Best Answer For What Is Your Greatest Weakness

While this question isn’t a trick question it’s a bad one to ask, yet most interviewers still ask it. And like clockwork, they get what I call “Miss America” answers. What is your greatest weakness? Well, I just want world peace.

Open-ended questions like this catch us off guard and they can be hard to answer in a way that shows confidence and competence. To make it harder, no one likes to talk about their flaws or mistakes either.

And don’t get me started on the advice I’ve read about how to answer this question. Everyone wants to disguise a strength as a weakness it seems. If you follow that advice, I can tell you - you’ve failed the question. I’ve sat on the other side of the hiring table. I’ve worked with hundreds of hiring managers and debriefed with thousands of candidates over the past 10 years and no one is falling for your ruse.

I like to approach it similar to how I approach the “Tell me about a time you failed” question. And yes, there are acceptable weaknesses and unacceptable ones that can lose you the job.

I like the way Sam Owens puts it in his book, “I hate job interviews.” Sam says you have three options and he’s right.

1. You can fake a weakness. I hate not coming to work. It just makes me sad to miss a day of work.

2. You can give a real one, but an unacceptable one. I just don’t work well with other people. My coworkers drive me crazy.

3. You can give an acceptable answer and an improvement plan you’ve put into action.

I like the third. This article is going to discuss how you can do that well and give you some examples of the best answers I’ve heard for “What is your weakness?”

Why Do Interviewers Ask This Question

I always like to understand why a question is being asked so I can give the proper response. This one, fortunately, is pretty straightforward. While it may seem like interviewers ask this question to make you squirm, they don’t.

This question is usually asked to gauge 4 things.

1. Self-awareness

2. Growth-mindset

3. Emotional Intelligence

4. Introspection

Those are all valuable characteristics for just about every job out there, which is why this question is so common. That’s also why if you follow the advice on places like Reddit and try to disguise a strength as a weakness, you’re basically telling the interviewer that you possess none of those characteristics.

Alternatives to This Question

If you’re a recruiter or hiring manager reading this, I do think there are better questions to gauge those characteristics. If you ask this question, you’re almost sure to get a canned answer about something that isn’t really a weakness.

Instead, try asking a question like, “Tell me about a time when your actions cost your previous company money or resources?” Ask that and you’re more likely to get a real answer. The more specific your question is, the more specific of an answer you’ll usually get in return.

If you’re a job seeker reading this, be aware that there are similar questions that are used to gauge the same 4 traits I listed earlier (such as the one I just gave to all my recruiting friends a minute ago). Here are a few more I’ve heard over the years.

• What areas of your professional development are you currently working to improve?

• If you could enhance one professional skill right now, what would it be?

• What's one piece of constructive feedback you've received from a past manager?

• Tell me about a time you had to overcome a professional challenge or limitation.

• What aspect of your work do you find most challenging?

• Which of your skills would you like to further develop in this role?

• How do you handle areas where you feel less confident?

• What's one thing you'd like to be better at in your professional life?

• When it comes to your work, where do you see the most room for growth?

• What are you doing to address your areas of improvement?

How to Answer What is Your Greatest Weakness

So, how do you answer what is your greatest weakness? Let’s make this really simple. Here is a four-step process.

Pick a Real Weakness

Yes, you have to pick a real weakness and share it with the interviewer but don’t pick anything directly related to the key qualifications for the job. If the job requires you to be good at it, don’t share that weakness. That will raise more questions and red flags and you’ll be trying to dig yourself out of a hole the entire interview.

If you can’t get the basics of the job, you’re not going to get the job. No one wants to hire someone they have to babysit or constantly worry about.

Don’t spend a lot of time talking about your weaknesses. Mention it and focus the majority of your answer on the remaining 3 steps. Remember, the goal isn’t to share character flaws, it’s to show introspection and growth.

Jeff Su, who works for Google suggests picking a weakness that is a skill you currently lack, but you see in a more senior position. I think this is a great idea because you’re not expected to have that skill yet at your level.

For example, a Staff Accountant may pick reconciling complex balance sheet accounts such as lease obligations or debt. Those aren’t really expected of a Staff Accountant. I would expect a Senior Accountant to do those things.

Share How You Identified It

Tell them how you figured out that this was a weakness. What caused you to identify it? Did you identify it quickly? Was there a particular experience that led you to examine this? This is your chance to show your self-awareness.

Explain the Steps You’ve Taken

Tell the interviewer about some of the things you’ve done to improve on this weakness. What steps have you taken? Is there a new tool you use? Did you take courses to learn about it? The goal here is to show ownership of your weakness and a growth mindset.

If working to improve your weakness was frustrating, it’s ok to share that. Tell them how you pushed through that frustration. That’s a great way to show growth-mindset.

Share Some Wins

Finally share some of your wins, even if they are small wins. This is obviously a weakness, so no one is expecting you to bring about world peace using it. But let them know some of the progress you’ve made and how this weakness isn’t as big of a weakness as it may have once been.

