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Job interviews are fraught with anxiety-inducing moments, but few questions strike as much fear in the hearts of applicants as the one about your biggest weakness—which happens to be a favorite of many interviewers. Fortunately, knowledge is power. Understanding what the interviewer is looking for and how to frame your answer can help you nail this answer every time. Here’s what you need to know. 

The Question Behind the Question 

What the interviewer is looking for is some insight into how you think. Obviously, you don’t want to give an answer that throws your ability to do the job into doubt, so be sure that your answer doesn’t hit on any key skills or core competencies. But beyond that, your interviewer wants to know how you recognize and handle challenges. So framing your answer is key. A three-step process can help you do this. 

• Choose a Nonessential Skill: Find a genuine difficulty you have in an area that is not critical to the position. For example, a writer might focus on numbers or an engineer might admit difficulty with creative writing. 
• Focus on the Positive: Maybe your weakness is that you’re hyper-organized, which can sometimes hurt productivity. Play up the fact that your organizational skills make you a great project manager or team leader. 
• Show Improvement: Talk about ways that you have worked to improve your weakness. For example, the writer who has trouble with numbers might have started working with digital analytics to understand raw numbers in context. 

Ultimately, your interviewer doesn’t really care exactly which weakness you choose, as long as it isn’t something that could render you incapable of performing the job. He or she wants to know that you have the insight to understand your flaws, the confidence to focus on your strengths, and the drive to improve your weaknesses. Put these three steps together, and you can develop an answer that helps you stand out from the crowd. 

Time for a New Job? 

If you’re ready to take the next steps in your career, OneSource Staffing is here for you. To learn how we can assist you with finding your next position in Port Jervis, NY, visit our job board today.