Interviews: "What is your weakness?"

Subject: Interviews: "What is your weakness?"
From: geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 09:37:28 -0600

I've always read that if someone asks you about your
weaknesses at an interview, you should be both honest and
semi-honest. Apart from the ethics of lying at an
interview, consider that in the first case, you don't want
to hide a weakness that will get you in trouble when your
employer trips over it. In the second case, supplying a
plausible weakness that can be an asset under the right
conditions is a good approach. Two personal examples:

- Real weakness: Left to my own devices, I prefer to work
alone. I work fairly effectively in a team, but I have to
keep reminding myself to do so (particularly under tight
deadlines, when I'd rather be left alone so I can get _my
own work_ done).

- Useful weakness: I spend a lot of time reading about and
learning new ideas and new technologies. It means I'm not
the best writer or editor who ever existed because I don't
concentrate exclusively on writing and editing, but I'm
pretty good at both and I can pitch in on lots of other
jobs when the need arises. I don't generally apply for
specialist jobs because I prefer diverse work; my approach
makes me fit in really well in such jobs.

--Geoff Hart @8^{)} geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.

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