How to Come Up With a Legitimate, Acceptable Weakness

You may be struggling to come up with a weakness to share in an interview - I know I did when I was interviewing. If that’s the case, here are some ideas to help you find the right one to share.

Ask Yourself What Your Weaknesses Are

It seems simple, but ask yourself the question and write down everything that comes to mind. Don’t rule anything out at this point, just get it all on paper or in a document. If you’re not good at it or you haven’t had much practice with something and you’d consider it a weakness, write it down.

If you’re struggling with this, look at old performance reviews. What did you need to improve on? What have people said about you in the past? Where have you felt like you dropped the ball in the past?

How Do You Know These Are Weaknesses

Next to each one, write down how you know those are weaknesses of yours. This will help you with the self-awareness part of the answer.

Your Reaction to Realizing These Weaknesses

How did you react when you realized that these were weaknesses of yours? Is there a story there? Did you take action? Did you change something in your life or work? This will help you with the growth mindset part of the answer.

Identify Weaknesses That Are Not Related to the Job

Put a star next to each of the weaknesses that are not directly related to or necessary to do the job you will be interviewing for. You want to pick one of these when you answer the question in the interview.

Identify Weaknesses You’ve Overcome

Out of the ones, you’ve put a star next to, now circle the ones you’ve overcome or made significant progress in. You want to be able to share wins during your answer, this will help you identify the options where you can do this.

Best Answers for What Is Your Greatest Weakness

As I do with all my interview guides, I want to share some of the best answers I’ve heard throughout my recruiting career. Here are some of my favorites.

Accounting Example

This example would work well for someone interviewing for an entry-level or early mid-level accounting job. It works well because it focuses on a skill that isn’t expected at this level.

Sample Answer

One area I would consider to be a weakness is my experience with complex financial modeling in Excel. While I'm proficient in basic Excel functions like if statements and pivot tables, I recognize that advanced modeling skills will be valuable for growth in my accounting career. I identified this gap when I was working on a forecasting project at XYZ company and realized there were more efficient ways to structure the analysis.

To address this, I've taken several steps. I completed an advanced Excel course focused on financial modeling, and I've been practicing by creating more sophisticated models in my current role. I've also joined an online community of accounting professionals where we share Excel tips and templates. While I'm still growing in this area, I've already seen improvement in my ability to create more insightful dashboards.

Sales Example

This example works well because it’s not a critical skill for the job.

Sample Answer

I would say my public speaking skills in large group settings. While I excel in one-on-one sales conversations and small group presentations, two years ago I was asked to present at our company’s annual kick-off conference. I found myself more nervous than usual addressing a room of 200+ people.

To improve, I joined a group communications coaching cohort where I attend weekly meetings and practice speaking to larger audiences. I’ve also volunteered to lead our team’s weekly meeting to get more comfortable speaking to groups and using the new skills I’ve been learning, even when it’s not directly related to sales.

I’ve already noticed my confidence level increase and this last month I gave a presentation to our entire regional sales team of 50 people about a new product launch with positive feedback about my delivery and engagement with the audience. I’m still working on it, but I’m proud of the progress I’ve made.

Engineering Example

This example works well because it focuses on specific improvement techniques and is a weakness that this person has begun to overcome.

Sample Answer

I've had to work on my tendency to dive too deep into technical problems without considering time constraints. I discovered this early in my career when I spent three days optimizing a function that, while technically better, only provided marginal improvements to our system's performance.

Since then, I've implemented a structured approach to problem-solving where I first outline the business impact and set clear time boxes for investigation. I've also started using the RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) framework to better prioritize technical improvements.

Over the past two years, I've become much more effective at balancing technical excellence with practical constraints. Recently, I led a critical infrastructure upgrade where I was able to identify the most impactful optimizations while staying within our sprint timeline. I remember my team lead specifically noting how my improved prioritization skills helped us deliver the project on schedule.

Receptionist Example

This example works well because it focuses on a skill that isn’t required for the job but would be an added benefit. It also shows elements of introspection and growth.

Sample Answer

I would say my biggest weakness has been my hesitancy to speak up in group settings. I realized this was an area for improvement during staff meetings at my last position, where I sometimes held back valuable suggestions about our front desk procedures because I was concerned about how they would be received.

I’ve started to work on this by setting a goal to contribute at least one idea or observation in each team meeting. I also joined our company's social committee, which gave me practice speaking up in a lower-pressure environment.

I like to think these efforts have really paid off. Last quarter, I suggested a new system for managing our office's package deliveries that was implemented company-wide, and I now regularly contribute to our weekly team discussions. While I still sometimes feel nervous speaking up in large groups, I've learned to push through that initial hesitation because I know my input can help improve our workplace processes.

Overly Detailed

Sample Answer

I tend to be overly detailed in my work. From a young age, I think I was a bit of a perfectionist and I realized it pretty early on. I know that doesn’t sound like a weakness, but I’ve had to learn how to manage it because at one point it would cause me to miss deadlines.

