as we all may think.

4. Understand the interviewer’s goal.

Your interviewer’s goal is not to intimidate you, scare you, or create a “gotcha!” moment. They’re also not looking to disqualify you based on your answer. The “What is your greatest weakness?” question is simply another way for interviewers to get to know your soft personal and professional attributes.

They’re not looking to find out that you “totally suck” at the job you applied for — if you applied, you’re likely qualified. They’re also not looking to find out about your hard professional skills and attributes; other questions are better suited for that. Rather, they want to know if you have enough self-awareness to identify your opportunities for growth. Do you have poise when speaking about your weakness? Do you gracefully accept feedback?

Including anecdotes about previous feedback you’ve received, projecting confidence, and making it clear that you’re taking steps to improve will be enough to fly with high marks during this question.

5. Don’t stress too much over your answer.

Good news: Hiring decisions don’t come down to your answer to “What is your weakness?” Shocking, I know! Sometimes it seems like it, because it can feel like such a loaded question.

Not to worry: You can rest easy. As long as you’re honest and state how you’re trying to improve, this question will likely be low in your interviewer’s notes, unless you lie about your weakness, use a “fake” weakness such as “I’m too organized,” or simply evade the question entirely.

Even if you stutter a little bit, you’ll be okay. So, relax, be certain in your answer, stay self-aware, and simply take it as part of the conversation between you and the interviewer. The other questions regarding your skills and how you can help their company are much, much more critical to their hiring decision.

6. Showcase your personality while keeping it professional.

Is humor your style? How about dry wit? You can introduce some of that during this question, but only lightly, and only after you’ve gauged the company’s culture and examined the interviewer’s personality. If you’re interviewing for a highly corporate job, we recommend keeping humor to a minimum. But no matter what, you can always show your personality in your inflection, tone, and delivery.

Take, for instance:

Compare that with:

Neither of these is better over the other, but they both show different personality types, and you can do the same.

There’s Strength In Every Weakness

Regardless of whether you’re bad with numbers or you tend not to speak up in group settings, there’s a strength behind every weakness. The strength is in how you work to overcome it. Leaning on your teammates who excel in those areas is a great way to show that you’ll work well on the team and that you know how to use your resources to solve problems. Taking professional development courses shows that you’re willing to work toward improvement. No matter which of these answers you share with the hiring team, they’ll be more than happy to help you grow and exceed the expectations of the role.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.