Over the years I’ve used multiple project management tools, whether at work or for my personal use to keep track of things I’m working on. I put the deadline in there, but more importantly, I make sure I’m clear with myself on what the standard really is. Because I know I have a tendency to do extra, this helps me control that urge.

I’ve built in as part of my process to ask questions at work too so I know exactly what needs to be done and the quality level expected. Will I do a little extra if time allows, sure, but if other things are in my project management tool with deadlines and I’ve met the standard I’ve established, I move on.

For the past 5 years, I’ve never missed a deadline and I’ve never had any quality issues with my work and I’m proud of that because it took quite a bit of work to get here.

Public Speaking

Sample Answer

It may not seem like it today in this interview, but I’m a shy person. I can still remember in my teens, not making eye contact with people because I was so shy. During my early career this bled into my work when I had to give presentations or speak to a large group.

I still don’t enjoy public speaking, which is why I’m applying for your job, which to my understanding doesn’t involve large group presentations, but I’ve made some significant improvements. One of the things I did was volunteer with the Institute of Management Accountants. At first, I would man the sign-in table and make it a priority to say hello to everyone and make them feel welcome. After about a year, I started to introduce the speakers at our conferences.

I think the real change for me occurred when I realized it didn’t matter what anyone thought about me, that it was safe to be myself and I’m quite pleased with the progress I’ve made on this considering it’s not my natural inclination to be the center of attention.

Conflict

Sample Answer

I was raised in a family that is notorious for avoiding conflicts and let’s just say, it didn’t do me any favors as a young adult. I struggled with pushing back when my plate was too full. Fortunately, when I was working my second job at XYZ company, I had two projects I was working on that experienced delays because of my inability to push back when others kept adding to my task list beyond my capacity.

At the time it wasn’t a good feeling, but looking back it’s probably one of the best things that could have happened for my career because out of that I realized that by avoiding conflict, I was creating more conflict to deal with later.

I think that experience and that realization alone have changed how I see conflict as well. Prioritizing your work and communicating your capacity to others, I think, minimizes conflict in the long run. I’ve learned that as long as you approach these situations with openness for dialogue and the desire to find solutions rather than just avoid work and conflict, it usually creates win-win situations for everyone involved.

How to Improve a Weakness

I think it’s worth spending a minute to discuss how to improve a weakness in case you haven’t taken action on anything yet. Here are some ideas that have been shared with me throughout my career.

Use a Tool or Software

I’m not always the most organized person and my wife will tell you that unless it gets written down, I’m likely to forget about it. I know this is a weakness of mine so I’ve made use of a free project management tool called Hive. This app literally manages my whole life.

Take Classes

I know we’re all “course’d” out. There’s a course for everything these days, but sometimes I do think it helps to take a class or course if you need to build a skill. At one time, marketing was a real weakness of mine, so I bought a course on marketing for around $300 and it made a huge difference.

Ask for Feedback Often

Sometimes it helps to elicit feedback. It can be hard to see the forest among the trees when we’re trying to change a behavior or improve a weakness. Others can help keep us grounded in reality and give us real feedback on how we’re improving. They can also give us ideas about how we can improve. Feedback is given most to those who ask for it. Ask.

Hire a Coach

There’s a coach for just about anything these days. If communication is an issue for you, hire a communications coach. If interviews are a problem for you, hire an interview coach. Coaches come in all shapes and sizes so vet them well, make sure they have experience doing what you are trying to do, and make sure you jive with them before hiring one.

Tips for Answering What is Your Greatest Weakness

Lastly, I want to cover some quick tips for answering this question.

1. Spend most of your time addressing the improvements you’ve made to conquer your weakness, spend less time talking about the actual weakness itself.

2. Stay away from any weaknesses that show you don’t have the basic competencies for the job. This will obviously vary from job to job.

3. If possible, choose a weakness that involves a skill of a role more senior than the one you are interviewing for. No one will expect you to be good at that (yet).

4. Give specific examples when discussing your weakness and what you’ve done to improve upon it.

5. Do not say that you don’t have any weaknesses. Everyone does.

6. Don’t try to disguise a strength as a weakness. Every hiring manager and recruiter knows this playbook and it will make you look bad.

How Do You Answer What Is Your Greatest Weakness Recommended Reading

Communication Coach Roundup [My Favorite Communication Coaches and Tips to Select A Good One]

Why Are You Leaving Your Current Job [9 Sample Answers]

What Are Your Salary Expectations [3 Expert Answers]

How to Use AI for Interviews [5 Tools Your Peers Are Using]

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Cole Sperry has been a recruiter and resume writer since 2015, working with tens of thousands of job seekers, and hundreds of employers. Today Cole runs a boutique advisory firm consulting with dozens of recruiting firms and is the Managing Editor at OptimCareers.com.

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